Von Ryan's Express
Encyclopedia
Von Ryan's Express is a 1965
World War II
adventure film starring Frank Sinatra
and Trevor Howard
, based on a novel by David Westheimer
, and directed by Mark Robson
.
) is an American
pilot whose P-38 Lightning
is shot down. He is captured by Italian troops and taken to an Italian prisoner-of-war camp in Italy, run by the cruel Blackshirt Major Battaglia (Adolfo Celi
). The camp is populated mainly by British prisoners (9th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, 167 Infantry Brigade, 56th (London) Infantry Division).
The previous British commanding officer, Col. Brian Lockhart, had recently died as a result of harsh camp discipline, specifically in being put in the metal "sweat box." When Ryan arrives in camp, Major Eric Fincham (Trevor Howard
) is the ranking British officer. The American colonel being senior to Fincham, Ryan assumes command of the prisoners.
Ryan pays respect to his predecessor by refusing to sit in the late commanding officer's chair. When an American prisoner (there are only eight) is about to be punished for stealing rations, Ryan discovers he was stealing medicine, which Fincham had ordered be stashed for a future escape attempt. Ryan orders that the drugs be dispensed as necessary.
He then shows the Italian guards the prisoners' escape tunnels, which infuriates the British prisoners—Fincham then shouts, "You'll get the Iron Cross for this, von Ryan!" When Battaglia doesn't keep his word, Ryan orders the prisoners to strip and burn their filthy clothes in an effort to force Battaglia into issuing new ones. Battaglia does so, but throws Ryan into the sweat box as a punishment.
After hearing of the Italian capitulation to the Allies, the guards flee, leaving the camp unguarded. The British promptly put Battaglia on trial as a war criminal, and allow his second-in-command and Anglo-Italian translator, Captain Oriani (Sergio Fantoni
), to defend him. Battaglia portrays himself as a broken man who has repudiated fascism. Ryan orders him not to be executed, but to be put in the sweat box.
The Germans return and recapture the prisoners. Fincham is furious as he thought that Oriani has betrayed them, but when the POWs are put on the train, they find a severely battered Oriani in the prisoner carriage. Battaglia is outside, gloating, and they realise they have been betrayed to the Germans
by the former commandant.
The Nazis shoot all sick prisoners, causing the irate Fincham to revive the "von Ryan" epithet. However, the prisoners do manage to seize control of the train by dangerously escaping through the bottom of the carriage, climbing onto the roof, and strangling the guards with improvised garrotes. After taking control of the roof, they jump on the remaining guards at the next stop, capturing the German commander of the train, Major von Klemment (Wolfgang Preiss
), and his Italian mistress, Gabriella (Raffaella Carrà
).
Oriani persuades the Italian locomotive engineer to help. A German-speaking Allied chaplain, Captain Costanzo (Edward Mulhare
), is enlisted to impersonate the German commander to ensure their passage through the next station -- Florence
.
Unfortunately, a German troop train is right behind them. And they realize that the troop train and this prisoner train are headed towards Innsbruck
in Nazi-controlled Austria
. Ryan and the prisoners manage to switch their train at Bologna
onto a different line while the troop train continues its usual route to Innsbruck.
Von Klemment and Gabriella are kept tighly bound hand and foot and gagged. Fearing they will be murdered once the prisoners leave the train, Gabriella conceals a piece of a broken drinking glass to cut their bonds. At a water stop, von Klemment escapes and shoots Orde, but he is shot as well.
Ryan, in a German uniform, must reluctantly kill Gabriella as she escapes to prevent her from betraying his men. Ryan makes involuntary eye contact with a nearby Italian youth who had previously been hurling insults at what he thought were Germans. Now the youth silently stares with contempt at Ryan.
By this time, the Germans have wind of the ruse. The prisoners attempt to escape in one siding stop, but are foiled by an Allied air attack on the town. They flee under fire.
The engineer and Oriani have an idea: The next stop is Milano. If they could disable the signals at one key tower in the Central Station, they could also disable the controls and track displays at the station, confusing the Germans. At the same time, they could re-route the train up to neutral Switzerland
through manual switching without being noticed.
The Germans, though, are waiting for them at Milano Centrale. Ryan and his men successfully disable one electric interlocking tower and switch the train off on the key line to Switzerland. The train is attacked by three German fighter aircraft. One plane is shot down, but the other destroys a section of track at a key bridge.
The POWs replace the damaged track in front of them. Ryan, Fincham and the others try to hold off the German soldiers. The track is repaired and the train begins to move. Ryan and Fincham run behind it. Fincham makes it onto the train and desperately reaches back for Ryan, urging him to run faster. Ryan is shot in the back and killed by the German commander just short of the train, which then crosses into neutral Switzerland
. With Ryan's sacrifice, the prisoners have made their successful getaway.
