Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Escape to Athena Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 22, 2008

"Escape to Athena" (1979) is the perfect film to see in the wee hours of the night, when you want to be entertained but are too tired to follow a complicated plot. It is hilarious, packed with old-fashioned 70s action, and beautifully photographed. It also unites as impressive of a cast as one could have hoped for.

On a unidentified Greek island, the Nazis have built a massive prison camp where inmates are digging up art relics. Austrian Commander Otto Hecht (Roger Moore, For Your Eyes Only) oversees the area and secretly hopes that some of the loot he has been putting aside will secure his retirement.

Zeno (Telly Savalas, Kojak), the local resistance leader, and his part-time lover Eleana (Claudia Cardinale, Once Upon A Time In The West) are in the middle of a massive plot to take over the island. They have collected enough information about the Nazi leadership and are counting the days before the crucial strike. Everything appears to be running according to their plans. But when a charismatic American couple (Eliot Gould, Ocean’s Thirteen / Stephanie Powers, Invisible Strangler) arrives at the camp and befriends Major Otto Hecht, Zeno and Eleana are forced to move quickly. Can they trust the Americans? Is it too soon to attack the camp?

Escape to Athena is a film that one would either fall in love with or dismiss with a passion. It mixes drama, humor, action and politics in a curious but susceptible to criticism story with a distinctive Hollywood flavor whose one and only goal is to entertain. Thus, depending on how one likes to be entertained, one would either be thrilled or, to put it mildly, end up being unimpressed. Similar to other 70s productions with comparable plots - such as The Guns of Navarone (1961), The Great Escape (1963), and The Dirty Dozen (1967) - this is also a film where WW2 is the main inspiration for a sarcastic political condemnation with a well defined recipient. Not surprisingly, Escape to Athena relies on a great deal of flashy one-liners highlighting the intellectual superiority of those the audience is expected to side with. On the other hand, the naive and clueless Nazis are an easy prey for the wits and courage of the local resistance fighters whose eventual triumph is never in doubt. Logically, it is primarily the ongoing armed confrontation between the two parties that makes this film a pleasurable, free of complicated subtexts, late night viewing material.

Those familiar with George Cosmatos’ body of work will hardly be surprised by the less than nuanced political overtones in Escape to Athena. His similarly themed Massacre in Rome (1973) for example juxtaposes humor, drama, and politics just as brashly and in a questionable fashion allowing for plenty of historic inaccuracies viewers with a thorough knowledge of WW2 will undoubtedly detect. Needless to say, however, both films are concerned with a specific type of message, one that feeds off sarcasm and dark humor while effectively caricaturing an oppressive regime, rather than revealing a great deal of factual consistency.

Put aside the less than convincing history treatment, however, and you are guaranteed to enjoy a film with plenty of spirit. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, revealing breathtaking panoramic vistas from the Greek island, which more than make up for some of the unpolished areas the script conveys.

Escape to Athena Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Escape to Athena arrives on BD with a sparkling 1080p transfer preserving the film's original aspect ratio of 2.40:1. Detail here is very strong with colors simply overflowing with lushness. It appears that from all the masters ITV DVD had to work with for their latest batch of BD releases this film had the best source. There were quite a few scenes where I caught myself paying more attention to the rich and incredibly colorful vistas from the Greek island than I should have. More importantly however this BD has a very balanced, film-like look. The unfiltered quality of the image (heavy DNR application isn't an issue of concern here) certainly proves that great looking transfers of classic films do not need to be "updated" so they could impress a small group of viewers demanding all of their films to look in a certain way. On the contrary, as mentioned earlier, there is healthy dose of balance here between colors, contrast, and grain which I am convinced many will appreciate. Finally, I could not help but notice how genuinely clean this print is as I did not spot any disturbing scratches or specks. To sum it all up without a doubt this is quite a pleasing presentation, one that would certainly make fans of the film very, very happy.

Escape to Athena Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This BD release offers the original DD English Mono track in a manner that compliments nicely the excellent video transfer addressed above. The audio is crystal clear, vibrant, and very well balanced. I did not detect any inconsistencies between the soundtrack and the dialog, as I did not notice any hissing, drop-outs, or cracks. On the contrary everything here appears to have been handled with precision. It certainly shows that the master for Escape to Athena was in great condition and the producers of this BD had very little to be concerned with. Optional English subtitles are provided as well.

Escape to Athena Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As you are well aware this BD was produced in the UK. It is encoded ABC, meaning that it is region-free and perfectly playable in your North American PS3/SA. This being said however, as I have indicated in previous reviews, standard extras on non-US produced discs will not be playable in your PS3/SA since they are encoded in PAL. Of course, all HD extras will be. So, with this in mind the only extra on this disc that you will be able to play on your US PS3/SA is the original theatrical trailer which is herein presented in 1080p. What you are missing on is a gallery of interviews with the cast and crew which were recorded in standard-def PAL format.

Escape to Athena Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Films such as Escape to Athena should be approached with an open mind as this is the one and only way you will be able to appreciate the message they carry. These are films whose only mission some forty years ago was to entertain their audiences while making a statement about a subject their creators felt strongly about. Obviously they often suffered substantially from what contemporary viewers would refer to as credibility. Yet, they proved to be widely successful amongst moviegoers during the mid 70s. This being said, Escape to Athena is arguably one of the best examples for a film treating history with plenty of creative liberty. Nevertheless, it is enjoyable, at times irresistibly witty, and as far as this reviewer is concerned quite funny. Give it a try, you will be surprised how much you'll like it.