Force 10 from Navarone (1978)

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

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writers:

Alistair MacLean (novel), Robin Chapman (screenplay)

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Robert Shaw, Edward Fox

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Shaw	...	Mallory
Harrison Ford	...	Barnsby
Barbara Bach	...	Maritza
Edward Fox	...	Miller
Franco Nero	...	Lescovar
Carl Weathers	...	Weaver
Richard Kiel	...	Drazak
Alan Badel	...	Petrovitch
Michael Byrne	...	Schroeder
Philip Latham	...	Jensen
Angus MacInnes	...	Reynolds
Michael Sheard	...	Sgt. Bauer
Petar Buntic	...	Marko
Leslie Schofield	...	Interrogation Officer 1
Anthony Langdon	...	Interrogation Officer 2 (as Antony Langdon)

Storyline

Mallory and Miller are back. It seems that there was traitor with them at Navarone, whom they thought was executed. But it seems that not only was he not executed, and he was not a traitor but a German spy. Intelligence believes he made it to Yugoslavia and is now with the Partisans. So, Mallory and Miller being the only ones who can positively identify him are sent along with a unit called Force 10, which is led by Colonel Barnsby, who objects to their presence. It seems that Force 10 has a mission of their own which Mallory and Miller know nothing about. When their plane is shot and most of the team is killed, they mistakenly believe that some of the locals they meet are Partisans but in reality are German Allies, so they are taken prisoner, and have to convince the German commander that they are not spies or else they will be killed.

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Plot Keywords:

partisan | german army | collapsing bridge | booby trap | prison guard | 

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Taglines:

Explosive high adventure! A mission more daring than silencing the "Guns".

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Croatian Serbian

Release Date:

8 December 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alistair MacLean's Force 10 from Navarone

Filming Locations:

Brigde on the River Tara near Djurdjevica Tara, Zabljak, Montenegro

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$7,230,000, 31 December 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,Navarone Productions,American International Pictures (AIP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 126 min (restored)

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Color:

Black and White (archive photographs in opening credits) Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although three producers of the film are deceased (Carl Foreman, Sidney J. Cohen, and Oliver Unger), their estates and surviving producer Peter Gettinger sued Sony Pictures (as Columbia Pictures' successor) for unpaid sums from distribution rights. Following a May 2008 trial in the N.Y. Supreme Court, a judgement awarded the producers more than 30 years of funds withheld by Columbia Pictures. Sony appealed the decision, but on 1 September 2009, the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, New York, upheld it.

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Goofs

Shortly after parachuting into Yugoslavia, Barnsby notes that the men should continue "moving east" to reach their objective. Yet as they move, the sun is to their left. If the men are moving east, that would mean that the sun is to the north of them, which would be impossible.

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Quotes

Mallory: Next time, you can play the corpse. You seem pretty handy with that thing, though.
Barnsby: Could've been luck.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND 1943

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema version was cut for an 'A' (PG) certificate by the BBFC to remove shots of Maritza being beaten and kicked, and to reduce the decapitation of a German motorbike rider. The cuts were restored in later upgraded releases.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Bernie Mac/Good Charlotte (2003)

User Reviews

Okay, But Don't Watch It With It's Predecessor Back-To-Back

If you love the "Guns Of Navarone" as one of the greatest, and more importantly most literate WWII action films of all time, then this "sequel" is really going to cause some painful moments, and I wouldn't recommend watching the two films back-to-back under any circumstances. Owing to the fact that it took original "Guns" producer Carl Foreman a decade to get the "Force 10" film project off the ground, Gregory Peck and David Niven were both Social Security eligible by the time the film was ready to go, and that meant we'd have to see a new cast. And for the most part, despite the borrowing of footage of the first film's climax at the beginning you might as well watch this film pretending the first one never happened. The "Nicolai" connection to the first film is weak and barely explored, and we probably could have done without that plotline altogether. And whereas "Guns" was deadly serious in tone, filled with some rich character studies and literate exploration of the moral questions that get raised even when fighting a good cause, "Force 10" is really more of an escapist war film, punctuated with moments of light comedy, and with no depth whatsoever in the characters and script. If one is willing to accept the film on that level, then it can be enjoyed as an entertaining diversion, but no more. It is interesting to see Harrison Ford in his first post-Star Wars role working alongside the great Robert Shaw in his last film, and Edward Fox appears to emulate most of David Niven's mannerisms quite well. Carl Weathers though, was an annoying distraction and the scene where he demanded "answers" while the enemy was approaching was just plain dumb.

By it's very title though, "Force 10" is always going to have the problem of it's magnificent predecessor hanging over it. Too bad the sequel possibility wasn't cashed in on sooner when Peck, Niven and Quinn could have still done their parts (I always hoped they'd lead a new mission to rescue Anthony Quayle!)