Von Ryan's Express

Infobox_Film
name = Von Ryan's Express


director = Mark Robson
writer = David Westheimer (novel)
Wendell Mayes
Joseph Landon
starring = Frank Sinatra
Trevor Howard
Raffaella Carrà
Brad Dexter
Sergio Fantoni
John Leyton
Edward Mulhare
Wolfgang Preiss
James Brolin
John van Dreelen
Adolfo Celi
Vito Scotti
Michael Goodliffe
producer = Saul David
distributor = 20th Century Fox
music = Jerry Goldsmith
released = 23 June 1965
runtime = 117 min
language = English, German, Italian
budget =
box office = $17 million US
imdb_id =0059885

"Von Ryan's Express" is a 1965 World War II adventure film produced and directed by Mark Robson, and starring Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard. Based on the 1964 novel of the same name by David Westheimer, "Von Ryan’s Express" was a project keenly undertaken by 20th century Fox who were still financially reeling after the financial 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.

Rumours of a personality clash between star Frank Sinatra, who was flown by helicopter to the set, and director Mark Robson, were seemingly not enough to dampen the making of a film that was shot with relatively little trouble, although Sinatra’s insistence on the ending of the film being altered put an end to a proposed sequel that Fox had in mind.

Plot

Colonel Joseph L. Ryan (Sinatra) is an American pilot whose P-38 Lightning is shot down, and then is taken to a Prisoner of War camp in Italy, run by the cruel Major Battaglia (Adolfo Celi), and populated mainly by British prisoners (9 Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, 167 Infantry Brigade, 56 [London] Infantry Division [British] ).

As senior officer, Col. Ryan assumes command of the prisoners. The British commanding officer had recently died as a result of the harsh discipline in being put in the metal "sweat box". Ryan at first pays respect to his predecessor, Major Eric Fincham (Howard) by refusing to sit in the late commanding officer's chair.

When the British attempt to flog an American prisoner (of which there are only eight) for stealing rations, Ryan discovers he was stealing medicine which Fincham has ordered be stashed for an escape attempt. Ryan orders that the drugs be dispensed as necessary. He then shows the Italians the prisoners' escape tunnels in return for their Red Cross parcels. Battaglia doesn't keep his word so Ryan then orders the prisoners to strip and burn their filthy clothes so Battaglia will have to issue new ones. Battaglia does so, but throws Ryan into the sweat box as a punishment.

That night, on hearing of the Italian capitulation, the guards flee, leaving the camp unguarded. The British 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, and Ryan orders him not to be executed, but to be put in the sweat box.

However, the Germans return and capture them all. Fincham is furious at the incorrect thought that Oriani betrayed them, but when they are put on the train, they find a severely battered Oriani in the prisoner carriage. Battaglia is gloating outside, and they realise they have been betrayed to the Germans by the former commandant. The false impression of collaboration with the Italian guards earns Ryan the nickname "Von Ryan" from the irate Fincham. The prisoners 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, at the next stop, they jump on the remaining guards, and capture 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, and the German-speaking Allied Chaplain, Captain Costanzo (Edward Mulhare), is enlisted to impersonate the German commander to ensure their passage through the next station.

During stops at stations, Von Klemment and Gabriella are kept bound and gagged in a compartment. Gabriella conceals a piece of a broken drinking glass to cut their bonds. At one station Von Klemment escapes, shoots Orde (John Leyton), but is shot himself. Ryan, in a German uniform, then has to reluctantly shoot Gabriella as she escapes to prevent her from betraying them. Ryan then makes involuntary eye contact with a nearby Italian youth who had previously been hurling insults at what he thought were Germans and now silently stares with contempt at Ryan.

By this time a German troop train has been sent in pursuit, and Von Ryan's train is attacked by three German fighter aircraft. One aeroplane is shot down, but the other destroys a section of track. The POWs then take a section of the track behind them and replace the damaged track in front of them. Meanwhile Ryan, Fincham and the others try to hold off the German soldiers. The track is repaired and the train started, and Ryan and Fincham run behind the train to get aboard. Fincham reaches the train and desperately reaches for Ryan, urging him to run faster. But Ryan is gunned down by the German commander just short of the train, which then crosses over to neutral Switzerland.

Cast

* Frank Sinatra - Colonel Joseph L. Ryan
* Trevor Howard - Major Eric Fincham
* Raffaella Carrà - Gabriella (as Raffaella Carra)
* Brad Dexter - Sergeant Bostick
* Sergio Fantoni - Captain Oriani
* John Leyton - Orde
* Edward Mulhare - Captain Costanzo
* Wolfgang Preiss - Major Von Klemment
* James Brolin - Private Ames
* John Van Dreelen - Colonel Gortz (as John van Dreelen)
* Adolfo Celi - Battaglia
* Vito Scotti - Italian Train Engineer
* Richard Bakalyan - Corporal Giannini
* Michael Goodliffe - Captain Stein
* Michael St. Clair - Sergeant Major Dunbar

The Original Ending

In the book, Ryan survives and makes it into Switzerland with the other prisoners. At the novel's end, he bursts into laughter when he discovers that the words "VON RYAN'S EXPRESS" have been painted by one of the prisoners on the outside of the train. (The movie does not retain this incident.) In addition, the book delves into the character of Ryan, whose carelessness as an air cadet cost the life of a fellow cadet. Sinatra insisted on his character being killed at the end as a token of believability and to "atone" for his shooting Gabriella.

pecial Effects

"Von Ryan's Express" achieved verisimilitude via a combination of aeroplanes, trains, and wheeled vehicles photographed on location and the occasional model and prop; the Messerschmitt fighters were BF-108s painted and marked as LuftwaffeFact|date=August 2008|please verify the content of this passage| () 03:14, 11 August 2008 (UTC). Moreover, 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.

Critical and Commercial Success

The critical reception for "Von Ryan's Express" was strong, "Variety" 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." [ [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117796156.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 Von Ryan's Express] at "Variety"] Frank Sinatra's daughter Nancy Sinatra noted in her biography of her father that his performance here fuelled speculation of another Academy Award nomination."

Praise came internationally as well as nationally, "Time Out" London commenting that the film was a "ripping adventure" that was "Directed with amused panache by Robson, and helped no end by a fine cast..." [ [http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/63096/von_ryans_express.html Von Ryan's Express] at "Time Out"] whilst the BBC's TV, film and radio listings magazine "The Radio Times" would note "this is a rattlingly exciting Second World War escape adventure, with a well-cast Frank Sinatra..." [ [http://www.radiotimes.com/servlet_film/com.icl.beeb.rtfilms.client.simpleSearchServlet?frn=17222&searchTypeSelect=5 Von Ryan's Express] at "The Radio Times"]

With a gross $17,111,111 at the North American box-office, equating to $7,700,000 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 Detective" (1968) ranking second, with $6,500,000 taken in box office rentals.

Channel 4 ranked "Von Ryan's Express" among its 100 Greatest War Films, placing it at number 89 on their list and commenting that: " A ripping yarn culminating in a wild train dash through Germany, with director Mark Robson cranking up the tension and releasing it with some excellent action set-pieces." [ [http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/microsites/W/greatest_warfilms/results/90-86.html 100 Greatest War Films of all time] ]

The title of the film was alluded to a few years later in the world of baseball when pitcher Nolan Ryan's fastball was dubbed "Ryan's Express".

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0059885|title=Von Ryan's Express