The Guns of Navarone - Ultimate Edition [DVD] [2007]

This is one of the best movies EVER. There's something magic about this movie I cannot describe. A true classic which I watched dozens of times through my life. Is it a realistic WW2? No. It's not even a proper war movie. It's mission impossible but shot in 1960-61 and set in WW2. A cast of superstars. Well developed charcaters. Suberb dialogs which challange the war narrative of the time. 2:30 hrs where every secene counts. It's not like nowadays WW2 movies, when you watch this one you truly feel in WW2.

One of the Great War stories with a terrific cast.

This is a review of the USA Version,quality wise which will be the same transfer in the UK.In short, The Guns of Navarone looks marvelous, particularly considering the film's disastrous state prior to its restoration (as covered in the excellent Epic Restoration supplement; see below). Sony's 1080p, 2.35:1-framed image is very strongly detailed in most every scene, from the breathtakingly rough and realistic textures as seen on Greek ruins at film's start all the way through to the slightest nuances on dirty clothes and faces. Intermittent softness and extreme edge halos are present on scattered effects shots, but such eyesores simply can't -- and shouldn't -- distract from the high quality presentation and restoration that is the bulk of the picture. Colors do fall a little flat and lack in terms of subtle shading and range -- notably in the darker scenes -- but brighter outdoor shots yield a spectacular and brilliant palette. Blacks can be a little murky, and day-for-night scenes are easy to spot, though neither prove all that bothersome in context. The sharpness, clarity, and color of the Greek-inspired lettering on the title card is a marvel to behold, and general clarity remains an asset throughout. A good-looking grain structure is retained, enhancing finer details and providing a handsome cinematic texture, rounding out another wonderful vintage release from Sony.The Guns of Navarone blasts onto Blu-ray with a steady DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Anyone expecting Saving Private Ryan should consider the source. This isn't the world's most dynamic audio track, but it's a quality affair that's brought to life with more vivid clarity and range than any home video presentation of the film before it. The opening music is triumphantly spacious and richly clear; musical surround support here and elsewhere is minimal, but effective. The back channels do pick up a few of the film's more potent and prominent directional and fully-engaged elements as planes and massive shells whiz around the listening area. General ambience, however, remains the duty of the front channels, across which gusty winds, incoming flares, outgoing rounds, and machine gun fire live. Many major effects -- a crashing plane following the title cards, for instance -- lack a dynamic low end or absolute clarity. Nevertheless, dialogue is superbly clear and ever-accurate, flowing always from the center channel. This isn't the finest wartime movie soundtrack, but kudos to Sony for releasing The Guns of Navarone in its best presentation yet.

I was surprised by 263 "reviews" but soon realised Amazon have put all releases, video/DVD/BluRay together, not helping choices. I was also surprised at how few reviews made any mention of the quality. Not everyone needs to of course, but I do find "great/wonderful/bought for my granny" less than helpful. So...This review is for the 2-Disc Special DVD. 2.35 ratio (black bars top and bottom) good, if not quite perfect, transfer, good colour and sound.,plus optional English Subtitles. That's Disc One. Disc 2 has a lot of extras, the music/behind the scenes,/ commentaries etc. But I am not an "extras" person and full details are here on the Amazon website. The film is a roistering "Boy's Own Paper" adventure with, for the time, excellent SFX (tho perhaps viewed today, not so good, but I thought they were splendid), a good script/plot and a strong cast. It is perhaps a bit too long (2 1/2 hours), but it moves along at a fair old pace directed by J. Lee Thompson. It is, I think, still a classic and a must for the star's fans and lovers of good adventure stories.

Brilliant

This is a lovely little steel book for that old classic war movie The Gun's Of Navarone always loved this movie. Little back story this is the second time I ordered this release as my first original order of this arrived damaged the spine was dent hence the steel book hinge was broken rather than go through the hassle of returns I simply ordered another one as I really liked the look of the steel book edition. Pleased to report my second order arrived safe with no problems. That said you know the movie inside out no need for me to to go into detail on that for you but if you do prefer steel book editions this release won't let you down. Had it been a poor release I would not have gone to the trouble of re ordering it again. It's great guns I just hope your order runs a bit more smoothly for you than mine did. Despite all that it still comes Highly recommended from me.

Excellent film of it's timr

great item quick delivery

Gran película y ahora con una imagen más nítida, Ampliamente recomendable, llego en el tiempo indicado y en buenas condiciones.

Sehr gut

Super satisfait excellent qualité image son et plein écran quoi demander de plus

Ein Kassenschlager aus den 60'ern. Ein Geheimkommando sabotiert die Wehrmachtsanlagen. Gelungene Blu-ray Umsetzung!

I found this production very clear and absorbing. It is years since I first saw this movie and it was just an impulse that got me into seeing it on the TV. That caused me to go ahead and purchase this Blu Ray copy. I have found myself watching it more than once. I have enjoyed doing so.