Von Ryan's Express (1965)

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

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

Release Date:

23 June 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Action | 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 | Soldier | Major

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Frank Sinatra	...	Col. Joseph L. Ryan
Trevor Howard	...	Major Eric Fincham
Raffaella Carrà	...	Gabriella (as Raffaella Carra)
Brad Dexter	...	Sgt. Bostick
Sergio Fantoni	...	Capt. Oriani
John Leyton	...	Orde
Edward Mulhare	...	Costanzo
Wolfgang Preiss	...	Major Von Klemment
James Brolin	...	Private Ames
John Van Dreelen	...	Col. Gortz (as John van Dreelen)
Adolfo Celi	...	Battaglia
Vito Scotti	...	Italian Train Engineer
Richard Bakalyan	...	Corporal Giannini
Michael Goodliffe	...	Captain Stein
Michael St. Clair	...	Sgt. Dunbar
Ivan Triesault	...	Von Kleist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ian Abercrombie	...	English POW (uncredited)
William Berger	...	Man from the Gestapo (uncredited)
Arthur Brauss	...	Lt. Gertel--German Mess Officer (uncredited)
William Conroy	...	German Soldier (uncredited)
John Daheim	...	American Soldier (uncredited)
Domenick Delgarde	...	Italian Soldier (uncredited)
Horst Ebersberg	...	German Pilot (uncredited)
Barry Ford	...	Ransom's Batman (uncredited)
Brian Gaffikin	...	English Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Donald F. Glut	...	P.O.W. (uncredited)
Gino Gottarelli	...	Gotrz's Aide #2 (uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Peter Hellman	...	Pilot (uncredited)
Robert 'Buzz' Henry	...	American Soldier (uncredited)
Walter Linden	...	German Captain (uncredited)
Eric Micklewood	...	Ransom (uncredited)
John Mitory	...	Oriani's Aide (uncredited)
Ernesto Molinari	...	Italian Tailor (uncredited)
Paul Muller	...	Hauptmann Josef Sonneberg (uncredited)
Benito Prezia	...	Italian Corporal (uncredited)
Christopher Riordan	...	Nude P.O.W. (uncredited)
Michael Romanoff	...	Italian Nobleman (uncredited)
Bob Rosen	...	P.O.W. Who Opens Sweatbox (uncredited)
James Sikking	...	American Soldier (uncredited)
Al Silvani	...	American P.O.W. at Train Station (uncredited)
Lee Stanley	...	English Prisoner (uncredited)
Jacques Stany	...	Gortz's Aide (uncredited)
Brad Stevens	...	German Sergeant (uncredited)
Max Turilli	...	German Officer at Plane Crash Site (uncredited)
Ron Veto	...	Italian soldier (uncredited)
Al Wyatt Sr.	...	American Soldier (uncredited)

Directed by
Mark Robson

Writing credits
David Westheimer		(novel)
Wendell Mayes		(screenplay) and
Joseph Landon		(screenplay)

Produced by
Saul David	....	producer

Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography by
William H. Daniels		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer

Art Direction by
Hilyard M. Brown		(as Hilyard Brown)
Jack Martin Smith

Set Decoration by
Raphael Bretton		(set decorations) (as Raphael G. Bretton)
Walter M. Scott

Makeup Department
Margaret Donovan	....	hair stylist
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
José Luis Pérez	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
Roy Stork	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Harry Thomas	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Helen Turpin	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Harry Caplan	....	unit production manager (as Harry A. Caplan)
Eduardo García Maroto	....	unit production manager: Spain (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eli Dunn	....	assistant director
William Kaplan	....	second unit director

Art Department
Ed Graves	....	assistant art director
Lou Korn	....	assistant art director
José Algueró	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Tom Coleman	....	property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Carlton W. Faulkner	....	sound
Elmer Raguse	....	sound
William Buffinger	....	recordist (uncredited)
Walter Rossi	....	sound effects (uncredited)
Don Stern	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
Emil Kosa Jr.	....	special photographic effects
Johnny Borgese	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
John Daheim	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Dial	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Gray	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert 'Buzz' Henry	....	stunts (uncredited)
Al Wyatt Sr.	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Harold Lipstein	....	second unit photography
Ted Allan	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Bill Johnson	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Al Lane	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Lou Pazelli	....	grip (uncredited)
Ramiro Sabell	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mickey Sherrard	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator
Tommy Tedesco	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Chris Haynes	....	driver (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century-Fox)
• P-R Productions Picture (as A P-R Productions Picture)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1965) (USA) (theatrical) (released by) (as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation)
• 20th Century Fox (1965) (UK) (theatrical)
• Fox Films (1965) (Finland) (theatrical) (1978)
• CBS / Fox Video (1987) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1988) (Finland) (VHS)
• Fox Video (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Nelonen (1997) (Finland) (TV)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (1999) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• FS Film Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1971) (USA) (TV)
• Magnetic Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Ferrovie dello Stato  special gratitude is due to, whose skill, understanding and cooperation made this film possible (as the Executives and Employees of the Italian State Railroads {Ferrovie Dello Stato})

Also Known As:

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) (2002) | USA:Unrated (DVD rating) | West Germany:16 | Australia:G | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Norway:11 (DVD rating) (2006) | Iceland:12 | Norway:16 | New Zealand:PG | Canada:PG (video rating) | UK:PG (tv rating) | UK:U (original rating) (passed with cuts)

Filming Locations:

Cortina d'Ampezzo, Belluno, Veneto, Italy

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Michael Goodliffe, who plays CPT Stein, was an actual Prisoner of War during WWII. He was captured at Dunkirk and spent the next five years in a German POW camp.

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:

Capt. Oriani:He says you are no gentleman, colonel.
Colonel Joseph L. Ryan:Only by an act of Congress.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

Adventure Thriller, Well-Made; Unusual Action Premise

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.