Monday, March 04, 2019

Movie review - "The Guns of Navarone" (1961) ***

I love guys on a mission film but this one is not among my  favourites. It's too long and too flabby lacks a twist or two.

The things I liked:
* the fact it features three genuine stars, Peck, Niven and Quinn, and the support cast is super strong Irene Pappas, Stanley Baker, James Darren, Gia Scala)
* the location filming in Greece
*the photography
* the storm scenes
* the bits with the team climbing up the cliff
* the basic set up
*Papas killing Gia Scala
*the relationship between Peck and Quinn
*the music.

The things I remembered that jarred:
* Niven's miscasting as someone who refuses to be an officer
*Niven's weird attachment to Anthony Quayle
* the editing of the ending - what should be exciting was dragged out.

The things I forgot which jarred:
* James Darren singing a song in Greek
* the nobility of German Walter Gotel

Needed a lot of fat stripped off. Still fun though.

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