Planning to catch up on TV shows last week,all my viewings got stopped, when I caught some Australian flu. Getting over the illness,I looked for an easy-going flick to view. Missing it during a showing a few months ago,I was pleased to see this title appear on the BBC iPlayer,which led to me escaping to Athena.
The plot-
Nazi Occupied Greece 1944:
On a small Greek island, Major Otto Hecht uses POWs to dig up artifacts on the island that he can send to his sister. Aware that their lives depend on artifacts constantly being found,the POWs slyly take objects back to the site for "re-discovery." Learning of a nearby U-Boat refueling depot,the POWs plan to finally escape from Athena.
View on the film:
Losing 30 minutes of footage in the hopes of it playing better in the US, the screenplay by co-writer/(with Edward Anhalt and Richard S. Lochte) director George P. Cosmatos retains a Boys Own Adventure atmosphere,with the isolated state of the island building tension between the POWs and the Nazis,that explodes in the second,action-filled part of the movie. Breaking out the Men on a Mission genre, the writers keep all the characters at a rough sketch level,but give the movie enough quirky asides to keep the bullets flying,from the unique use of artifacts at the centre of the island,to a Nazi joining the goodies!
Whilst not a match for their extraordinary TV productions, ITC make sure that the glossy, almost- futuristic sheen that glows in The Avengers & The Prisoner is prominent, with the gliding crane shots from cinematographer Gilbert Taylor (who had worked on some Avengers eps) giving the film's setting an isolated in time aura. Later taking one man war machine Rambo to war in First Blood part 2, director George P. Cosmatos's takes these Men on a Mission to war with rapid fire set-pieces,from a thrilling,ultra stylised motorbike chase,to the blast of smoke and fire in the shoot-outs being against an ancient Greece backdrop.
Casually dropping the German accent mid-scenes,Roger Moore gives a wonderfully boo-hiss,not at all threatening performance as Major Otto Hecht,whilst fitties Claudia Cardinale (who has an eye-catching dance number) and Stefanie Powers give the macho-action a touch of glamour. Joined by a tough talking Richard Roundtree as Nat Judson, David Niven perfectly matches Moore by layering on the charm as POW Professor Blake,who breaks out with the artifacts.
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