The Film
The 20 years from 1957 to 1977 were truly the "Golden Age" for World War II action epics. This arguably started with 1957's The Bridge on the River Kwai and ended with 1977's A Bridge Too Far - both of which are available on Blu-ray. One film that has endured in spirit and has served as inspiration for countless other stories and even video games is 1961's The Guns of Navarone, based on the novel of the same name by Alistar MacLean.
The plot is simple and straightforward enough: a commando team led by Gregory Peck and David Niven infiltrate an enemy-held island in occupied Greece, with a secret mission to destroy an impenetrable fortress and its two enormous long-range field guns. This mission is hasty organized as the Germans plan to mount an invasion of the island of Kheros, where 2,000 British soldiers are trapped - but the rescue fleet can't get there until The Guns of Navarone are first dealt with, and thus begins the commando raid. There are setbacks, betrayals and a few more twists and turns along the way to keep the tension going.
As a nitpick we'll complain that Peck is slightly miscast - is he Canadian? He has no accent, certainly not a New Zealand accent, suggesting his background is different from that of the book version. But the biggest drawback to this film is that the actors not only play World War II soldiers, but many actually were, and thus The Guns of Navarone is also arguably the first film where the war was fought by middle aged men, a trend repeated in Kelly's Heroes and The Dirty Dozen. Despite this flaw this one remains an epic in the truest sense to the bitter end.
The Picture
For a 50 year old film The Guns of Navarone doesn't really show its age - at least not as much as the cast (really what were they thinking casting 45-year Peck in the lead?). The 4K digital restoration has made this one look about as good as it is ever going to get. The 2.35:1 1080p widescreen presentation helps make the fortress look all the more impressive - even it is clearly a scale model in the long shots. The digital restoration also didn't attempt to "over clean" this one either. It still has the look of a 50 year old film, and the bonus materials help explain the process that was used. There are numerous flaws throughout, but these are accepted and dare we say almost expected.
The Sound
With guns in the title you know there is going to be something of note with the audio tracks, and the lossless 5.1 DTS-Master Audio soundtrack didn't let us down. The dialog is clear through the center channel, while the Blu-ray makes good use of discrete audio in the side and rear speakers. This Blu-ray is one that proves that war films can sound good and intense without having to be intensely loud in the process.
The Extras
While Sony didn't go all out to hype the 50th anniversary on the packaging, the Blu-ray does have plenty of extras, including all of the bonus material from the Collector's Edition DVD, while adding "The Resistance Dossier of Navarone," an interactive dossier that provides background on real events that inspired the story. This is a nice addition, and as so many features were available on the 2007 DVD that it is understandable that more has been added.
Final Thoughts
It is almost a shame that Sony had released the two-disc DVD back in 2007, as this package might be a little more special. But given the improvement in video and audio this one makes quite an impact, and at $19.99 (list price) it is a no brainer to upgrade! While the film is now somewhat dated and a bit clichéd in part because MacLean's plot has been "borrowed" liberally over the years, it is still worth going back to the original.
Product Details
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