The Guns of Navarone (1961)
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An Allied commando unit must infiltrate a heavily fortified island to destroy massive guns threatening naval ships in the Aegean Sea.
The story
In 1943, the Axis powers plan an assault on the island of Keros, where 2,000 British soldiers are marooned. Rescue by the Royal Navy is blocked by two massive radar-directed guns on Navarone Island. After aerial bombing fails, Allied Intelligence assigns a commando unit to infiltrate Navarone and destroy the guns. Led by Major Roy Franklin, the diverse team includes an ex-spy, a Greek officer, an explosives expert, a former criminal, and a skilled fighter. Disguised as fishermen, they navigate the Aegean Sea to reach the fortress. The mission becomes a desperate struggle against the elements and the enemy to ensure the safety of the stranded troops.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1943, the Axis powers plan an assault on the island of Keros, where 2,000 British soldiers are marooned. Rescue by the Royal Navy is blocked by two massive radar-directed guns on Navarone Island. A commando unit led by Major Roy Franklin—including Captain Keith Mallory, Colonel Andrea Stavros, Corporal John Miller, Spyros Pappadimos, and Casey Brown—is sent to destroy the guns. Disgued as fishermen, they reach the island but face internal tensions, including a personal feud between Mallory and Stavros. After a series of skirmishes and a failed attempt to find medical aid for Franklin's injured leg, the team infiltrates the gun positions. While Stavros and Spyros create distractions, Mallory and Miller plant explosives. Despite a desperate defense by the Germans, the explosives detonate, silencing the guns and allowing the British convoy to rescue the stranded troops. The film ends with the team's success and the resolution of personal conflicts.
- First release year
- 1961
- Runtime (minutes)
- 157
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- J. Lee Thompson
- Writers
- Carl Foreman · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Gregory Peck; David Niven; Anthony Quinn; Stanley Baker; Anthony Quayle; Irene Papas; Gia Scala; James Darren
- Genres
- adventure; war
- Themes
- sacrifice; war; cooperation
- Tone and mood
- action-packed; heroic
- Setting
- Navarone Island and the Aegean Sea, 1943
- Premise and plot tags
- military; espionage; war_adventure
- Source material / true-story basis
- Alistair MacLean's 1957 novel
- Franchise connections
- Force 10 from Navarone
- Reception
- The film was a widespread critical and commercial success, becoming the second top-grossing film of 1961.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe Award · Best Original Score · won
- Production trivia
- The character of Casey 'The Butcher of Barcelona' was an engineer and knife fighter.; The film's map depicted the real island of Antikythera despite the fictional name of Navarone.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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