Operation Crossbow

Operation Crossbow was a film I enjoyed a lot. I didn't think it was perfect, some scenes drag and you can tell that Trevor Howard is not entirely interested in his role. That aside, it is very well directed, is well made with great cinematography and editing and has a brooding Ron Goodwin score. The film is talky, that I agree, but the dialogue is very good and the story compelling with on the whole with tense suspense and atmosphere, intriguing subplots and a thrilling action-packed finale. The acting is fine, George Peppard is likable, and while Sophia Loren's appearance is brief it is one along with her shocking death that is memorable. Tom Courtenay and John Mills are also well cast. Overall, an impressive film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

After a pretty dull beginning, "Operation Crossbow" increases its tensions and becomes a fascinating action/adventure film set in WW2. A little-known representer of that genre, but not much inferior to "The Guns of Navarone". Lots of suspenseful moments and an interesting cast full of familiar faces.

In the annals of Allied history is one of the most secret and certainly most desperate covert attempts to destroy the Nazi's ultimate weapons. These weapons were called the Vengeance Rockets which nearly destroyed England and it willingness to survive. This story written by Duilio Coleitto and directed by Michael Anderson is comparatively close to the actual facts. The conclusion in England was that the V-1 and V-2 were wreaking havoc on London and the prime Minister (Patrick Wymark) called on his war ministry to design a plan to destroy them. Innically, the secret operation was called 'Operation Bodyline' but changed for the movie under " Operation Crossbow." The idea was to select allied officers, trained and educated as engineers, fly them to Germany, have them infiltrate the German War Machine and sabotage the entire V-rocket plant. What they did not harp on was that is was also considered a suicide mission. George Peppard, Tom Courtenay and Jeremy Kemp play the incredibly courageous allied agents who must carry out the task. Anthony Quayle is superb as the traitorous English/German counter agent who's job it is to stop them. Richard Todd, Paul Henreid, Trevor Howard, John Mills, Richard Johnson and Sophia Loren round out the cast. The movie is incredible with actual WWII footage and surprisingly great dramatic acting. The introduction of Sophia Loren within the actual story is puzzling, but interesting. A very good WWII action movie considered a Classic by many movie fans. ****

In some ways an old-fashioned, star-studded, overstuffed "mission" movie, "Operation Crossbow" has, to me, an authentic WWII feeling to it. I'm guessing this movie's scenes and attitudes may have resonated with people in 1965 who'd lived through that period.

World War II was Big, and that's reflected here. The movie's individual characters are less important than the group war effort, something they're very aware of. And the nothing-personal killing of one character by a Resistance member, is pretty stunning. My hat is off to that.

Side note: During the '60s did Thomas Pynchon ("Gravity's Rainbow") go see this movie? He was then working on his big novel about the V-2 rocket. People have noodled about a possible cause-and-effect between movie and novel, including Dave Kehr in the NYTimes. FWIW, somewhere in "Gravity" I think there's a description of someone's wristwatch being worn on the inside of the wrist, "World War II style." (So the luminous hands wouldn't show during night operations??) That's the way George Peppard wears his watch.

"Operation Crossbow" was quite a hit in its day but is not seen as being in the same league as films such as "The Guns of Navarone" or "The Great Escape". Nevertheless, it is a very worthy film on many levels.

Firstly, the cast is uniformly excellent with supporting roles taken by some of Britain's acting luminaries such as Trevor Howard, John Mills and Richard Todd. The leading man is George Peppard who plays the role with his characteristically understated charm and, when called upon, a very believable physicality. Some have been critical of the fact that Sophia Loren is billed as a co-star and has very limited screen time. However, her performance as an innocent caught up in a desperate and finally unfairly cruel situation is worth watching. So too is the performance of her killer played by Lilli Palmer who embodies the emotional control, deceptiveness, resourcefulness and cool ruthlessness required by resistance contacts whose every move was potentially their last. Bouquets to Barbara Rutting who plays the real life character of Hannah Reitsch with a steely resolve and belief that had me looking up the life story of the Nazi test pilot. She remained a dedicated National Socialist until her death and was highly critical of post-war Germany and Germans. She was appalled at the fact that German soldiers by the late 60's were allowed to wear beards and that Germany was in her words now a "nation of bankers and car builders". She won many awards for her feats of aviation after the war. Other historical figures such as Constance Babington Smith, a key figure in identifying V1 rocket sites, and Professor Lindemann, who dismissed the Nazi rocket program as being a hoax, are, to my knowledge, faithfully portrayed by Sylvia Syms and Trevor Howard respectively.

The pace of the film is another highlight. The story is told through a number of points of view including the Nazi rocketry program and its own attempts at espionage and counter espionage. Almost every scene has an element of suspense - a mini story within the story. There are also some moments of humour seamlessly laced into the drama. Well done to the editor who was faced with the complex task of melding so many story elements into a very cohesive whole.

Lastly, the action scenes and in particular the final destruction of the rocket production plant is comparable to any such "destroy the villain's lair" scene including those in the Bond series. The stunts and special effects stand up very well after almost 50 years.