Review of Von Ryan´s Express

Introduction

War movies are fun, it`s strange that. We will readily pay over our cash to watch the worst kind of chaos and mayhem on the movie screen, but readily denounce the horrors of war when it comes to reality. It`s a pretty pointless dichotomy that I use to introduce, quite sloppily, this review of Von Ryan`s Express. Ostensibly a wartime escape movie that is more a vehicle for the talents of Frank Sinatra. I find it odd that I can watch any film starring Sinatra, or Dean Martin or other rat pack alumni as long as they don`t sing, but I digress. Made in the sixties, Von Ryan`s Express has that style and panache that was so common to the movies made in that time, but does it still entertain today?

Colonel Joseph Ryan is an American airman who crashes in Italy in 1943. When he is taken to a POW camp, he finds that being the senior officer and he is by default in charge of the prisoners. Italy is close to surrender and Ryan is of a mind to sit out the war and live off the fat of their Italian captors. This attitude puts him at odds with the camps predominately British population who wish to infuriate their Italian captors as much as possible by repeatedly attempting to escape. The British under Major Eric Fincham find Ryan`s policy of appeasement intolerable and rapidly dub him "Von Ryan". All this changes however, when Italy surrenders and the prisoners find themselves in charge of a deserted camp, hundreds of miles behind enemy lines. Ryan, with the aid of the Italian Captain Oriani decides to lead the prisoners to safety, but betrayed by the Camp Commandant who in a fit of mercy Ryan had spared, they are immediately captured by the Germans who put them on a train destined for a German POW camp. Using his ingenuity and some reluctant assistance from the British, Ryan manages to capture the train, but the train is still heading deeper into enemy territory and the escaped prisoners are still destined to meet up with the Germans.

Video

Von Ryan`s Express has been given a great transfer. Presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic print, the image is colourful and sharp. The film is in very good condition, with only a few flecks of dirt visible, any damage that is there only really becomes apparent in the darker scenes. The picture quality is a joy with much to recommend it. As for the film itself, a lot of the scenes were shot on location in Italy. While the sets and close up shots were what you would expect from a WWII movie, the cityscapes and long distance shots seemed far too contemporary. Obviously there was no war damage to the cities, but buildings seemed a little too tall, and I`m sure I spotted some anachronistic traffic. The German Messerschmitts looked like Pipers with a paint job. I half expected three Mini coopers laden with stolen gold bullion to go zipping by. Mark Robson`s direction is crisp, with the action and hi-jinks well paced.

Audio

The film gets a rather mundane 2.0 stereo soundtrack. The explosions and gunfire would have benefited from a bigger surround presence. The sound is really constrained to the front speakers, but the dialogue is always clear and audible. Jerry Goldsmith`s soundtrack is suitably militaristic, occasionally playful when required, but does more to date the film than anything else. I could have hoped for more from the sound but I suppose it is authentic given the age of the film.

Features

Trailer (Theatrical), Scene Selections, Subtitles.

Conclusion

Schindler`s List this ain`t. A poor man`s Great Escape maybe (don`t worry, it`s no Escape to Victory either), but I doubt that it will ever be ranked as one of the Great War movies of our time. Frank Sinatra plays Col. Ryan, and he`s laidback and cool and instantly takes charge. It`s as if the role was written for him, which let`s face it, it probably was. Nevertheless Sinatra is enjoyable in the role as he has a great international cast to work with. Trevor Howard provides great chemistry as the British Major Fincham. He is hard-bitten and ruthless and constantly grates with the more relaxed Ryan. Sergio Fantoni provides able support as Captain Oriani who sympathises more with the prisoners than he does with his superiors. A real joy to watch is Edward Mulhare as the priest Costanzo. He has lots of fun with the nervous priest and it`s interesting to see him pre-Knight Rider. Watch out also for an early appearance by James Brolin.

As I said, this film won`t be remembered as having made great comment about the war, but it is tremendously enjoyable. It is almost two movies in one, as the initial act is set solely in the POW camp, and seems to be a kind of Hogan`s Heroes, as the camp hi-jinks are quite funny at times. This time is well used to introduce us to the characters, but then when the prisoners escape, it`s like a whole different film and the pace picks up as they try to sneak out of Italy under the German`s noses. A lot of this film is tongue-in-cheek and probably bears no resemblance to the war whatsoever. In fact it feels more like a light-hearted caper rather than a wartime escape. There are a few moments of seriousness, but these are rare and don`t add much to the fun flow of the movie. But not all war movies need to be dour and serious and this film is fun, with some great characters and a well thought out script. The picture quality is excellent and the sound is acceptable. It`s well worth a watch.