Escape to Athena
Encyclopedia
Escape to Athena is a British adventure war film (with elements of comedy) released in 1979
, directed by George Pan Cosmatos
and produced by Lew Grade
's ITC Entertainment
. The international cast included many well-known actors of the 1970s, including Roger Moore
, Telly Savalas
and Elliott Gould
.
The film is set during the Second World War
on a German-occupied Greek
island. It was filmed on the island of Rhodes according to the credits at the end of the film. The presence of various Ottoman Turkish buildings, and structures and even a mosque with beautifully adorned minaret (where a German sniper was perched in one scene) is noteworthy.
are forced to work for the Germans by digging up ancient Greek archaeological artifacts. The camp Commandant, Major Otto Hecht (Roger Moore
), was an Austrian antiques dealer before the war. Unknown to Hecht's superiors is the fact that he's withholding the more valuable finds for his own personal gain, and sending them to his sister living in Switzerland. Hecht is far from the dutiful army officer, the total opposite of the nearest town's Commandant, Gestapo Major Volkmann (Anthony Valentine). Volkmann and his Lieutenants (Siegfried Rauch
and Richard Wren) rule the town's population with a sadistic grip, executing the innocent residents just as easily as enemy soldiers.
The only opposition to the Germans is Zeno (Telly Savalas
), a former Monk, and his few resistance fighters who use the local brothel
as an undercover headquarters. Zeno, who is in contact with Allied Headquarters, is ordered to break the prisoners out of their camp to increase his numbers and therefore liberate the town from the Germans and also secure a U-Boat refuelling depot. Using two captured USO artists Charlie (Elliott Gould
) and Dottie (Stephanie Powers) to perform a concert as cover, the prisoners and Zeno's resistance take over the camp. With the choice of helping the resistance or being killed by Zeno, Hecht joins forces with the allies and helps them eradicate Volkmann's troops as well as capturing the fuel depot.
With Volkmann dead and the Germans in town no longer a threat, Charlie asks Zeno to lead him and two other prisoners (Roundtree and Bono) up to the monastery on Mount Athena to steal Byzantine treasures being kept by the monks. Zeno agrees, to everyone's surprise, but insists they take weapons and explosives as there's a German garrison up there. In reality, Zeno has been ordered to destroy the garrison and its V2 rockets that would be capable of hindering a proposed Allied invasion, and knows Charley wouldn't go if he knew of the Germans' presence.
As Zeno completes his mission of destroying the Nazi's missile base, Charlie finds a set of plates, but not the plates he had expected to find, actually being a set of tin plates, adorned with Hitler's face.
During the victory celebration in the village, Hecht, Charlie, and Dottie make plans to acquire more treasures, while Professor Blake (David Niven
) finds out, from one of the other monks, that the plates are safe, having hidden them in the brothel, which, in the final scene of the film, is displayed for all present day visitors to see in the front windows of the brothel.
The film features a memorable motorcycle chase scene.
, who was in a relationship with Stefanie Powers at the time of filming, makes a cameo in the film as a POW. Elliot Gould's character passes by Holden leaning against the POW barracks, looks at him and asks, "Are you still here?" This is in reference to Holden's Oscar-winning performance in Billy Wilder's World War II/POW film Stalag 17
as Sgt. J.J. Sefton, who actually escapes at the end of that film.
1979 in film
The year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released....
, directed by George Pan Cosmatos
George Pan Cosmatos
George Pan Cosmatos was a Greek/Italian film director. After studying film in London, he became assistant director to Otto Preminger on Exodus , Leon Uris's epic about the birth of Israel. Thereafter he worked on Zorba the Greek , in which Cosmatos had a small part as Boy with Acne...
and produced by Lew Grade
Lew Grade
Lew Grade, Baron Grade , born Lev Winogradsky, was an influential Russian-born English impresario and media mogul.-Early years:...
's ITC Entertainment
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
. The international cast included many well-known actors of the 1970s, including Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
, Telly Savalas
Telly Savalas
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas was an American film and television actor and singer, whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the 1970s crime drama Kojak, Savalas was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Birdman of Alcatraz...
and Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s, and has remained prolific ever since. Some of his most notable films include M*A*S*H and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, for which he received an Oscar nomination...
.
The film is set during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
on a German-occupied Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
island. It was filmed on the island of Rhodes according to the credits at the end of the film. The presence of various Ottoman Turkish buildings, and structures and even a mosque with beautifully adorned minaret (where a German sniper was perched in one scene) is noteworthy.
Plot summary
Set on an anonymous Greek island during the last year of the war, 1944, Allied POWs in a remote POW campPrisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
are forced to work for the Germans by digging up ancient Greek archaeological artifacts. The camp Commandant, Major Otto Hecht (Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
), was an Austrian antiques dealer before the war. Unknown to Hecht's superiors is the fact that he's withholding the more valuable finds for his own personal gain, and sending them to his sister living in Switzerland. Hecht is far from the dutiful army officer, the total opposite of the nearest town's Commandant, Gestapo Major Volkmann (Anthony Valentine). Volkmann and his Lieutenants (Siegfried Rauch
Siegfried Rauch
Siegfried Rauch is a German film and television actor. He has been an actor for over 40 years, in approximately 200 productions.-Career:...
and Richard Wren) rule the town's population with a sadistic grip, executing the innocent residents just as easily as enemy soldiers.