, which was still financially reeling after the extravagance and critical bashing of Cleopatra
. Fox, in a bid to prove that they were still able to make films on an epic scale, shot extensively on location in Europe and built a full-scale prison camp as opposed to shooting on a backlot
. It was producer Saul David
's first film for Fox that he followed with Our Man Flint
, Fantastic Voyage
and In Like Flint
.
Rumours of a personality clash between star Frank Sinatra
, who was flown by helicopter to the set, and director Mark Robson
were not enough to cause problems as the film was shot with relatively little trouble. However Sinatra did insist that the ending of the film be altered ending any chance of a sequel. Sinatra also insisted the film be shot in Panavision
rather than Fox's CinemaScope
.
The film score was written by Jerry Goldsmith
.
using aeroplanes, trains, and wheeled vehicles photographed on location and the occasional models. The fighters alluded to as Messerschmitts were Messerschmitt Bf 108
s. A majority of the film was shot on location around northern Italy
in Cortina d'Ampezzo
and Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station in Florence
. But the railway sequence at the film's conclusion was filmed in the limestone gorge of El Chorro
near Málaga
in Andalucía, Spain
. Interiors were completed at 20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles
, California
.
noting that, "Mark Robson has made realistic use of the actual Italian setting of the David Westheimer novel in garmenting his action in hard-hitting direction and sharply-drawn performances." Frank Sinatra's daughter Nancy
noted in her biography of her father that his performance fuelled speculation of another Academy Award nomination. Time Out London called the film a "ripping adventure" that was "directed with amused panache by Robson, and helped no end by a fine cast...", while the BBC
's TV, film and radio listings magazine The Radio Times described it as "a rattlingly exciting Second World War escape adventure, with a well-cast Frank Sinatra..."
The film grossed $17,111,111 ($ in consumer dollars) at the North American box-office, equating to $7,700,000 ($ in consumer dollars) taken in box office rentals, Variety
ranked Von Ryan’s Express as the 10th highest grossing film of 1965. Additionally, this would be Sinatra’s highest grossing and biggest earning film of the decade.
The film was nominated for a Best Special Effects Academy Award in 1966, while the Motion Picture Sound Editors
also nominated the film for Best Sound Editing in a Feature Film.
British Channel 4
ranked Von Ryan's Express number 89 on their list of 100 Greatest War Films, commenting, " A ripping yarn culminating in a wild train dash through [Italy], with director Mark Robson cranking up the tension and releasing it with some excellent action set-pieces." It has a 91% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Seven years after the film, the fastball
of baseball
pitcher
Nolan Ryan
was dubbed "Ryan's Express" by fans of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
.
1965 in film
The year 1965 in film involved some significant events, with The Sound of Music topping the U.S. box office.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
adventure film starring Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
, based on a novel by David Westheimer
David Westheimer
David Westheimer was an American novelist best known for writing the 1964 novel Von Ryan's Express which was adapted as a 1965 movie starring Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard....
, and directed by Mark Robson
Mark Robson
Mark Robson was a Canadian-born film editor, film director and producer in Hollywood.-Career:Born in Montreal, Quebec, he moved to the United States at a young age. He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles then found work in the prop department at 20th Century Fox studios...
.
Plot
Colonel Joseph L. Ryan (Frank SinatraFrank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pilot whose P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
is shot down. He is captured by Italian troops and taken to an Italian prisoner-of-war camp in Italy, run by the cruel Blackshirt Major Battaglia (Adolfo Celi
Adolfo Celi
Adolfo Celi was an Italian film actor and director.-Life and career:Born in Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 movies, specializing in international villains. His most famous role was as Emilio Largo in the 1965 James Bond movie Thunderball...
). The camp is populated mainly by British prisoners (9th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, 167 Infantry Brigade, 56th (London) Infantry Division).
The previous British commanding officer, Col. Brian Lockhart, had recently died as a result of harsh camp discipline, specifically in being put in the metal "sweat box." When Ryan arrives in camp, Major Eric Fincham (Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
) is the ranking British officer. The American colonel being senior to Fincham, Ryan assumes command of the prisoners.
Ryan pays respect to his predecessor by refusing to sit in the late commanding officer's chair. When an American prisoner (there are only eight) is about to be punished for stealing rations, Ryan discovers he was stealing medicine, which Fincham had ordered be stashed for a future escape attempt. Ryan orders that the drugs be dispensed as necessary.
