Von Ryan's Express (1965)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

David Westheimer (novel)
Wendell Mayes (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

23 June 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Adventure | War

Tagline:

Why did 600 Allied prisoners hate the man they called Von Ryan more than they hated Hitler?

Plot:

An American POW leads a group mainly British prisoners to escape from the Germans in WWII.

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Italy | Train | Colonel | Major

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Frank Sinatra	...	Colonel Joseph L. Ryan
Trevor Howard	...	Major Eric Fincham
Raffaella Carrà	...	Gabriella (as Raffaella Carra)
Brad Dexter	...	Sergeant Bostick
Sergio Fantoni	...	Captain Oriani
John Leyton	...	Orde
Edward Mulhare	...	Captain Costanzo
Wolfgang Preiss	...	Major Von Klemment
James Brolin	...	Private Ames
John Van Dreelen	...	Colonel Gortz (as John van Dreelen)
Adolfo Celi	...	Battaglia
Vito Scotti	...	Italian Train Engineer
Richard Bakalyan	...	Corporal Giannini
Michael Goodliffe	...	Captain Stein
Michael St. Clair	...	Sergeant Major Dunbar
Ivan Triesault	...	Von Kleist
Robert 'Buzz' Henry	...	American soldier (as Buzz Henry)
Jacques Stany	...	Gortz's Aide (as Jacques Stanislavski)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Daheim	...	American soldier (as John Day)
Ian Abercrombie	...	English POW (uncredited)
William Berger	...	Man from the Gestapo (uncredited)
Arthur Brauss	...	Lt. Gertel, German Mess Officer (uncredited)
Domenick Delgarde	...	Italian soldier (uncredited)
Horst Ebersberg	...	German Pilot (uncredited)
Barry Ford	...	Ransom's batman (uncredited)
Brian Gaffikin	...	English voices (voice) (uncredited)
Donald F. Glut	...	Extra (uncredited)
Gino Gottarelli	...	Gotrz's Aide #2 (uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Peter Hellman	...	Pilot (uncredited)
Walter Linden	...	German Captain (uncredited)
Eric Micklewood	...	Ransom (uncredited)
John Mitory	...	Oriani's Aide (uncredited)
Ernesto Molinari	...	Italian tailor (uncredited)
Paul Muller	...	Hauptmann Josef Sonneberg (uncredited)
Benito Prezia	...	Italian Corporal (uncredited)
Christopher Riordan	...	Nude POW (uncredited)
Michael Romanoff	...	Italian nobleman (uncredited)
Bob Rosen	...	POW who opens sweat box (uncredited)
James Sikking	...	American soldier (uncredited)
Lee Stanley	...	English prisoner (uncredited)
Brad Stevens	...	German Sergeant (uncredited)
Max Turilli	...	German Officer at Plane Crash Site (uncredited)
Al Wyatt Sr.	...	American soldier (uncredited)

Directed by
Mark Robson

Writing credits
David Westheimer		(novel)
Wendell Mayes		(screenplay) and
Joseph Landon		(screenplay)

Produced by
Saul David	....	producer
Mark Robson	....	producer

Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography by
William H. Daniels		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer

Art Direction by
Hilyard M. Brown		(as Hilyard Brown)
Jack Martin Smith

Set Decoration by
Raphael Bretton		(as Raphael G. Bretton)
Walter M. Scott

Makeup Department
Margaret Donovan	....	hair stylist
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist
José Luis Pérez	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Harry Caplan	....	unit production manager (as Harry A. Caplan)
Eduardo García Maroto	....	unit production manager: Spain
Mark Robson	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eli Dunn	....	assistant director
William Kaplan	....	second unit director

Art Department
José Algueró	....	assistant art director
Ed Graves	....	assistant art director
Lou Korn	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Carlton W. Faulkner	....	sound
Elmer Raguse	....	sound
Don Stern	....	sound editor
Walter Rossi	....	sound effects (uncredited)

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects
Emil Kosa Jr.	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
John Daheim	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Gray	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert 'Buzz' Henry	....	stunts (uncredited)
Al Wyatt Sr.	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bill Johnson	....	camera operator
Harold Lipstein	....	photographer: second unit
Ramiro Sabell	....	second assistant camera

Music Department
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator
Tommy Tedesco	....	musician: guitar

Transportation Department
Chris Haynes	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Julio Parra	....	production supervisor

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
• P-R Productions Picture

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1965) (UK) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1971) (USA) (TV) (pan/scan)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (two-disc special edition)
• Fox Video (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (1999) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Norway:11 (DVD rating) (2006) | Iceland:12 | Norway:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Italy

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Trevor Howard was second choice for Major Fincham.

