The Guns of Navarone
US (1961): Adventure/War/Drama/Action
The guns of Navarone are huge Nazi cannons, installed on an Aegean island behind enemy lines. Anthony Quayle is the officer assigned by the British to lead a task force to put the guns out of commission. When Quayle is injured, the mission winds up in the relatively inexperienced hands of Gregory Peck. There's little love lost between Peck, explosives expert David Niven and Greek patriot Anthony Quinn, especially when it becomes known that there's a traitor in their midst. Resistance leader Irene Papas weeds out the traitor, but there's still those guns to take care of. Filmed on location in Rhodes and distinguished by Oscar-winning special effects, The Guns of Navarone (based on Alistair MacLean's best-seller was a major box-office hit of 1961; less successful was the pared-down 1977 sequel, Force Ten From Navarone. (Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide)
View a clip from this film on YouTube.com.
· Special Effects 1961: Bill Warrington - Special Effects (Visual); Vivian C. Greenham - Special Effects (Audible)
· Best Picture 1961: Carl Foreman - Producer (Foreman, Columbia)
· Directing 1961: J. Lee Thompson
· Writing (Screenplay based on material from another medium) 1961: Carl Foreman
· Film Editing 1961: Alan Osbiston
· Music Scoring Awards (Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture) 1961: Dimitri Tiomkin
· Sound 1961: John Cox (Sound) (Shepperton Studio Sound Department)
7 nominations, 1 Award