He then shows the Italian guards the prisoners' escape tunnels, which infuriates the British prisoners—Fincham then shouts, "You'll get the Iron Cross for this, von Ryan!" When Battaglia doesn't keep his word, Ryan orders the prisoners to strip and burn their filthy clothes in an effort to force Battaglia into issuing new ones. Battaglia does so, but throws Ryan into the sweat box as a punishment.
After hearing of the Italian capitulation to the Allies, the guards flee, leaving the camp unguarded. The British promptly put Battaglia on trial as a war criminal, and allow his second-in-command and Anglo-Italian translator, Captain Oriani (Sergio Fantoni
Sergio Fantoni
Sergio Fantoni, is an Italian actor.He was born in Rome, the son of actor Cesare Fantoni . In films from the late 1940s, he has worked mainly in his own country but made several appearances in American films in the 1960s, most notably opposite Frank Sinatra in the war film Von Ryan's Express,...
), to defend him. Battaglia portrays himself as a broken man who has repudiated fascism. Ryan orders him not to be executed, but to be put in the sweat box.
The Germans return and recapture the prisoners. Fincham is furious as he thought that Oriani has betrayed them, but when the POWs are put on the train, they find a severely battered Oriani in the prisoner carriage. Battaglia is outside, gloating, and they realise they have been betrayed to the Germans
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
by the former commandant.
The Nazis shoot all sick prisoners, causing the irate Fincham to revive the "von Ryan" epithet. However, the prisoners do manage to seize control of the train by dangerously escaping through the bottom of the carriage, climbing onto the roof, and strangling the guards with improvised garrotes. After taking control of the roof, they jump on the remaining guards at the next stop, capturing the German commander of the train, Major von Klemment (Wolfgang Preiss
Wolfgang Preiss
Wolfgang Preiss was a German theatre, film and television actor.The son of a teacher, in the early 1930s Preiss studied philosophy, German and drama. He also took private acting classes with Hans Schlenck, making his stage début in Munich in 1932...
), and his Italian mistress, Gabriella (Raffaella Carrà
Raffaella Carrà
Raffaella Carrà , in Italy often simply known as la Carrà and in some Latin American countries sometimes simply as Raffaella, is an Italian singer, dancer, television presenter, and actress...
).
Oriani persuades the Italian locomotive engineer to help. A German-speaking Allied chaplain, Captain Costanzo (Edward Mulhare
Edward Mulhare
Edward Mulhare was a popular television actor whose career spanned four decades.Born at 22 Quaker Road, Cork City, County Cork, Ireland, and educated by the Irish Christian Brothers, Mulhare intended to study medicine, but was sidetracked by a growing interest in acting...
), is enlisted to impersonate the German commander to ensure their passage through the next station -- Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.
Unfortunately, a German troop train is right behind them. And they realize that the troop train and this prisoner train are headed towards Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
in Nazi-controlled Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Ryan and the prisoners manage to switch their train at Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
onto a different line while the troop train continues its usual route to Innsbruck.
Von Klemment and Gabriella are kept tighly bound hand and foot and gagged. Fearing they will be murdered once the prisoners leave the train, Gabriella conceals a piece of a broken drinking glass to cut their bonds. At a water stop, von Klemment escapes and shoots Orde, but he is shot as well.
Ryan, in a German uniform, must reluctantly kill Gabriella as she escapes to prevent her from betraying his men. Ryan makes involuntary eye contact with a nearby Italian youth who had previously been hurling insults at what he thought were Germans. Now the youth silently stares with contempt at Ryan.
By this time, the Germans have wind of the ruse. The prisoners attempt to escape in one siding stop, but are foiled by an Allied air attack on the town. They flee under fire.
The engineer and Oriani have an idea: The next stop is Milano. If they could disable the signals at one key tower in the Central Station, they could also disable the controls and track displays at the station, confusing the Germans. At the same time, they could re-route the train up to neutral Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
through manual switching without being noticed.
The Germans, though, are waiting for them at Milano Centrale. Ryan and his men successfully disable one electric interlocking tower and switch the train off on the key line to Switzerland. The train is attacked by three German fighter aircraft. One plane is shot down, but the other destroys a section of track at a key bridge.
The POWs replace the damaged track in front of them. Ryan, Fincham and the others try to hold off the German soldiers. The track is repaired and the train begins to move. Ryan and Fincham run behind it. Fincham makes it onto the train and desperately reaches back for Ryan, urging him to run faster. Ryan is shot in the back and killed by the German commander just short of the train, which then crosses into neutral Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. With Ryan's sacrifice, the prisoners have made their successful getaway.
