Westheimer captures the gritty oblivion of pow life, while the suspense builds as the prisoners try to plot their escape. Italys defeat may be imminent, but that causes only confusion for the british and. Frank sinatra mandated that this movies ending be changed and subsequently this destroyed any possibility of a sequel that the 20th century fox studio was considering. With frank sinatra, trevor howard, raffaella carra, brad dexter. A squadron of allied soldiers trying to escape a prison camp train in italy. The story is straight forward and simple and doesnt require much attention to follow. Major league baseball pitcher nolan ryan, known as the express, derived his. The story of an escape from a pow train, it was a bookofthemonth club selection before being. The book ending is also different than in the movie in that ryan survives. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading.
The cinematography has held up well, particularly during the climax eric referred to in the italian alps. On which railway line were the action scenes at the end of the movie shot. The author of the book, david westheimer, was a navigator on a b24. While the basic story line is the same in the book and the movie, i found the changes in the screenplay to have made the principal characters more interesting. The author of the book, david westheimer, was a navigator on a b24 that was shot down over italy in wwii and he was a pow in stalag luft iii. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. While the majority of the prisoners at the camp are british, a. The character has the same name in both the book and the movie. Trevor howard was second choice for major fincham after peter finch turned it down. As sao senior american officer, he quickly puts a stop to disorder, and becomes the most hated man in the camp. When italy surrenders, german guards herd the men into boxcars for shipment to the reich. Italys surrender offers a chance of escape when the camp is being moved to germany.
Westheimer captures the gritty oblivion of pow life, while the suspense builds as the. World war, 19391945 in fiction, world war, 19391945, fiction, novelas, prisoners of war, world war 19391945 fast ocolcfst01180924. Ryan sinatra, an american pilot, is shot down in fascist italy and put in a fascist prisoner of war camp there, where he becomes the new ranking officer among the allied prisoners. Find video, photos, forums, blogs and shop for some of the best movies ever made only at tcm. Ryan concocts a plan to take control of a german train to do so. Abused by a corrupt commandant adolfo celi, the men protest. While the majority of the prisoners at the camp are british, a strongminded, quickwitted. In the original ending which appears in the source novel, ryan is not. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers all. During ww ii colonel joe ryan crashes in italy and is interned at pow concentration camp 202. Turner classic movies presents the greatest motion pictures of all time from one of the largest film libraries in the world.
While the basic story line is the same in the book and the movie, i found the changes in the screenplay to have made the principal characters more interesting, more human and more appealing i came to. This movie is much better when seen in its original widescreen format. Financially, it became one of sinatras most successful films. While most of the prisoners at the camp are british, a determined, resourceful american air force colonel frank sinatra takes charge and leads the escape, which requires that the prisoners wrest control of a german train and propel. Along the way they must deal with internal strife and outside threats.
The author of the book, david westheimer, was a navigator on a b24 that. Like a strip from every schoolboys favourite, the commando comic, this is a ripping yarn of a wwii adventure story that also manages to rather subtly and neatly turn a particular hollywood cliche on its head. It inspired me to write my first novel, 2 years later as a christmas present for my sister, which was, sadly, historically rather inaccurate. Vrnes1965 scanner internet archive html5 uploader 1. Colonel joseph ryan, a p38 pilot and group commander, managed to escape with 900 fellow officers from a nazi pow camp in italy. The houstonborn writer had served with distinction in world war ii as a b24 navigator distinguished flying cross. Italys defeat may be imminent, but that causes only confusion for the british and american inmates. An american pow leads a group of mainly british prisoners to escape from the germans in wwii. A thousand british and american pows learn to hate the american.
An action adventure tale, van ryans express remains quite credible until halfway through, when the action begins to pour and roar like walter mitty in full flood. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. In the original ending which appears in the source novel, ryan is not killed as with the films ending, he survives and with the other escaped pows, is able to get. It doesnt matter if you catch it in the beginning or in the middle. The screenplay concerns a group of allied prisoners of war who conduct a daring escape by hijacking a freight train and fleeing through germanoccupied italy to switzerland. When italy surrenders three days later, the germans capture the camp, and load everyone on a train to germany. It is now the february book ofthemonthclub selection. Joseph ryan frank sinatra is captured by nazis, he does what it takes to survive prison camp, including, by all appearances, befriend. While most of the prisoners are british, a resourceful american air force colonel frank sinatra takes charge and leads the escape, which requires that the prisoners get control of a prisoner of war train and. A thousand british and american pows learn to hate the american colonel who singlehandedly shapes them up. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle. Based on the novel by david westheimer, the film changes several aspects of the novel, most notably the ending, which is considerably more upbeat in the book.
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