The Guns of Navarone

The Guns of Navarone is a 1957 novel of World War II by British thriller writer Alistair MacLean that was made into a film in 1961. The book and the film share the same basic plot: the efforts of an Allied commando team to destroy a seemingly impregnable German fortress that threatens Allied naval operations in the Aegean Sea.

Principal cast:

• Gregory Peck : Capt. Keith Mallory
• David Niven : Cpl. John Anthony Miller
• Anthony Quinn : Col. Andrea Stavrou
• Stanley Baker : Pvt. 'Butcher' Brown
• Anthony Quayle : Maj. Roy Franklin
• James Darren : Pvt. Spyros Pappadimos
• Irene Papas : Maria Pappadimos
• Gia Scala : Anna
• James Robertson Justice : Commodore Jensen/Prologue Narrator
• Richard Harris : Squadron Leader Howard Barnsby RAAF

The film was directed by J. Lee Thompson after original director Alexander Mackendrick (best-known for the small, quirky comedies he directed for Ealing Studios) was fired by Carl Foreman due to "creative differences." The Greek island of Rhodes provided locations, and Quinn was so taken with the area that he bought land there in an area still called Anthony Quinn Bay.

Related Topics:
J. Lee Thompson - Alexander Mackendrick - Ealing Studios - Greek - Rhodes

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The film was a major box office success and the top grossing film of 1961. As a result, MacLean reunited Mallory, Miller, and Andrea in Force 10 From Navarone, the only sequel of his long writing career, in 1968. It was filmed in 1978 by UK director Guy Hamilton, a veteran of several James Bond adventures. Despite a cast that included Robert Shaw, Edward Fox, and Harrison Ford, it was a critical and commercial failure.

Related Topics:
Box office - Force 10 From Navarone - 1968 - 1978 - Guy Hamilton - James Bond - Robert Shaw - Edward Fox - Harrison Ford

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Award wins:

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• Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama
• Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score - Motion Picture (Dimitri Tiomkin)
• Academy Award Best Effects, Special Effects (Bill Warrington & Chris Greenham)

Award nominations:

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• Academy Award for Best Picture
• Academy Award for Directing (J. Lee Thompson)
• DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (J. Lee Thompson)
• Academy Award for Film Editing (Alan Osbiston)
• Academy Award for Original Music Score (Dimitri Tiomkin)
• Grammy Award for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture (Dimitri Tiomkin)
• Academy Award for Sound (John Cox)
• Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay (Carl Foreman)