Before the Inglourious Basterds became a behind-enemy-line fighting force of Jewish soldiers hunting Nazis, Quentin Tarantino just wanted one “Film about a group of men who are on a mission” turn. According to the director, this subgenre of World War II films had not been served for a long time at this point and he specifically cited 1961’s The Guns of Navarone as a prime example (via Screen Daily).
The classic with a star cast by J. Lee Thompson based on a novel by Alistair MacLean has been available in one since March 14, 2024 noble steelbook edition on Amazon * remastered with 4K/UHD resolution and additional Blu-ray. In addition to the film with a running time of 2 hours and 36 minutes, bonus material includes audio commentaries, documentaries and featurettes from behind the scenes. There is also an optional 4K standard version* of the film.
That’s what the classic war film The Guns of Navarone is about
The German army fought on the fictional Aegean island of Navarone during World War II a seemingly unassailable fortress with huge guns built, aimed at a strategically important sea passage. 2,000 British soldiers will soon be shipped there as part of a rescue operation, which is why the cannons will have to be disabled.
For this purpose, a diverse special squad is put together consisting of the mountaineer Captain Mallory (Gregory Peck), the explosives expert Corporal Miller (David Niven), the resistance fighter Andrea Stavros (Anthony Quinn) and Major “Lucky Guy” Franklin (Anthony Quayle) as well as other helpers who are supposed to carry out the daring task. But Danger threatens not only from the enemy, but also from within our own ranks.
The war film The Guns of Navarone is that good
At the 1962 Academy Awards, The Guns of Navarone was nominated in seven categories, but ultimately only received the award for Best Special Effects. There were also two Golden Globes for Best Film in Drama and for Best Film Music. FILMSTARTS ranked the classic, which was loosely continued in 1978 with The Wild Bunch of Navarone, among the 50 best war films and received critical acclaim awarded the title of a masterpiece with 5 out of 5 stars.
It says that the film “can live up to its good reputation, knows how to convince in the most important aspects and rightly holds and can keep its status as a classic.” It’s definitely worth watching.
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