Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my all-time favourites, 13 Feb 2005
For the contributor who suggested that, "Escape To Athena", was a sad dull movie obviously seems to have never fully watched the film. Its critics like this that put-off people buying DVD titles, but we are talking about 1979 when the film was released in the UKEscape To Athena may have its critics, but its one hell of a war movie. This film was the second outing with Greek Director, George Pan Cosmatos had with ITC, and as with The Cassandra Crossing in 1976, he brings a sense of importance to the proceedings. Roger Moore is excellent as sympathetic Camp Commandant Otto Hecht, as is Telly Savalas as resistance leader, Zeos. Roger Moore's casting was accurate. After playing Simon Templair, Lord Brett Sinclair, and of course, James Bond. This film reunites him with Lew Grade after a seven year gap, and his role is essential to the film's storyline. Of the other actors, Elliot Gould, Sonny Bono, Richard Rountree, Stefanie Powers are also effective, but the main actor in my opinion has to be David Niven as he contributes most to this film. Lalo Schifrin's Greek oriented music score is the film's most important feature, and the end dance sequence is definitely a highlight. Incidentally, the soundtrack of this film is very hard to find, and is only on Japanese issue. Nevertheless, an excellent film.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE GREATEST FILM EVER........starring Sonny Bono, 18 Jul 2002
By A Customer
When people compile a list of the greatest war films ever they often overlook this rip roaring action adventure.......this film has everything you could ever want in a film and more....The story involves a group of prisoners of war (David Niven, Elliot Gould, Claudia Cardinale) held on a Greek island during WWII, who recruit the aid of their sympathetic camp commandant in harassing the SS. Below I have tried to identify the factors that separate this film from run of the mill war films.1) Tele Savalas as a Greek resistance fighter / Monk. Tele as you would expect brings the same gritty realism as he did to his Portrayal of Blofeld in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'.
2) David Niven is superb as a British Antiques expert held prisoner by the German army. Niven expertly manages to convey the characters inner turmoil and disbelief of the situation he has found himself in. Niven also manages to turn in a great comic performance with the help of Elliot Gould's character.
3) The director George P Cosmatos manages to expertly capture the futility and horrific nature of war, in a style of direction that is reminiscent of early William Friedkin work.
4) However, the real star of the show is Roger Moore. Moore plays a German Officer who witnessing the atrocities carried out by his country decides to switch sides and help the allies, namely Tele and his band of fighters. Moore shows once again what a truly gifted actor he is, with the simple twitch of an eyebrow he can convey the purest of emotions, that would send even the most stone hearted person to tears. So in summary...Escsape to Athena is a life changing movie, it shows that the British film industry could still produce films as good as / or even better than their American rivals, but from a personal view it restored my faith in humanity and what people can achieve when they work together.
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7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
So the 70s was the last great age of movie-making, huh?, 7 Nov 2006
Escape to Athena is another nail in the theory that the 70s was a golden age of movie-making. It's a typical example of those transatlantic star-studded messes so beloved of Lew Grade after the modest success of The Eagle Has Landed led him to inflict the likes of The Cassandra Crossing (okay, that one is a guilty pleasure), Voyage of the Damned and Michael Winner's The Big Sleep on the world. A bizarre cross between Hogan's Heroes and The Guns of Navarone (well, director and co-scenarist George Pan Cosmatos was in charge of the luncheon vouchers for the extras on that one), it throws in everyone and everything but the kitchen sink in the hope that the audiences will be too dazzled by the three ring circus to notice that virtually none of it is any good. Thus we have Roger Moore as a corrupt Austrian prison camp commandant-cum-antique dealer, Elliott Gould as a bad standup comedian, Sony Bono as an Italian cook, Telly Savalas as a Greek resistance leader, Claudia Cardinale as the local Madame, David Niven as an archaeologist, Stefanie Powers as a stripper, and Richard Roundtree as a magician, all of whom know they're in a piece of rubbish and act accordingly. But then, what else is there to do in a plot (of sorts) that sees them take over a prison camp, save various Greeks from SS man Anthony Valentine's firing squad, destroy a submarine refuelling dump and blow up the local monastery-cum-V3 launching pad without ever managing to generate much excitement or interest? Aside from a nice throwaway cameo from William Holden reprising his Stalag 17 character, some good aerial photography and a surprisingly good motorcycle chase, this one has nothing much going for it, least of all the dire disc number over the end credits.
For the more masochistic of you out there, the UK DVD boasts a decent 2.35:1 transfer, trailer and several cast and crew inteviews.
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