Force 10 from Navarone (1978)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writers:

Robin Chapman (screenplay)
Carl Foreman (screen story)
(more)

Release Date:

8 December 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

The Odds Against Them Were 10,000 to 1...But What the Hell!

Plot:

During World War II, several oddly assorted military experts are teamed in a mission to raid and destroy a bridge vital to enemy strategy.

Plot Keywords:

Partisan | Nazi | Yugoslavia | Female Nudity | Decapitation

Cast

Robert Shaw	...	Maj. Keith Mallory
Harrison Ford	...	Lieutenant Colonel Mike Barnsby
Barbara Bach	...	Maritza Petrovich
Edward Fox	...	SSgt. Dusty Miller
Franco Nero	...	Capt. Nikolai Leskovar (as Lescovar)
Carl Weathers	...	Sgt. Weaver
Richard Kiel	...	Capt. Drazak
Alan Badel	...	Maj. Petrovitch
Michael Byrne	...	Maj. Schroeder
Philip Latham	...	Cmdr. Jensen
Angus MacInnes	...	1st Lt. Doug Reynolds
Michael Sheard	...	Sgt. Bauer
Petar Buntic	...	Marko
Leslie Schofield	...	Interrogation Officer 1
Anthony Langdon	...	Interrogation Officer 2 (as Antony Langdon)
Richard Hampton	...	Interrogation Officer 3
Paul Humpoletz	...	Sgt. Bismark
Dicken Ashworth	...	Nolan
Christopher Malcolm	...	Rogers
Nick Ellsworth	...	Salvone
Jonathan Blake	...	Oberstein
Roger Owen	...	MP Walter Blake
Frances Mughan	...	Farrell
Mike Sirett	...	Force Ten Team
Graeme Crowther	...	Force Ten Team (as Graham Crowther)
Jim Dowdall	...	Force Ten Team
Michael Osborne	...	Lt. Cmdr. Vincent Ryan
Edward Peel	...	MP Driver
Michael Josephs	...	German Storeman
Jürgen Andersen	...	Engineer 1
David Gretton	...	Engineer 2
Paul Jerrico	...	Lieutenant
Edward Kalinski	...	Young German Soldier
Robert Gillespie	...	Sergeant
Wolf Kahler	...	German Soldier at Supply Dump
Hans Kahler	...	Pilot
Ramiz Pasic	...	Young Chetnik Boy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Patrick Allen	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Harry Fielder	...	German (uncredited)

Directed by
Guy Hamilton

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Robin Chapman		screenplay
Carl Foreman		screen story
Alistair MacLean		novel

Produced by
David W. Orton	....	associate producer
John R. Sloan	....	co-producer
Anthony B. Unger	....	co-producer
Oliver A. Unger	....	producer

Original Music by
Ron Goodwin

Cinematography by
Christopher Challis		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Raymond Poulton

Casting by
Irene Lamb

Production Design by
Geoffrey Drake

Art Direction by
Fred Carter

Costume Design by
Emma Porteus

Makeup Department
Colin Jamison	....	hair stylist
Peter Robb-King	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Donko Buljan	....	production manager: Yugoslavia
Jere Henshaw	....	executive in charge of production
Nigel Wooll	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Misa Autic	....	assistant director: Yugoslavia
Bert Batt	....	assistant director

Art Department
Terry Apsey	....	construction manager
Ron Burkett	....	stand-by painter
Veljko Despotovic	....	art director: Yugoslavia
Jack Heather	....	construction manager
Bryn Siddall	....	property buyer
Tony Teiger	....	property master
Dick Budden	....	sculptor (uncredited)

Sound Department
Dino Di Campo	....	sound editor
Robin Gregory	....	sound recordist
Derek Holding	....	sound editor
Bob Jones	....	dubbing mixer
Terry Sharratt	....	boom operator
William Trent	....	sound editor (as Bill Trent)
Doug E. Turner	....	dubbing mixer (as Doug Turner)

Special Effects by
René Albouze	....	special effects supervisor
Giuseppe Carozza	....	special effects
Mario Cassar	....	special effects foreman: Malta
Peter Hutchinson	....	special effects
Zdravko Smojver	....	special effects: Yugoslavia

Visual Effects by
Robin Browne	....	visual effects cameraman
Geoffrey Drake	....	visual effects designer

Stunts
Valentino Musetti	....	stunts
Eddie Stacey	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Freddie Cooper	....	camera operator: second unit (as Fred Cooper)
Dennis Fraser	....	grip
John Palmer	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
John Brady	....	wardrobe supervisor
Marko Cerovac	....	wardrobe chief: Yugoslavia

Editorial Department
Phil Sanderson	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Ron Goodwin	....	conductor

Other crew
Vicki Deason	....	production assistant
Albert Galea	....	accountant
Cheryl Leigh	....	continuity

Production Companies

• American International Pictures (AIP) (credited on US prints)
• Mondo Film 78 (credited on US prints)
• Navarone Productions
• Open Road (uncredited)
• TBC (credited on US prints)

Distributors

• American International Pictures (AIP) (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1980) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Columbia Pictures (1978) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (2005) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Image Entertainment (1993) (USA) (laserdisc)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Orion Home Video
• RCA/Columbia-Hoyts Home Video
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Delta Sound Services  sound dubbing

Also Known As:

Alistair MacLean's Force 10 from Navarone (USA) (poster title)
Force Ten from Navarone (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

118 min | 126 min (restored version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG (Certificate #25070) | Singapore:PG | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | UK:12 (2005 re-rating) | UK:15 (1986-2005)

Filming Locations:

Jersey, Channel Islands

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

Guy Hamilton uses a clip from his earlier film Battle of Britain (1969) when the Messerschmitt attacks the Lancaster.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the film, and especially the mission to infiltrate the German supply dump, none of the commandos, including Major Mallory can understand German. This is especially clear when Leskovar insists he must accompany the team to the dump as only he speaks German and, later, when the team is discussing Leskovar's encounter with the German Sergeant in the train car. All of this ignores the fact that this film is a sequel to "The Guns of Navarone" in which Mallory is specifically chosen for the mission because he speaks "German like a German." Alistair MacLean's original stories also support this fact.

Quotes:

Mallory: You're Nikolai... You're the man who blew us in Greece.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Castle of Fu-Manchu (#4.23)" (1992)

Not Great, But Decent Follow-Up

This is a pretty solid World War II movie, a belated followup to the very successful (and, yes, better) "The Guns Of Navarone." This time a force, mostly British soldiers but led by a young American colonel (Harrison Ford) is sent over to Yugoslavia to blow up a bridge the Nazis use. In addition, two other Brits (Robert Shaw and Edward Fox) go along on another assignment to kill a double agent. Well, half of the team is shot down before they even reach their destination as their airplane is crippled. They are killed in air-fire or upon landing on the ground. That leaves just a small group, the above-mentioned stars of the movie plus an addition, Carl Weathers (of "Rocky" fame) picked up on the ground, and the double-agent (well-played by Franco Nero) who is assigned to go with them after he is "cleared" of charges.

Anway, this re-assembled team goes on to complete their mission, or at least attempt to and are thwarted numerous times by sabotage. I won't give away the ending.

Overall, a good story and definitely worth a rental and possibly a purchase. The DVD transfer was a bit grainy at first but got better as the film went along.....as the story did.