Cast
- Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
as Colonel Joseph L. Ryan - Trevor HowardTrevor HowardTrevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
as Major Eric Fincham - Raffaella CarràRaffaella CarràRaffaella Carrà , in Italy often simply known as la Carrà and in some Latin American countries sometimes simply as Raffaella, is an Italian singer, dancer, television presenter, and actress...
as Gabriella - Brad DexterBrad DexterBrad Dexter , was an American actor.-Life and career:Dexter was born Boris Malanovich , in Goldfield, Nevada, of Serbian parentage. He spoke Serbian as his first language. Burly, dark and handsome, Brad Dexter was usually given supporting roles of a rugged character...
as Sergeant Bostick - Sergio FantoniSergio FantoniSergio Fantoni, is an Italian actor.He was born in Rome, the son of actor Cesare Fantoni . In films from the late 1940s, he has worked mainly in his own country but made several appearances in American films in the 1960s, most notably opposite Frank Sinatra in the war film Von Ryan's Express,...
as Captain Oriani - John LeytonJohn LeytonJohn Leyton is an English actor and singer. As a singer he is best known for his hit song, "Johnny Remember Me" , which reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1961.-Career:Leyton went to Highgate School and after completing his national service, he...
as Orde - Edward MulhareEdward MulhareEdward Mulhare was a popular television actor whose career spanned four decades.Born at 22 Quaker Road, Cork City, County Cork, Ireland, and educated by the Irish Christian Brothers, Mulhare intended to study medicine, but was sidetracked by a growing interest in acting...
as Captain Costanzo - Wolfgang PreissWolfgang PreissWolfgang Preiss was a German theatre, film and television actor.The son of a teacher, in the early 1930s Preiss studied philosophy, German and drama. He also took private acting classes with Hans Schlenck, making his stage début in Munich in 1932...
as Major Von Klemment - James BrolinJames BrolinJames Brolin is an American actor, producer and director, best known for his roles in soap operas, movies, sitcoms, and television. He is the father of actor Josh Brolin and husband of singer/actress Barbra Streisand.-Early life:...
as Private Ames - John van DreelenJohn van DreelenJohn van Dreelen was a Dutch-born American-based actor, who frequently performed on television from the 1960s through the 1980s...
as Colonel Gortz - Adolfo CeliAdolfo CeliAdolfo Celi was an Italian film actor and director.-Life and career:Born in Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 movies, specializing in international villains. His most famous role was as Emilio Largo in the 1965 James Bond movie Thunderball...
as Battaglia - Vito ScottiVito ScottiVito Scotti was a veteran character actor who played many roles, primarily from the late-1940s to the mid-1990s. He was known as a man of a thousand faces, for his ability to assume so many divergent roles in more than 200 screen roles, in a nearly 50 year career. He was known for his resourceful...
as Italian Train Engineer - Richard BakalyanRichard BakalyanRichard Bakalyan is an Born in Iran character actor who started his career playing juvenile delinquents he served them treats and candys in his ice cream van in his first several films. He had some fun experience having served a year's probation at age 15...
as Corporal Giannini - Michael GoodliffeMichael GoodliffeLawrence Michael Andrew Goodliffe was an English actor best known for playing suave roles such as doctors, lawyers and army officers. He was also sometimes cast in working class parts....
as Captain Stein - Michael St. Clair as Sergeant Major Dunbar
- Ivan TriesaultIvan Triesault-Life:His first stage appearance was at the German Theatre in Tallinn aged 14, before moving to the United States aged 18. There he began to train in acting and dance, working on Broadway before moving into film. His notable roles include appearances in The Mummy's Ghost , The Story of Dr...
as Von Kleist
Production
Von Ryan’s Express was a project keenly undertaken by 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, which was still financially reeling after the extravagance and critical bashing of Cleopatra
Cleopatra (1963 film)
Cleopatra is a 1963 British-American-Swiss epic drama film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The screenplay was adapted by Sidney Buchman, Ben Hecht, Ranald MacDougall, and Mankiewicz from a book by Carlo Maria Franzero. The film starred Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy...
. Fox, in a bid to prove that they were still able to make films on an epic scale, shot extensively on location in Europe and built a full-scale prison camp as opposed to shooting on a backlot
Backlot
A backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio, containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions, or space for temporary set construction....
. It was producer Saul David
Saul David
Julian Saul David, known popularly as Saul David, was born in 1966 in Monmouth, Wales and is an academic military historian and broadcaster. He is best known for his work on the Indian Mutiny and the Anglo-Zulu War, as well as for presenting and appearing in documentaries on British television...
's first film for Fox that he followed with Our Man Flint
Our Man Flint
Our Man Flint is a 1966 action film that parodies of James Bond genre. The film was directed by Daniel Mann, written by Hal Fimberg and Ben Starr, and starring James Coburn as master spy Derek Flint...
, Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage is a 1966 science fiction film written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby.Bantam Books obtained the rights for a paperback novelization based on the screenplay and approached Isaac Asimov to write it....
and In Like Flint
In Like Flint
In Like Flint is a 1967 film directed by Gordon Douglas, the sequel to the parody spy film Our Man Flint . It posits an international feminist conspiracy to depose the ruling American patriarchy with a feminist matriarchy. To achieve and establish it, they kidnap and replace the U.S. President,...
.
Rumours of a personality clash between star Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, who was flown by helicopter to the set, and director Mark Robson
Mark Robson
Mark Robson was a Canadian-born film editor, film director and producer in Hollywood.-Career:Born in Montreal, Quebec, he moved to the United States at a young age. He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles then found work in the prop department at 20th Century Fox studios...
were not enough to cause problems as the film was shot with relatively little trouble. However Sinatra did insist that the ending of the film be altered ending any chance of a sequel. Sinatra also insisted the film be shot in Panavision
Panavision
Panavision is an American motion picture equipment company specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk as a small partnership to create anamorphic projection lenses during the widescreen boom in the 1950s, Panavision expanded its product...
rather than Fox's CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
.
The film score was written by Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring....
.
Filming
Von Ryan's Express achieved verisimilitudeVerisimilitude
Verisimilitude is the quality of realism in something .-Competing ideas:The problem of verisimilitude is the problem of articulating what it takes for one false theory to be closer to the truth than another false theory...
using aeroplanes, trains, and wheeled vehicles photographed on location and the occasional models. The fighters alluded to as Messerschmitts were Messerschmitt Bf 108
Messerschmitt Bf 108
-Popular culture:Bf 108s and postwar Nord 1000s, played the role of Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters in war movies, including The Longest Day, 633 Squadron, Von Ryan's Express and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.-See also:-References:Notes...
s. A majority of the film was shot on location around northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and comune in the southern Alps located in Veneto, a region in Northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene...
and Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
. But the railway sequence at the film's conclusion was filmed in the limestone gorge of El Chorro
El Chorro
El Chorro is a limestone gorge in Andalusia in southern Spain, through which passes the Guadalhorce river. It was dammed in 1921, forming three reservoirs which are flanked by pine forests....
near Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
in Andalucía, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Interiors were completed at 20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Reception
Critics liked Von Ryan's Express. VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
noting that, "Mark Robson has made realistic use of the actual Italian setting of the David Westheimer novel in garmenting his action in hard-hitting direction and sharply-drawn performances." Frank Sinatra's daughter Nancy
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
noted in her biography of her father that his performance fuelled speculation of another Academy Award nomination. Time Out London called the film a "ripping adventure" that was "directed with amused panache by Robson, and helped no end by a fine cast...", while the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's TV, film and radio listings magazine The Radio Times described it as "a rattlingly exciting Second World War escape adventure, with a well-cast Frank Sinatra..."
The film grossed $17,111,111 ($ in consumer dollars) at the North American box-office, equating to $7,700,000 ($ in consumer dollars) taken in box office rentals, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
ranked Von Ryan’s Express as the 10th highest grossing film of 1965. Additionally, this would be Sinatra’s highest grossing and biggest earning film of the decade.
The film was nominated for a Best Special Effects Academy Award in 1966, while the Motion Picture Sound Editors
Motion Picture Sound Editors
Founded in 1953, Motion Picture Sound Editors is an honorary society of motion picture sound editors. The society's goals are to educate others about and increase the recognition of the sound editors, show the artistic merit of the soundtracks, and improve the professional relationship of its...
also nominated the film for Best Sound Editing in a Feature Film.
British Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
ranked Von Ryan's Express number 89 on their list of 100 Greatest War Films, commenting, " A ripping yarn culminating in a wild train dash through [Italy], with director Mark Robson cranking up the tension and releasing it with some excellent action set-pieces." It has a 91% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Seven years after the film, the fastball
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
was dubbed "Ryan's Express" by fans of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
.
Literary differences
Unlike the film, the Ryan in the book by author David Westheimer survives and makes it to Switzerland with the other POWs. He then bursts into laughter when he discovers that the words "VON RYAN'S EXPRESS" have been painted onto the outside of the train. The novel also expands the character of Ryan, whose carelessness as an air cadet cost the life of a fellow trainee. However, in the cinematic version Sinatra insisted that his characterization of Ryan should be killed off at the end as a token of believability and atonement for shooting the unarmed Italian mistress of the German officer.External links
- original film trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuecL2BPTJA&feature=related