His correct rank in 1943 was generalfeldmarschall field marshal. The sounds of screeching steel along the rails and the distant sound of the steam engine whistling its way to freedom have long been silent, but the legend of this extraordinary and endearing film lingers on in our memory. A german plot to kidnap sir winston churchill unfolds at the height of world war ii. 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.
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 it through. In the original ending which appears in the source novel, ryan is not killed as with the films ending. Movies, tv, celebs, and more is this movie based on a book. A squadron of allied soldiers trying to escape a prison camp train in italy. Frank sinatra mandated that this movie s ending be changed and subsequently this destroyed any possibility of a sequel that the 20th century fox studio was considering. The oscarnominated special effects range from some good miniature trains almost the entire nighttime firebombing scene to some dynamic but weakly superimposed. In the opening sequence when colonel ryans plane has crashed and is on fire, you can see a metal pole supporting a burning aircraft shell, not a real plane. This movie is much better when seen in its original widescreen format. 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. 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. My father, drafted after he graduated high school, was in the army of the occupation in italy, at the end of.
It is now the february book ofthemonthclub selection. A thousand british and american pows learn to hate the american colonel who singlehandedly shapes them up. Italys defeat may be imminent, but that causes only confusion for the british and. The character has the same name in both the book and the movie. 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.
His most memorable if you were a teenage boy when the movie came out in 1965. A couple of the floorboards in ryan s boxcar are prised up so that there is a way to drop to the tracks below. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. It is a star vehicle for frank sinatra and he gives one of his most memorable performances. Its definitely a slowstarter, taking its sweet time for the action to build up. Based on the novel by david westheimer, the film changes several aspects of the novel, most. The italian fascist regime was collapsing at this point and one day they wake up to find all their guards gone. It inspired me to write my first novel, 2 years later as a christmas present for my sister, which was, sadly, historically rather inaccurate. In the original ending which appears in the source novel, ryan is not killed as with the films ending, he survives and with. After another brief stop and under the cover of darkness, the prisoners lower themselves one at a time from the slowly rolling train until their heels are dragging over the rail bed below the car.
On april 12, the tucson steampunk societys book club invited me to discuss my western steampunk. In the opening sequence when colonel ryan s plane has crashed and is on fire, you can see a metal pole supporting a burning aircraft shell, not a real plane. A couple of the floorboards in ryans boxcar are prised up so that there is a way to drop to the tracks below. 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. 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. Financially, it became one of sinatras most successful films. It was ably directed by mark robson the bridges at tokori. To refer to this film as exhilarating is, i admit, the mildest bit misleading. On which railway line were the action scenes at the end of the.
An american pow leads a group of mainly british prisoners to escape from the germans in wwii. When italy surrenders three days later, the germans capture the camp, and load everyone on a train to germany. Obvious model train in the wide shots of the bombing of the town the train is going through. The deservedly famous ending goes against audience expectations. With frank sinatra, trevor howard, raffaella carra, brad dexter. Taken from the book released two years prior, the film is set in an italian prisoner of war camp, where col. Ryan frank sinatra is locked up with british prisoners, after. It is based on a novel by david westheimer, but sinatra insisted the ending be. Colonel joseph ryan, a p38 pilot and group commander, managed to escape with 900 fellow officers from a nazi pow camp in italy. While the majority of the prisoners at the camp are british, a strongminded, quickwitted. During ww ii colonel joe ryan crashes in italy and is interned at pow concentration camp 202. The book ending is also different than in the movie in that ryan survives. Ryan frank sinatra is locked up with british prisoners, after his army air corp plane crashes in a nearby town.
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. The main character, ryan, can be hard to root for at times, but in the end he has the. Westheimer captures the gritty oblivion of pow life, while the suspense builds as the. Thomas m johnson the pictures and value guide alone are worth the price of the book. To order your copy today, click on buy now, or email wayne with your request you can also call wayne at 7027394023. Every antique and militaria collector should own this book. 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. 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. 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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