Reviews

Wonderful one of my favourite films. When I saw it on release at a cinema in Birmingham called The Futurist, I was overwhelmed. The action, the photography, the sets and the music by Tiomkin! Even after 40 years, the theme is still in my head. I own it on DVD in widescreen, but how I wish I could see it one more time in the cinema, I'm 62 and I don't suppose I will ever get the chance. Will have to do with the DVD, still it's in widescreen and surround sound. I think that the film won an award for the sound, but I can't remember now, but the sound of the attacking steaks as they came from the back of the cinema and that of the guns firing. The shells really did sound like "the sound of an express train", to misquote Maclean. On Maclean I did find it disappointing to find that the scrip had been changed from a Greek male traitor to that of a Greek female one. Probably because the producers wanted a love interest in the film, because in the book there wasn't one. It was all male action and I think the film would not have suffered if the Greek women characters had been dropped. Navarone is being shown on TV in England this afternoon, but I wont bother, I got the DVD in 70mm and surround sound and that will do for me.

A film which must been seen in the theatre! On DVD it is fine, but even widescreen ts cannot show the full scope of the final shots of the chapel ceiling. Harrison was to me the better actor. Heston as usual was okay. The Italian cast members were spoilt by the bad dubbing. The DVD version is complete, including the interval music and the welcome return of the travelouge, originally shown in the cinema on it's first release. The scene at the end of the first part is also impressive in wide-screen in which the cloud formations give Michelanglo the visions for his painting. Apart from the opening title I do not think that Newman's score is one of his best