Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Force 10 from Navarone Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 2, 2020

Guy Hamilton's "Force 10 from Navarone" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; exclusive new audio commentary by critics Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin; new video interview with actor Angus MacInnes; archival programs; and a lot more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The bridge

I don’t know how anyone can take Guy Hamilton’s film Force 10 From Navarone seriously. It is supposed to be taken seriously, but it feels like an exotic James Bond spoof set during WWII with the famous agent missing from the film. I have written a lot about exotic films because I enjoy them, but only when they are all in on the circus and entirely honest with their audience, and this film isn’t. At its very best it looks and feels like an unfortunate compromise between a director and screenwriter that were quite simply not on the same page.

Summertime during WWII. Col. Barnsby (Harrison Ford) is ordered to lead a team of international military experts to Yugoslavia and destroy a massive bridge. During the operation, Barnsby must also identify and neutralize an elusive double agent with a formidable record.

But shortly after Barnsby and his men land in Yugoslavia a platoon of Serbo-Croatian chetniks capture and then transport them to a heavily-guarded camp where the Germans begin interrogating them. With the help of Russian resistance fighter Maritza (Barbara Bach), who has stolen the heart and mind of the commander running the camp, Barnsby and his men manage to escape and then reach a partisan stronghold where they are provided support for their operation. However, once they arrive in the area where their target is the demolition expert declares that they don’t have enough explosives to bring down the bridge, so a new, much more complicated, and riskier plan is quickly put together to get the job done. However, as Barnsby and his men go to work, the double agent strikes again, and then again, hoping to collapse the entire mission.

The film is loosely based on Alistair MacLean’s novel of the same name, but it is hard to make a case that the significant discrepancies that exist between the two are responsible for the mediocre end product. The truth is that there is a lot of material in this film that is simply incompatible, causing very odd tonal shifts and contrasts that over time destroy the integrity of the main characters and their mission. For example, before Barnsby and his men reach Yugoslavia the film becomes quite tense and dark, creating the impression that it would evolve into an authentic war drama about a deadly mission. However, the emergence of Drazak (Richard Kiel), the colorful leader of the chetniks, instantly introduces an entirely new vibe to the drama and after that, it is impossible to think of the mission as anything else but the central piece of an undercooked parody. (The entire segment with the mask-wearing infiltrators that get killed for all the wrong reasons is the definition of cinematic silliness. The segment with the penicillin is flat-out insulting). The rest of the film is acted by two very different groups of actors. In the first are the likes of Ford, Robert Shaw, Franco Nero, and to a lesser extent Carl Weather, which look committed to the original idea of being part of an authentic war drama. In the second are Kiel, Bach, Edward Fox, and various other supporting actors that behave as if they are contributing to an Enzo G. Castellari film scripted by a very young and overly enthusiastic Emir Kusturica. Needless to say, there is a lot of material that quite simply does not come together and yet there are some big-name actors before the camera just going along with it. It is very, very strange, and no, most definitely not in a good way.

Cinematographer Christopher Challis produces a few memorable panoramic vistas from the area where the bridge is, but there is a sea of difference between his work in this film and Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s visual stunner The Tales of Hoffmann.

*Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release features two versions of the film: the original theatrical version, which is approximately 119 minutes long, and an extended version, which is approximately 126 minutes long. Both have been remastered in 2K.

Force 10 from Navarone Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p[ transfer, Force 10 from Navarone arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

Two versions of the film are included on this release: the original theatrical version, which is approximately 119 minutes long, and an extended version, which is approximately 126 minutes long. Both have been remastered in 2K.

I viewed the extended version and thought that the technical presentation was very strong. Excusing some extremely mild flicker that appears very early into the film plus a few scratches, the film looks simply gorgeous in high-definition. Delineation, depth and clarity are very pleasing, and on my system the density levels were as good as I expected them to be. There are no traces of any digital anomalies to report. Colors are stable and looking healthy. I felt that from time to time some faces had a tad too much pink/red creeping in, but overall color balance was convincing. In darker areas some room for improvement remains, but shadow definition is still quite nice. Image stability is very good. In summary, this is a very fine organic presentation that should make fans of the film very happy. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Force 10 from Navarone Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release. Three are included on the extended version of the film: English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Stereo), and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. One is included on the theatrical version English: LPCM Mono. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed most of the extended version with the Mono track but occasionally switched to the 5.1 track and tested the 2.0 track as well. The audio is very clean, sharp, and nicely balanced. If you want the greatest amount of dynamic movement possible, definitely go straight to the 5.1 track because a lot of the action footage is much better opened and the difference it immediately easy to appreciate. I did not detect any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Force 10 from Navarone Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - vintage trailers and TV spots for Force 10 from Navarone. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. UK Theatrical trailer (3 min)
  2. U.S. theatrical trailer (2 min)
  3. U.S. TV spot (1 min)
  4. UK Radio spot (1 min)

• Super 8 Version - a vintage Super 8 version of the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (18 min).

• A Show of Force - this new program highlights the key differences between the original theatrical and extended versions of Force 10 from Navarone. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• The BEHP Interview with Ron Goodwin - in this archival interview, composer Ron Goodwin discusses his background and interest in music, his working methods, the type of films he worked on, the different preferences directors had (such as Alfred Hitchcock and Henry Mancini), etc. The interview was conducted by Linda Wood in 1999. In English, not subtitled. (89 min).

• Christopher Challis: A Life Behind the Lens - this new program takes a closer look at the legacy of cinematographer Christopher Challis. Included in it are clips from interviews with fellow cinematographers Sydney Sammuelson and Oswald Morris, camera operator John Palmer, and Dennis Fraser amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (33 min).

• From Zabljak with Love - this new program examines the production history of Force 10 from Navarone. Included in its are clips from new interviews with construction manager Terry Apsey, actor and Harrison Ford double Jim Dowdall, and Dennis Fraser, amongts others. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• Angus MacInnes: Tour de Force - in this new video interview, actor Angus MacInnes (Reynolds) discusses his contributions to Force 10 from Navarone. The actor also recalls what it was like to travel to different locations in the former Yugoslavia and Macedonia. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• This is a Giant Movie - this archival program, created for Channel Television, offers archival footage from the shooting of Force 10 from Navarone and features clips from archival interviews with some of the people that made the film. The program was produced in 1978. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Commentary - this brand new audio commentary was recorded by critics Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin for the extended version of Force 10 from Navarone.

• Image Gallery - a collection of vintage production and promotional materials for Force 10 from Navarone.

• Book - limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Sheldon Hall, archival production reports including interviews with cast and crew members, an interview with actor Robert Shaw, recollections of the film's Yugoslavia shoot excerpted from the memoirs of cinematographer Christopher Challis and screenwriter George MacDonald Fraser, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits.

• Collectible Cards - limited edition exclusive set of five replica production stills

Force 10 from Navarone Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I am genuinely surprised to see that Indicator/Powerhouse Films have produced such a lavish release for Force 10 from Navarone. But why not? Perhaps it would inspire younger collectors to discover other similar older films. I don't find Force 10 from Navarone convincing at all because it pulls in different directions at the same time in ways that actually completely destroy the integrity of the characters its stars are tasked to play. The end result is very strange, and most definitely not in a good way. If you are a fan of the film and decide to pick up this release for your collection, keep in mind that it is Region-B "locked".