The only opposition to the Germans is Zeno (Telly Savalas
Telly Savalas
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas was an American film and television actor and singer, whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the 1970s crime drama Kojak, Savalas was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Birdman of Alcatraz...
), a former Monk, and his few resistance fighters who use the local brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
as an undercover headquarters. Zeno, who is in contact with Allied Headquarters, is ordered to break the prisoners out of their camp to increase his numbers and therefore liberate the town from the Germans and also secure a U-Boat refuelling depot. Using two captured USO artists Charlie (Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s, and has remained prolific ever since. Some of his most notable films include M*A*S*H and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, for which he received an Oscar nomination...
) and Dottie (Stephanie Powers) to perform a concert as cover, the prisoners and Zeno's resistance take over the camp. With the choice of helping the resistance or being killed by Zeno, Hecht joins forces with the allies and helps them eradicate Volkmann's troops as well as capturing the fuel depot.
With Volkmann dead and the Germans in town no longer a threat, Charlie asks Zeno to lead him and two other prisoners (Roundtree and Bono) up to the monastery on Mount Athena to steal Byzantine treasures being kept by the monks. Zeno agrees, to everyone's surprise, but insists they take weapons and explosives as there's a German garrison up there. In reality, Zeno has been ordered to destroy the garrison and its V2 rockets that would be capable of hindering a proposed Allied invasion, and knows Charley wouldn't go if he knew of the Germans' presence.
As Zeno completes his mission of destroying the Nazi's missile base, Charlie finds a set of plates, but not the plates he had expected to find, actually being a set of tin plates, adorned with Hitler's face.
During the victory celebration in the village, Hecht, Charlie, and Dottie make plans to acquire more treasures, while Professor Blake (David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
) finds out, from one of the other monks, that the plates are safe, having hidden them in the brothel, which, in the final scene of the film, is displayed for all present day visitors to see in the front windows of the brothel.
The film features a memorable motorcycle chase scene.
Cast
- Roger MooreRoger MooreSir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
as Major Otto Hecht – the Wehrmacht commandant of the POW camp who opposes his government's ideology - Telly SavalasTelly SavalasAristotelis "Telly" Savalas was an American film and television actor and singer, whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the 1970s crime drama Kojak, Savalas was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Birdman of Alcatraz...
as Zeno – the head of the local resistance movement - David NivenDavid NivenJames David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
as Professor Blake – an archaeologist, prisoner in the camp - Stefanie PowersStefanie PowersStefanie Powers is an American actress best known for her role as Jennifer Hart in the 1980s television series Hart to Hart.-Early life:...
as Dottie Del Mar – an American artist (in fact, stripper), who was shot down with Charlie and detained in the POW camp. - Elliott GouldElliott GouldElliott Gould is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s, and has remained prolific ever since. Some of his most notable films include M*A*S*H and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, for which he received an Oscar nomination...
as Charlie – a comedian, partner of Dottie. - Claudia CardinaleClaudia CardinaleClaudia Cardinale is an Italian actress, and has appeared in some of the most prominent European films of the 1960s and 1970s. The majority of Cardinale's films have been either Italian or French...
as Eleana – a local madame, girlfriend of Zeno - Richard RoundtreeRichard RoundtreeRichard Roundtree is an American actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film Shaft and in its two sequels, Shaft's Big Score and Shaft in Africa .-Personal life:Born in New Rochelle, New York, Richard Roundtree graduated from...
as Nat Judson – a magician, POW - Sonny BonoSonny BonoSalvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono was an American recording artist, record producer, actor, and politician whose career spanned over three decades.-Early life:...
as Bruno Rotelli – an Italian chef, POW - Anthony Valentine as SturmbannführerSturmbannführerSturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
Volkmann – the ruthless Gestapo chief and Hecht's rival - Siegfried RauchSiegfried RauchSiegfried Rauch is a German film and television actor. He has been an actor for over 40 years, in approximately 200 productions.-Career:...
as ObersturmführerObersturmführerObersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi party that was used by the SS and also as a rank of the SA. Translated as “Senior Assault Leader”, the rank of Obersturmführer was first created in 1932 as the result of an expansion of the Sturmabteilung and the need for an additional rank in...
Braun – - Richard Wren as SS Obersturmfuhrer Reistoffer;Volkmann's adjutant
- Michael SheardMichael SheardMichael Sheard was a Scottish actor who featured in a large number of films and television programmes.-Early life:...
as FeldwebelFeldwebelFeldwebel is a German military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. The word Feldwebel is usually translated as sergeant being rated OR-6 in the NATO rank comparison scale, equivalent to the British Army Sergeant and the US Army...
Mann – Hecht's senior NCONon-commissioned officerA non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
Cameo
William HoldenWilliam Holden
William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
, who was in a relationship with Stefanie Powers at the time of filming, makes a cameo in the film as a POW. Elliot Gould's character passes by Holden leaning against the POW barracks, looks at him and asks, "Are you still here?" This is in reference to Holden's Oscar-winning performance in Billy Wilder's World War II/POW film Stalag 17
Stalag 17
Stalag 17 is a 1953 war film which tells the story of a group of American airmen held in a German World War II prisoner of war camp, who come to suspect that one of their number is a traitor...
as Sgt. J.J. Sefton, who actually escapes at the end of that film.