IMDb > Von Ryan's Express (1965)
Von Ryan's Express
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Von Ryan's Express (1965) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   3,580 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Down 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

David Westheimer (novel)
Wendell Mayes (screenplay) ...
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Contact:

View company contact information for Von Ryan's Express on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

23 June 1965 (USA) more

Genre:

Action | Drama | Adventure | War more

Tagline:

Why did 600 Allied prisoners hate the man they called Von Ryan more than they hated Hitler? more

Plot:

An American POW leads a group mainly British prisoners to escape from the Germans in WWII. full summary | add synopsis

Plot Keywords:

more

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination more

User Comments:

Adventure Thriller, Well-Made; Unusual Action Premise more (50 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Frank Sinatra ... Colonel Joseph L. Ryan
Trevor Howard ... Major Eric Fincham
Raffaella Carrà ... Gabriella (as Raffaella Carra)
Brad Dexter ... Sergeant Bostick
Sergio Fantoni ... Captain Oriani
John Leyton ... Orde
Edward Mulhare ... Captain Costanzo
Wolfgang Preiss ... Major Von Klemment

James Brolin ... Private Ames
John Van Dreelen ... Colonel Gortz (as John van Dreelen)
Adolfo Celi ... Battaglia
Vito Scotti ... Italian Train Engineer
Richard Bakalyan ... Corporal Giannini

Michael Goodliffe ... Captain Stein
Michael St. Clair ... Sergeant Major Dunbar
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Additional Details

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Filming Locations:

Italy more


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

Average Shot Length = ~5.3 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~5.4 seconds. more

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the troops commandeer the train, they tie up Major Von Klemment and Gabriella in one of the train bedrooms. Von Klemment turns around with his hands tied behind his back to grab a glass to use as a knife to cut through the ropes. The gap in the loosely tied rope is big enough for a elephant to pass through and he could easily have slipped his hand out of it. more

Quotes:

Colonel Joseph L. Ryan: Major, you will order the men to strip.
[pause]
Colonel Joseph L. Ryan: Major, I said "strip." Get it? All clothes, off. Naked.
[Major turns around]
Maj. Eric Fincham: [Yelling] Parade... strip.
more

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV) more


FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
Is this novel based on a movie?
How closely does the movie follow the novel?
more
17 out of 24 people found the following comment useful.
Adventure Thriller, Well-Made; Unusual Action Premise, 13 July 2005
7/10
Author: silverscreen888

This is a very logical and well-considered storyline developed from David Westheimer's WWWII thriller by Wendell Mayes and Joseph Landon The escape that ends this film, a trainborne flight across Italian lines toward Switzerland provides a vivid action climax when the train is attacked; it is a bit implausible only because of the length of time the train has to go on unstopped. The film begins its exciting adventure narrative with the arrival of "Von Ryan", then Ryan, among a group of busy British and American sorts trying to escape from a stalag run by a sadistic commandant. They are being punished, but will not give up their attempts. As the now-ranking senior officer, Ryan orders them to stop escaping, then betrays their tunnels to the enemy in return for decent conditions. He is betrayed; then he issues an order that causes him to be put into solitary. he gets respect from this; but he is now "Von Ryan" for the remainder of the film. the war ends; the prisoners revolt successfully and capture the Commandant. Then they have to move overland to escape, and"Von Ryan's" sparing of some prisoners costs lives. But it his great idea once they are captured and put aboard a train to be taken to imprisonment in Germany is to steal the train and head for safety elsewhere. They succeed; against all odds, even though he must kill an Italian officer's loyal betrayer, a beautiful woman; and by ruse, attack, feint, false messages and speed, they do what is necessary. Then as they head for Switzerland, the German planes attack. And at the last, Ryan runs after the train, the last of all--and becomes a legend the hard way. Music by Jerry Goldsmith, makeup by Ben Nye, cinematography by William H. Daniels , art direction by Hilyard B. Brown and John Martin Smith all under the direction of producer-director Mark Robson add up to a recipe for a first-rate color adventure film. As Ryan, Frank Sinatra is not entirely miscast and tries very hard, sensibly underplaying his role, matched every step of the way by Trevor Howard who mostly reacts and gives speeches about the way things ought to be done, very effectively. Edward Mulhare comes off Academy Award level in the film, and others such as John van Dreelin, Sergio Fantoni, Adolfo Celi as the Commandant, and Vito Scotti do well. Raffalla Carra is the girl Ryan must kill, Wolfgang Preiss, Brad Dexter, John Leyton and Richard Bakalyan are soldiers on one side or another. There are many exciting scenes provided, none moreso than Mulhare's impersonation of a German officer; the death of the girl, the final attacks on the train, several of the scenes set in the Stalag and the train's progress which is counterpoised many times to German language scenes of what their pursuers are doing; dialogue scenes lead here to action, action to reassessments, to challenges and to consequences. This is sometimes a slick film, but never a boring one, I suggest. Its characters are not developed as they would have been in a dramatic film; this is an adventure-level film with dramatic elements. And it is a good and occasionally thrilling ride, with the curious sense about it of a dream and a symbol both. Its theme is the courage to dare; and in the enigmatic Ryan, it finds an appropriate hero, a bit tarnished about the edges as a soldier but a first-rate result-getter nevertheless.

 

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Von Ryan's Express (1965)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Wouldn't VRE + The Train make a great double feature? Wayner50
Which railway line was the action at the end filmed on? penseur
British/American Relations in WWII DD-931
Sinatra the war hero?...no chance frederickelliot
Trevor Howard (Maj. Fincham) Great Part christopher_sargeant
Location of Roman Ruins WilhelmDutchie
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