Escape to Athena (1979)
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- PG
- 2h 5min
- Action, Adventure
- 06 Jun 1979 (USA)
- Movie
A World War II adventure involving a group of Allied P.O.W.s, Nazis, black market priceless art treasures, Greek resistance, a Greek monastery, and a secret German rocket base.
Director:
Stars:
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Roger Moore | ... |
Major Otto Hecht
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| Telly Savalas | ... |
Zeno
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| David Niven | ... |
Professor Blake
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| Stefanie Powers | ... |
Dottie Del Mar
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| Claudia Cardinale | ... |
Eleana
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| Richard Roundtree | ... |
Nat Judson
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| Sonny Bono | ... |
Bruno Rotelli
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| Elliott Gould | ... |
Charlie Dane
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| Anthony Valentine | ... |
SS Major Volkmann
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| Siegfried Rauch | ... |
Braun
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| Michael Sheard | ... |
Sergeant Mann
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Richard Wren | ... |
Reistoffer
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| Philip Locke | ... |
Vogel
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Steve Ubels | ... |
Lantz
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| Paul Picerni | ... |
Zeno's Man
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| Paul Stassino | ... |
Zeno's Man
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| Manolis Peletis |
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Stassia Stakis |
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| Lykourgos Kallergis | ... |
(as Lycourgos Callerghis)
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Lambros Tsagas | ... |
(as Lambros Tsangas)
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| Mimi Denissi | ... |
(as Mimi Denisi)
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Anne Marie Sten | ... |
(as Anne-Marie Sten)
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| Maria Drakopoulou | ... |
(as Mary Drakopoulou)
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| Elena Secota | ... |
Brothel Girl
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| Vanna Reville | ... |
(as Gelsomina)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Roy Alon | ... |
Man with Bicycle (uncredited)
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| William Holden | ... |
Sgt. J.J. Sefton (uncredited)
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| Robert Ian Mackenzie | ... |
German Radio Operator (uncredited)
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| Doug Robinson | ... |
German Soldier (uncredited)
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| Apostolos Souglakos | ... |
Soldier (uncredited)
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Directed by
| George P. Cosmatos | ||
Written by
| Edward Anhalt | ... | (screenplay) and |
| Richard S. Lochte | ... | (screenplay) |
| Richard S. Lochte | ... | (story) and |
| George P. Cosmatos | ... | (story) |
Produced by
| Colin M. Brewer | ... | associate producer |
| Erwin C. Dietrich | ... | producer (uncredited) (credited on German prints) |
| Lew Grade | ... | executive producer (uncredited) |
| David Niven Jr. | ... | producer |
| Jack Wiener | ... | producer |
Music by
| Lalo Schifrin | ||
Cinematography by
| Gilbert Taylor | ... | director of photography (as Gil Taylor) |
Editing by
| Ralph Kemplen | ||
Editorial Department
| Peter Davies | ... | assistant editor |
Casting By
| Irene Lamb | ||
Costume Design by
| Yvonne Blake | ||
Makeup Department
| Eric Allwright | ... | make up artiste |
| Paul Engelen | ... | make up artiste |
| Ramon Gow | ... | hairdresser |
| Mike Jones | ... | hairdresser (as Michael Jones) |
| Jacques Moisant | ... | hair stylist: Miss Cardinale |
Production Management
| Dimitri Dimitriadis | ... | production manager: Greece |
| Chris Kenny | ... | unit manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Derek Cracknell | ... | assistant director |
| Raymond Becket | ... | first assistant director: second unit (uncredited) |
| Yiorgos Konstantinopoulos | ... | location assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| Frank Bruton | ... | property master |
| George Dean | ... | chargehand painter |
| Dick Frift | ... | construction manager |
| John Graysmark | ... | supervising art director |
| Peter James | ... | set dresser |
| Petros Kapouralis | ... | art director: Greece |
| Michael Stringer | ... | original designs |
| Ken Barley | ... | plasterer (uncredited) |
| Tony Horsefield | ... | plasterer (uncredited) |
| Terry Wells | ... | stand-by property master (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Derek Ball | ... | sound mixer |
| Ken Nightingall | ... | boom operator |
| Bill Rowe | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Nicholas Stevenson | ... | sound editor |
| Bill Barringer | ... | sound assistant (uncredited) |
| Nigel Galt | ... | assistant sound editor (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| John Richardson | ... | special effects |
Stunts
| Vic Armstrong | ... | stunt coordinator |
| Roy Alon | ... | stunt double: Sonny Bono (uncredited) / stunts (uncredited) |
| Vic Armstrong | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
| Marc Boyle | ... | stunt double: Elliott Gould (uncredited) / stunts (uncredited) |
| Clive Curtis | ... | stunt double: Richard Roundtree (uncredited) / stunts (uncredited) |
| Tracey Eddon | ... | stunt double: Stefanie Powers (uncredited) / stunts (uncredited) |
| Martin Grace | ... | stunt double: Roger Moore (uncredited) / stunts (uncredited) |
| Nick Hobbs | ... | stunt double: Elliott Gould (uncredited) / stunts (uncredited) |
| Doug Robinson | ... | stunt double: Telly Savalas (uncredited) / stunts (uncredited) |
