The Guns of Navarone

While The Guns of Navarone is purely fictional, based on a novel by Alistair MacLean, it is set during the Dodecanese campaign of World War II and takes full advantage of the Mediterranean setting during the latter half of the war. This was during the time that Italy had switched sides in the war, and the Germans seized control of the Dodecanese to prevent the Allies from using the islands as bases to strike against them in the Balkans. This campaign was a success for the Germans in the short run, and many Jews living in the Dodecanese were captured and executed by the Nazis.  

The film tells how the Axis powers plan an assault on the island of Kheros, where 2,000 British soldiers are marooned. This attack is meant as a display of power in an attempt to convince neutral Turkey to join them, possibly turning the tide of the war. Any rescue attempts by the Allies would be futile in large part because of two enormous radar-directed large-calibre guns mounted on the mountainside of Navarone Island. Aerial bombing had proven ineffectual, so Allied Intelligence gathers together a commando unit to infiltrate Navarone and destroy the guns from within. 

Major Roy Franklin (Anthony Quayle) leads the commando unit set to perform this mission. Along with him is Captain Keith Mallory (Gregory Peck), a spy and an officer with the Long Range Desert Group. Colonel Stavros (Anthony Quinn) from the Greek Army; explosives expert Corporal Miller (David Niven); Spyros Pappadimos (James Darren), a Greco-American and native of Navarone; and engineer and knife fighter Casey “The Butcher of Barcelona” Brown (Stanley Baker). 

Almost immediately, the troop runs into problems as their boat is capsized in a storm crossing the Aegean Sea. The wreck leads to Major Franklin being injured severely enough that he can no longer command the team. He must be carried on a stretcher, risking the lives of the remaining members of the team. Mallory, now in command, refuses to shoot him or risk him being taken into custody, so the men take him along, despite the danger it poses to them. Eventually, the situation forces them to leave him behind, knowing he will be interrogated by the Germans. Mallory banks on the rules of war to prevent him from being tortured for information but assumes they will use drugs to force the man to talk, so he convinces Franklin that the mission has changed so that when he is inevitably interrogated, he will eventually give up false information, making it more likely they will succeed in their plan. As the mission progresses, though, it becomes highly probable that one of them, either from the original troop or amongst those they have picked up along the way, is a traitor and has been feeding the Axis information to sabotage the mission. 

Director J. Lee Thompson had been working in Hollywood since the late 1930s, starting out as a screenwriter before graduating to director in the 50s. He had a history for crafting  character-driven pieces that avoided caricatures and stereotypes. He took over for Alexander Mackendrick, who was originally hired to helm the picture but dropped out a week before production was to commence. The official story was that he had a severe back ailment, but unofficially, it was understood that he was fired from the project over creative differences. Gregory Peck suggested Thompson as the replacement based on an earlier picture Thompson had done entitled North West Frontier. Thompson stepped in last-minute and the results speak for themselves.

The film crew took advantage of the exotic Greek locations, letting the camera occasionally showcase the beautiful scenery. It is quite obvious when looking at the shots that this is not southern California doubling for Greece. Because of the location shooting, they were also able to take full advantage of the Greek locals to fill in the extras, not having to rely on a handful of people playing all the background characters. This includes the military soldiers, mostly Germans. For a budget of six million dollars, this is a fantastic-looking film. On top of that, the effects are first-rate, earning this movie its sole Oscar win; the climactic destruction of the guns alone would have merited that win.

There have been a handful of war movies that take the concept of a ragtag group of men thrust together on a mission, The Dirty Dozen among them. This was a time in Hollywood where epic war movies were en vogue, and what better way to attract audiences than to bring together a group of famous actors and give them interesting characters to play? We would see this in The Bridge on the River Kwai, Stalag 17, The Great Escape, and many others. In that aspect, The Guns of Navarone is no different. By casting such well known performers, it helps to keep the various characters distinguishable until we have had enough time to get to know their characters. This was one of the major assets that propelled The Great Escape into the amazing film that it is, and the same can be said for Navarone. 

By the time the team is on a ship disguised as a local fishing boat, we have started getting a feel for each of the characters. Corporal Miller is a man who turns down opportunities to promote because his heart isn’t in the military. He is a chemist and an explosives expert that would rather be in a classroom than on the battlefield. Still, he is loyal to his country and will do his duty when called upon. He’s also meticulous and observational, something that plays into figuring out who the traitor is amongst the group. He is good friends with Franklin, which causes tension amongst the ranks when Mallory takes advantage of Franklin’s injuries to set a trap for the German soldiers, knowing it may mean Franklin will be tortured to death over it. 

Mallory is a man determined to complete his mission no matter the cost. But he is not heartless. When Franklin is first injured, Mallory presents two options to the men: leave him behind to be captured by the Germans or take him with them, endangering the rest of the men all the way. A third option is presented to him: put a bullet into him and spare him from captivity. Mallory refuses that option unless they’re put in a position where there is no other choice. We learn later, when dealing with the traitor, that if it came down to it, Mallory wouldsacrifice Franklin for the mission. 

James Darren was still in the heartthrob stage of his career at this point in his life. This same year, he would appear in Gidget Goes Hawaiian as Moondoggie. In Navarone, he is trying to shed some of that image and do a more adult-type of film. He’s not given a whole lot to do in this film, but he gets a memorable final scene where he “forgets why we are here.” Casey “Butcher” Brown, though, is perhaps the most interesting of the secondary characters. He is built up to be an absolute savage, but when the first opportunity comes up for him to show off his skills, he hesitates and is almost killed. He doesn’t live up to his reputation. He does, however, satisfy the old saying: “He who lives by the sword dies by the sword.” 

As a war film, it has plenty of exciting action set-pieces. The ending may not be in doubt at any point, but the way it is staged overcomes that and allows the finale to be properly taut and exciting. It is brilliantly written, too, to keep us at bated breath even though we know the outcome. This may be a fictional story, but it is told so well that that doesn’t really matter. This is not the kind of film that generally attracts acting Oscars, and that shows in the nominations that year, but everyone in this cast is spot-on, and there are no weak links. This is a fun and exciting film that stands the test of time. The same cannot be said for the sequel, Force 10 from Navarone, a film that takes the title from Alistair MacLean’s follow-up novel and jettisons everything else. That film is lesser in every way, and audiences mostly stayed away from it. The Guns of Navarone is a much better film and should be on everyone’s must-see list. 

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Motion Picture: Carl Foreman

Best Director: J. Lee Thompson

Best Screenplay - Based on Material from Another Medium: Carl Foreman

Best Film Editing: Alan Osborn

Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: Dimitri Tiomkin

Best Sound: John Cox

Best Special Effects: Bill Warrington and Chris Greenham (won)

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Release Date: June 22, 1961

Running Time: 157 Minutes

Not Rated

Starring: Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Baker, Anthony Quayle, Irene Papas, Gia Scala, and James Darren

Directed By: J. Lee Thompson