The Guns of Navarone (1961)

The Guns of Navarone (1961)  Before Allied troops can be rescued from an island in the Mediterranean during WW II, a gun battery must be destroyed by a small group of commandos.

Directed by J. Lee Thompson                           Starring David Niven, Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn

World War II was a Hollywood staple through the ‘50s and ‘60s. Most of these movies were straightforward.  Us good, them bad, the war as a righteous demonstration of right over wrong. On the surface, “The Guns of Navarone” is more of the same. A brave band taking on an impossible mission against the evil Nazis and facing almost certain death. And it’s a perfectly enjoyable action movie on that basis.

Just under the surface is something a little different and a sign of how America was changing. This is a war movie that does not actually like war. And at least one German is shown as human and as decent a human being as possible under the circumstances. The anti-war stance is never overdone, and a lot of movie fans have missed it over the years. Questions about why we fight, and the human cost of war (both physical and psychological) add a depth that many of the movies of the day don’t have.

For an action/war movie, the tempo seems a little slow. This was also before war movies offered more “grit” in their portrayal of combat. It’s all pretty simple and bloodless.

Why You Will Like It – A classic war action film with some great performances and a nice subtext.

Rating  *** Worth a Look