Goofs:

Factual errors: All of the German soldiers carrying MP38/40 sub-machine guns (including all of the guards on the train) were wearing the wrong ammo pouches. The MP38/40 fired 9mm pistol ammunition from a 32-round detachable box magazine. The soldiers were all wearing cartridge pouches designed to hold 5-round stripper clips of 7.92mm ammunition for a bolt-action Mauser rifle. This means none of the Germans carrying sub-machine guns had any ready ammunition available once they fired the 32 rounds in their only magazine. This is a common mistake in WWII TV shows and movies.

Quotes:

Maj. Eric Fincham: You'll get your Iron Cross now, "Von" Ryan!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Undergrunnen (1966)

Hey it works for me...

*** Warning ***: I make a few references to this film's plot in the comments below.

I think if I was living during 1943 and was involved in World War II then being with Frank, Trevor and the rest of the boys as portrayed in this film is where I'd want to be. Racing up Italy in a captured POW train, honorable American and British soldiers fighting pesky Nazis, and just trying to make it to beautiful Switzerland. Who could ask for more? You have adventure, killing in self-defense (well mostly), outsmarting the enemy, and a gorgeous young Italian woman on the train with you! Sure beats being a German soldier stuck in Stalingrad in 1942!

And let's face it, if you're looking for a WW II film with historical accuracy about specific WWII events or a "war is heck, here's why" kind of film then this is not the kind of film you're going to like.

But to me this film offers something many others don't by how it relates to everyday life and its struggles. So what am I saying, escaping from a German POW camp and fighting Nazis is a daily life struggle for anyone nowadays ?? No, of course not. But I like the way misfortune then opportunity seem to go hand in hand in this movie. A misfortune is turned into another opportunity simply by trying or moving forward. The following two lines best sum up this film: Captured German Major: "But still you have NO choice!" British Major: "And nothing to lose by trying to make one!"

Nothing is mapped out they way they want it and each misfortune has its cost in lives lost, but they push on. Each loss looks like it is rewarded with something positive... British physician (who up 'till now has been supportive of Colonel Ryan): "Roll, roll where?...Maybe this is the end of the line". Italian Captain (just running in): "Colonel Ryan, the conductor has a plan, he thinks he can get us all to Switzerland!" British Major: "Switzerland?...You're mad!" (The Italian major explains the conductor's plan) British Major: "You know it may just work" Colonel Ryan: "Let's move!"

Sometimes we are all fighting those "Nazis/demons" in our life and we are all just trying to escape to "Switzerland" and like the end of the film says: "I once told you Ryan, if only one gets out it's a victory".

I read in another review of this film where it was said Frank Sinatra looked like he was sleep walking through it -- well then way to go Frank! No award grabbing performance from "ol' blue eyes" here, just a man who acts and feels like he's just been in a POW camp (the Rat Pack must've just broken up or a gig in Vegas got canceled or something). I think this is one of Frank S.'s best movies, yes much better than that depressing "Manchurian Candidate" (1962).

And give this film credit for one thing: Here at least the Germans speak German and the Italians speak Italian. There's none of that English with a heavy German or Italian accent stuff here. And filming outside when possible with picturesque Italian and Switzerland scenery are an added bonus.

I know there are several other WWII films made during the 1960s that get mentioned a lot, but off-hand I think there are only two or three made during the '60s that offer or have any value: "The Train" (1965) and "Closely Observed Trains" (1966) are the only two I can think of (hmmm...that's odd, but all three involve trains).

If you liked "Von Ryan's Express" then please recommend other war films from any decade. I'm always on the look out for a good war film. And if you didn't care for this film, well then when you're through picking this one apart tell me of one you did like. Thanks.