Review of The Guns of Navarone (1961) by Uditha D — 01 Jan 2012
The Guns of Navarone is among the finest war-themed films I've ever seen. Even though it didn't take on the gritty realism that films depicting the Vietnam War later on would use, I still think it was a colorful and even harrowing tale.
It starred three veteran and top actors - Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and David Niven - who portrayed their respective roles clearly, almost without a flaw. Not that the characters themselves didn't have flaws - indeed, they were full of it, and what made me realize that was in that scene where Niven's character threatens to shoot Gia Scala, after having discovered that she was passing on information to the Nazis.
And of course, that other big flaw in their characters was again displayed by Niven - his inability to swim. That I believe was what this film convinced me of - that even the brave heroes of war had their own petty flaws and defects, which we might or might not have had.
Devoid of any sensual pleasure or extravagant melodrama, The Guns of Navarone was one big-time Hollywood flick for me, and with that evocative score by Dmitri Tiomkin, it wasn't hard to see why this can't be considered an epic as well.
This review of The Guns of Navarone (1961) was written by Uditha D on 01 Jan 2012.
The Guns of Navarone has generally received very positive reviews.
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