Die Kanonen von Navarone (1961)

Die Kanonen von Navarone: Directed by J. Lee Thompson. With Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Baker. A team of allied saboteurs are assigned an impossible mission: infiltrate an impregnable Nazi-held island and destroy the two enormous long-range field guns that prevent the rescue of 2,000 trapped British soldiers.

“Ever since I was a little boy, Iu0026#39;ve watched several classic war movies with my father. He was an absolute fan of this kind of movies and I guess Iu0026#39;ve inherited that passion from him, because since then I try to watch and buy as many (classic) war movies as I can find. So far I already have several of them in my private DVD collection, but until now, u0026quot;The Guns of Navaroneu0026quot; wasnu0026#39;t a part of it. The main reason for that is because I hadnu0026#39;t seen it before and therefor didnu0026#39;t know what to expect of it. But now that it was finally shown on television, I was able to tape it and to watch it.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhen in 1943 the Germans are attempting to bully neutral Turkey into joining the Axis, 2,000 British troops are trapped on the small and strategically unimportant Greek island Kiros. Something has to be done to save them and there is only one way to get there: by boat. But itu0026#39;s impossible to come near to the island because the only sea route is defended by two gigantic German anti-ship batteries, deployed in a massive cliff side bunker on the island of Navarone. An air attack has been attempted before and proved to be useless and the only option that is left is sending a team of six Greek and English mountaineers to meet up with partisans to try and dynamite the guns. The team does not only face the almost impossible task to conquer the difficult terrain, they also have to try to get past a German garrison and to make things worse, there also appears to be a traitor among them…u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAbout one thing Iu0026#39;m already certain: Iu0026#39;ll buy this movie on DVD as soon as I can find it. This is one of the better classic war movies that Iu0026#39;ve seen lately and I really had a good time watching it. Not only does it give a more realistic view on the war, the characters are also a lot more realistic. They arenu0026#39;t as invincible as you sometimes see in other classic war movies (think for instance of u0026quot;Where Eagles Dare (1968)u0026quot;), in which the Americans or other allies seem to carry some kind of magic shield around them that canu0026#39;t be penetrated by German bullets, while they can kill hundreds of the enemy with only one bullet. In this movie they have to deal with all kinds of difficulties like difficult terrain, a traitor,… and yes, even the good guys can get killed or wounded.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat I also liked was the fact that this movie was shot in Greece and therefor gave a realistic feeling to the setting, without feeling like a brochure for a romantic holiday (like Captain Corelliu0026#39;s Mandolin). I know, we all expect that and believe that it is normal when we see it, but Iu0026#39;ve already seen otherwise and itu0026#39;s something you didnu0026#39;t always get at the time. Think for instance of the movie u0026quot;The Battle of the Bulgeu0026quot; (1965), which was supposed to be situated in the Belgian Ardennes, but which was shot with olive trees in the background and in a desert-like terrain. And trust me, Iu0026#39;m Belgian myself and I know the region all too well, so I know that there really isnu0026#39;t such a type of terrain to be found there.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNext to the good story and the correct decor, this movie also offers some fine acting from a great classical cast. With Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Quayle,… you get some of the most famous actors at the time and they all did a very nice job in this movie. Add to this the fact that story was very good, that the action still looked nice, that everything was shot in the right country and that everybody spoke the correct language. Then you know that there is absolutely nothing more I could ask for in this movie. I give this movie a well deserved 7.5/10.”