| Paul Weston | ... | stunt double: Anthony Valentine (uncredited) / stunts (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Ray Andrew | ... | steadicam operator |
| Derek V. Browne | ... | camera operator (as Derek Browne) |
| Ron Goodman | ... | aerial sequences cameraman |
| Bob Penn | ... | stills photographer |
| Ron Taberer | ... | electrical supervisor |
| Peter Bloor | ... | best boy (uncredited) |
| Ronald Lenoir | ... | set rigger (uncredited) |
| Ron Taberer | ... | gaffer (uncredited) |
| Peter Taylor | ... | focus puller (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Ron Beck | ... | wardrobe supervisor |
| Janet Tebrooke | ... | wardrobe mistress |
| Colin Wilson | ... | wardrobe master |
Location Management
| Richard Green | ... | location manager |
| Nikos Doukas | ... | location manager (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Michael Clifford | ... | music editor |
| Hristodoulos Halaris | ... | music arrangement: Greek (as Christodoulos Halaris) |
| Dick Lewzey | ... | music recordist (uncredited) |
| Lalo Schifrin | ... | conductor (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Yvonne Axworthy | ... | continuity |
Additional Crew
| Nellie Dimoglou | ... | Greek dance |
| Hunt Downs | ... | unit publicist |
| Lew Grade | ... | presenter |
| Gladys Pearce | ... | production assistant |
| Arlene Phillips | ... | choreographer |
| Jose Villaverde | ... | dialogue coach (as Jose Di Villaverde) |
| John Wall | ... | production accountant |
| Marc Wolff | ... | helicopter pilot |
| Sue Wall | ... | location accountant (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- ITC Entertainment (from)
- Pimlico Films
Distributors
- ITC Film Distributors (1979) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Associated Film Distribution (AFD) (1979) (United States) (theatrical)
- Ascot Filmverleih (1981) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Astral Films (1979) (Canada) (theatrical)
- Distrifilms (1979) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Filmes Castello Lopes (1979) (Portugal) (theatrical)
- Filmways Australasian Distributors (1980) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Magna-Filmi (1979) (Finland) (theatrical)
- Tuschinski Film Distribution (1979) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Alliance Vidéo (1984) (France) (VHS) (dubbed version)
- Alliance Vidéo (1985) (France) (video) (Betamax) (dubbed version)
- Aventi (2008) (France) (DVD)
- Avid Home Entertainment (1991) (United States) (VHS)
- CBS/Fox Home Video (1984) (Australia) (video)
- CBS/Fox (1989) (West Germany) (VHS)
- Channel 5 Video (1986) (United Kingdom) (VHS)
- Concorde Home Entertainment (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
- Concorde Home Entertainment (2013) (Germany) (Blu-ray)
- Divisa Home Video (2017) (Spain) (DVD)
- Film Office (1982) (France) (VHS)
- Film Office (1993) (France) (VHS) (dubbed version)
- Finnkino (1997) (Finland) (VHS)
- Future Film (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
- Gemini Entertainment (2024) (Japan) (video)
- ITV Studios Home Entertainment (2006) (United Kingdom) (DVD) (also on BluRay)
- M6 (1995) (France) (tv) (dubbed version)
- M6 (1998) (France) (tv) (dubbed version)
- Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1986) (Finland) (tv)
- Opening (2010) (France) (DVD)
- PVB Editions (2003) (France) (DVD)
- Paris Première (2022) (France) (tv)
- Pike Video Productions (PVP) (Netherlands) (VHS)
- PolyGram Video (1990) (Australia) (video)
- Precision Video (1981) (United Kingdom) (VHS)
- Premium Cine (2021) (Spain) (video)
- RTL-TV (1984) (Luxembourg) (tv) (dubbed version)
- RTL9 (2003) (France) (tv)
- RTL9 (2009) (France) (tv)
- Showtime Video (Finland) (video)
- TF1 (1992) (France) (tv) (dubbed version)
- TF1 (1994) (France) (tv) (dubbed version)
- Video Distributie Nederland B.V. (VDN) Wijchen (Netherlands) (VHS)
- Video Film Express (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Warner Home Video (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
- Zylo (2015) (France) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Dollar Air Services (helicopter supplied by)
- EMI Studios (post production at)
- Greek Government (the producers wish to thank: for their kind co-operation)
- Janet Reger (lingerie by)
- Lee Lighting (grip and lighting equipment)
- Officials and residents of the Island of Rhodes (the producers wish to thank: for their kind co-operation)
- Panavision (filmed in)
- Rank Film Laboratories (processed by)
- Wesscam Camera Systems (Europe) (aerial sequences with)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
During World War II, the prisoners of a German camp on a Greek island are trying to escape. They don't want only their freedom, but they also seek an ineffable treasure hidden in a monastery at the top of the island's mountain.
Written by Chris Makrozahopoulos |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | An exciting World War II prison camp drama with an all star cast. See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | Despite misgivings about the poor quality of the script, several of the cast members were still enticed to appear in the film due to the prospect of spending three months filming in scenic parts of Greece. As Roger Moore put it, "Even if the film turned out to be a flop, I still got to spend several weeks with my family enjoying the glorious Greek sunshine in the splendid company of David Niven and nights on the town with Telly Savalas". See more » |
| Goofs | A control room could not survive with an open window immediately behind a launching rocket. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Top 10 Greatest Motorcycle Chase Scenes (2015). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Keep Tomorrow For Me See more » |
| Crazy Credits | Opening credits: Somewhere in the Greek Islands 1944 See more » |
| Quotes |
Zeno:
[following the successful destruction of the German missile base on Mount Athena]
Now you can get out of the brothel business. With the Germans gone, you'll have to. Greeks... they don't pay. Eleana: Some of them don't have to. See more » |