The Guns of Navarone Overview:

The Guns of Navarone (1961) was a Action - Adventure Film directed by Alexander Mackendrick and J. Lee Thompson and produced by Carl Foreman, Cecil F. Ford and Leon Becker.

Academy Awards 1961 --- Ceremony Number 34 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best DirectorJ. Lee ThompsonNominated
Best Film EditingAlan OsbistonNominated
Best Music - ScoringDimitri TiomkinNominated
Best PictureCarl Foreman, ProducerNominated
Best WritingCarl ForemanNominated
.

BlogHub Articles:

Alastair MacLean's The Guns of Navarone

By Rick29 on Jun 14, 2020 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

A long movie that doesn't seem long is a carefully-crafted motion picture. Such is the case with The Guns of Navarone (1961), which clocks in at a brisk 158 minutes. Based on Alastair MacLean's 1957 novel, it tells the story of a small military team tasked with destroying two huge German guns. Th... Read full article


The Guns of Navarone (1961)

By Beatrice on Jul 14, 2017 From Flickers in Time

The Guns of Navarone ? Directed by J. Lee Thompson Written by Carl Foreman from a novel by Alastair MacLean 1961/USA Columbia Pictures Corp/Highroad Productions Repeat viewing/Netflix rental This is a solid war movie with a fantastic cast and lots of explosions. Mallory (Gregory Peck) is a multi-... Read full article


The Guns of Navarone

By Alyson on Mar 12, 2010 From The Best Picture Project

Action and adventure await six men on a dangerous mission to destroy the two powerful guns on German occupied Navarone.? These guns control the fate of the seas and nearby Greek islands, including one full of trapped British troops.? No one can get to or leave the island, not even by plane and more ... Read full article


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Quotes from

Cohn: Do you think they've got any chance at all, sir?
Commodore Jensen: Frankly, no. Not a chance in the world. I should be very surprised if they get even halfway to Navarone. Just a waste of six good men. However, I suppose that doesn't matter, considering how many have been wasted already. I'm glad it's not my decision; I'm only the middleman... Still, they may get there, and they may pull it off. Anything can happen in a war. Slap in the middle of absolute insanity people pull out the most extraordinary resources: ingenuity, courage, self-sacrifice. Pity we can't meet the problems of peace in the same way, isn't it? It would be so much cheaper for everybody.
Cohn: I never thought of it in just that way, sir. You're a philosopher, sir.
Commodore Jensen: No. I'm just the man who has to send people out on jobs like this one.


Commodore Jensen: Gentlemen, these men have a special interest in Navarone. I got your radio report, but I thought perhaps you could be more specific.
Squadron Leader Howard Barnsby RAAF: I'll be specific! As you can plainly see, it was ruddy awful. But we'd love to go back. Wouldn't we, boys?
[His boys give several loud cheers]
Squadron Leader Howard Barnsby RAAF: Just as soon as we can! BUT - we've got one condition. We want the joker who thought this one up to come with us. And when we get there, we're gonna shove him out at ten thousand feet - without a parachute.


Squadron Leader Howard Barnsby RAAF: First, you've got that bloody old fortress on top of that bloody cliff. Then you've got the bloody cliff overhang. You can't even see the bloody cave, let alone the bloody guns. And anyway, we haven't got a bloody bomb big enough to smash that bloody rock. And that's the bloody truth, sir.


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Facts about

Original director was Alexander Mackendrick, but he was fired by Carl Foreman due to "creative differences".
Andreas's revolver that he points at Mallory from behind the newspaper is an Enfield No 2 Mk I* (identifiable as the "*" modification by the lack of the hammer spur). It fired the anemic .380/200 service round and is widely considered to be one of the worst service sidearms ever foisted on an unwilling army.
Dean Martin and Alec Guinness were considered for David Niven's role.
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Best Picture Oscar 1961






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Also directed by J. Lee Thompson




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Also produced by Carl Foreman




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Also released in 1961




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More "World War II" films



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