Force 10 from Navarone (1978)

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writers:

Robin Chapman (screenplay)
Carl Foreman (screen story)

Release Date:

8 December 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

The Odds Against Them Were 10,000 to 1...But What the Hell!

Plot:

During World War II, several oddly assorted military experts are teamed in a mission to raid and destroy a bridge vital to enemy strategy.

Plot Keywords:

Partisan | Nazi | Yugoslavia | Female Nudity | Decapitation

Cast

Robert Shaw	...	Maj. Keith Mallory
Harrison Ford	...	Lieutenant Colonel Mike Barnsby
Barbara Bach	...	Maritza Petrovich
Edward Fox	...	SSgt. Dusty Miller
Franco Nero	...	Capt. Nikolai Leskovar (as Lescovar)
Carl Weathers	...	Sgt. Weaver
Richard Kiel	...	Capt. Drazak
Alan Badel	...	Maj. Petrovitch
Michael Byrne	...	Maj. Schroeder
Philip Latham	...	Cmdr. Jensen
Angus MacInnes	...	1st Lt. Doug Reynolds
Michael Sheard	...	Sgt. Bauer
Petar Buntic	...	Marko
Leslie Schofield	...	Interrogation Officer 1
Anthony Langdon	...	Interrogation Officer 2 (as Antony Langdon)

Also Known As:

Alistair MacLean's Force 10 from Navarone (USA) (poster title)
Force Ten from Navarone (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

118 min | 126 min (restored version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG (Certificate #25070) | Singapore:PG | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | UK:12 (2005 re-rating) | UK:15 (1986-2005)

Filming Locations:

Jersey, Channel Islands

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

Edward Fox replaced Ian Bannen.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The tanks used by the German army when crossing the bridge are actually the T-34 tanks manufactured and used in WWII by the Soviet Union that fought AGAINST the Germans.

Quotes:

Mallory: [inside the Partisans' cave Mallory wants to talk to Petrovitch alone to tell him he needs to kill Nikolai] May I talk to you personally, sir?
Maj. Petrovitch: You are talking to me personally.
Mallory: No I mean alone.
Maj. Petrovitch: No. The People's army does not conduct military business in secret.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Castle of Fu-Manchu (#4.23)" (1992)

Enjoyable Boys Own Romp.

Some time after the successful mission to destroy the huge guns on the island of Navarone, Mallory and Miller are sent to Yugoslavia to kill Nikolai, a German agent who nearly blew the Navarone operation, and who has now infiltrated the Partisans. To get there they are attached to Force 10 led by Col. Barnsby, who have their own mission to destroy a vital bridge. From the outset things go wrong, as they steal a Lancaster from an airfield in Termoli, are joined by Sgt. Weaver (escaping US MP's), then get shot down, bail out, and are captured by Chetniks who are loyal to the Germans.

By the time this sequel to 'The Guns Of Navarone' was made, 17 years had passed. Gregory Peck and David Niven were too old to reprise their roles, so Robert Shaw and Edward Fox took over. Harrison Ford, fresh from 'Star Wars', played Col. Barnsby, Franco Nero signed on as Nikolai, and Richard Kiel, Barbara Bach, and Carl Weathers all came from recent box office hits - the former two from 'The Spy Who Loved Me', the latter from 'Rocky'. Guy Hamilton was hired to direct (Goldfinger, Battle of Britain, Live and Let Die etc.)

This film has been much maligned over the years, somewhat unfairly. It could never hope to emulate its predecessor, and therefore takes a different approach. While 'Guns' had a taut, serious tone, this adopts a more tongue in cheek feel. Some of the interplay between Shaw and Fox is quite deadpan and amusing, with the actors obviously not taking proceedings too seriously. Harrison Ford looks uneasy at the start, but settles into his role as things progress. The use of the stunning Yugoslavian countryside gives the film a unique feel, and it appears to have had a decent budget. The score harks back to the type of Boys Own adventures that were so popular a decade earlier.

There are some flaws, yes. Possibly more tension could have been injected at some points, and Mallory seems to have lost the ability to speak fluent German since 'Guns'. It's not in the same league as that film or the marvellous 'Where Eagles Dare', but it's an enjoyable way to pass a couple of hours on a cold, wet winters' night.