VON RYAN’S EXPRESS (1965, USA, 117m, PG) ***½
Action, Adventure, War
dist. Twentieth Century Fox; pr co. P-R Productions Picture; d. Mark Robson; w. Wendell Mayes, Joseph Landon (based on the novel by David Westheimer); pr. Saul David, Mark Robson; ph. William H. Daniels (DeLuxe | 2.35:1); m. Jerry Goldsmith; ed. Dorothy Spencer; ad. Hilyard M. Brown, Jack Martin Smith.
cast: Frank Sinatra (Col. Joseph L. Ryan), Trevor Howard (Maj. Eric Fincham), Raffaella Carrà (Gabriella), Brad Dexter (Sgt. Bostick), Sergio Fantoni (Capt. Oriani), John Leyton (Orde), Edward Mulhare (Costanzo), Wolfgang Preiss (Maj. Von Klemment), James Brolin (Pvt. Ames), John Van Dreelen (Col. Gortz), Adolfo Celi (Battaglia), Vito Scotti (Italian Train Engineer), Richard Bakalyan (Cpl. Giannini), Michael Goodliffe (Capt. Stein), Michael St. Clair (Sgt. Dunbar), Ivan Triesault (Von Kleist).
Action-packed World War II story about Allied prisoners, led by Sinatra’s American pilot, who stage a mass breakout from an Italian POW camp, commandeer a train and head towards the Swiss border. As the Italian war effort collapses, the escapees are aided by their captors, but when the Germans catch on, they set out to halt the escape with an armoured train and aerial attack. Robson keeps the suspense tight as the chase ensues and the action scenes are well-staged with great stunt work. It is all photographed against a backdrop of the Italian countryside and the Alps, whilst Goldsmith’s percussive score helps accentuate the tension. Sinatra and Howard, the British officer he teams up with, spar off each other effectively to produce an appealing adventure.
AAN: Best Effects, Sound Effects (Walter Rossi)
