Operation Crossbow (1965)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writers:

Duilio Coletti (story) &
Vittoriano Petrilli (story) ...

Release Date:

1 April 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Plot:

Allied agents attempt to infiltrate the Nazis' rocket research site.

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Rocket | V1 | Bomb | Test Pilot

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Sophia Loren	...	Nora
George Peppard	...	Lt. John Curtis
Trevor Howard	...	Professor Lindemann
John Mills	...	General Boyd
Richard Johnson	...	Duncan Sandys
Tom Courtenay	...	Robert Henshaw
Jeremy Kemp	...	Phil Bradley
Anthony Quayle	...	Bamford
Lilli Palmer	...	Frieda
Paul Henreid	...	General Ziemann
Helmut Dantine	...	General Linz
Barbara Rütting	...	Hannah Reitsch (as Barbara Rueting)
Richard Todd	...	Wing Cmdr. Kendall
Sylvia Syms	...	Constance Babington Smith
John Fraser	...	Flight Lt. Kenny

Also Known As:

The Great Spy Mission (UK) (USA) (reissue title)
Code Name: Operation Crossbow

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some war violence.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) | Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System) | Mono (35 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | West Germany:12 (f) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:16 | USA:PG-13 | UK:PG (video rating) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Holkham Beach and Estate, Norfolk, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios

Trivia:

For the section of the film where RAF Bomber Command raid the Peenemunde rocket research site the producers used the Avro Lancaster PA474 used by the Cranfield institute of technology. PA474 was painted in 83 squadron colours in the summer of 1964 for the movie. PA474 now flies as part of the RAF Battle of Britain memorial flight.

Goofs:

Continuity: The same victims appear after both V-1 and V-2 attacks - the footage showing the rescue from a collapsed building has a shaggy headed (for 1944) man being helped from the wreckage (on the right side of the frame), shown as a distance shot through a hole in a wall, then first appearing, and finally stumbling out. Note there is one rescuer with a white helmet in all these scenes.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Damnation Alley (1977)

Great War Movie

I wish this Film were shown more as it is an excellent WW2 movie with great atmosphere. George Peppard is the real star of the film with gorgeous Sophia Loren top billed in a cameo part. I think this is one of Peppard's most underrated films.