Von Ryan's Express (1965)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

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

Release Date:

23 June 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Adventure | War

Tagline:

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

Plot:

An American POW leads a group mainly British prisoners to escape from the Germans in WWII.

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Italy | Train | Colonel | Major

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

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

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Norway:11 (DVD rating) (2006) | Iceland:12 | Norway:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Italy

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

According to the memoirs of the producers the original choice to play Sgt Bostick was vetoed by the star.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the very beginning of the movie when Col. Ryan's P-38 airplane is flying over the city trailing smoke, the smoke is coming from the center fuselage, not one of the engines. The sound of an engine sputtering is clearly heard, but the smoke is not coming from an engine.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Bob Newhart Show: Dr. Ryan's Express (#3.7)" (1974)

Exciting if implausible

Loads of WWII action as Sinatra leads band of Allied POWs in theft of prison train and attempted escape run through Italy to Switzerland. Many tense moments and spectacular location photography create a realistic feel even if the basic plot is pretty far-fetched. After all they've been through, when Trevor Howard is still calling Frank "Von Ryan" an hour into the film you figure The Chairman is going to punch him senseless but that never actually happens. Memorable final scene. One of my favorite war movies.