The Guns of Navarone
Directed by J. Lee Thompson
Starring Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and David Niven
158 minutes (1961)
The Guns of Navarone has been in my house for quite a while sitting on the shelf. I wonder why I didn’t watch it sooner because it’s a great film especially for the guys...
Most guys have these fantasies of being in war (yes, I know easier said than done... I’m a coward), especially being assigned a mission as a spy. What special skills would you have?
The Guns of Navarone reminded me of many actions movies (most recently The Hobbit). In the beginning someone assigns the mission (to take out a couple of big guns controlled by the Nazis). We are then introduced to the various characters and they all have unique skills (Niven is the bomb expert, Peck is the “climber”, etc). Throughout the story we learn about the characters... and they have their arguments. After going through many tough situations (in this movie, putting up with the Nazis) and traveling through some arduous conditions, the movie comes to a grand finale.
One tricky part about this movie is having to put up with a lot of different accents. Gregory Peck speaks with an American accent (I think he’s supposed to be British)... one German speaks with a perfect British accent. I’m sure the Greeks find Anthony Quinn’s English strange. Well, these are things you’re not supposed to think too much about since it’s a film from 1961.
Also, the music score by Dmitri Tiomkin is corny. He sometimes adds a piano in the score making things sound like a cheap sounding piano concerto. Also, I’m supposing the music towards the end is trying to make the Brits proud... it just made me groan.
Those are my only negative comments. Besides that, there are some very tense scenes. I didn’t count the minutes during the stormy boat sequence but it’s all done very well. There are times when there is only silence... this creates a lot of tension in the story. David Niven has some incredible moments... he’s quite the actor!
I enjoyed the Guns of Navarone and the overall structure of the film has probably inspired similar action movies. 8 stars out of 10.
