The ever efficient German war machine had little trouble sweeping over Greece, yet some stubborn resistance remained active. Various civilian prisoners were thrown with the officers in Stalag VII-Z, a camp on the site of a Neptune temple under two masters: SS Major Volkmann enjoys the unpleasant ways of brutal Nazi extremism, but the gentleman camp commandant, former dodgy Viennese art merchant Major Otto Hecht, definitely prefers the finer things in life, regardless of political 'correctness'. Therefore the camp, meant to sent Berlin archaeological treasures, actually keeps the true treasures for his private black market trade, via Hecht's sister in Switzerland. His 'guests', all fortunate to be spared by him the usual harsh treatment of escapees etc., include the brilliant archeology professor Blake, the Italian cook Bruno Rotelli, American show-people Charlie and Dottie Del Mar, and even black US POW Nat Judson. Hecht's hospitality seems poorly rewarded when they mount an elaborate plan to take over the camp, in league with the local Greek resistance leader Zeno, who is determined to prevent the arbitrary execution of villagers as reprisal. As they all seem to agree upon a common goal, the priceless art treasures in the monastery on nearby Mount Athena, Hecht is persuaded to join for a cut, but Zeno has a military agenda, as the allied invasion is approaching, and the monastery's mountain is also the cover for a secret German rocket installation… During World War II, the prisoners of a German camp on a Greek island are trying to escape. They don't want only their freedom, but they also seek for an ineffable treasure hidden in a monastery at the top of the island's mountain. Roger Moore is the Austrian commandant of a German POW camp located in the Grecian Isles in Escape to Athena. He's got a couple of favorites among the prisoners, an Italian cook in Sonny Bono, an archaeologist in David Niven and a black GI magician in Richard Roundtree. In addition USO entertainers Elliott Gould and Stefanie Powers are shot down in their transport plane and become Moore's prisoners.<br/><br/>Moore really hasn't got his heart in the commandant business. He's an antique dealer in civilian life and he relishes the assignment only because of the location where he's also involved in Adolph Hitler's looting of Greek antiquities of which there are many in that area. Niven and company aid him because if they didn't they'd be in the hands of the SS. STill they want there freedom.<br/><br/>Which they get when they join with resistance leader Telly Savalas and his mistress, bordello madam Claudia Cardinale. It's rumored there's a lot of hidden loot in a monastery on a nearby hill, whatever Moore hasn't taken for his own private stock for after the war. But Savalas is interested in some prototype V2 rockets located there.<br/><br/>Escape to Athena mixes the plot elements of The Guns of Navarone and Topkapi, but they're not stirred too well. The scenery is quite nice and I'm sure the prospect of some paid time in the Aegean Sea might have been a big inducement for all these people signing on for the movie.<br/><br/>As he was involved with Stefanie Powers at the time, William Holden gets a small unbilled cameo in a brief scene with Elliott Gould. As it turns out Moore's Prison Camp is also Stalag XVII. That might have been part of the package for Stefanie to go to Greece.<br/><br/>It was also plain dumb to make Richard Roundtree a black GI. Americans were not involved in that theater, let alone black soldiers. Now if they had made his character be part of the African colonial troops of the British Empire, it would have made more sense. Then again we couldn't have heard Roundtree call a German soldier a 'cool cat'.<br/><br/>The action sequences are done well enough, but the cast here just collected their paychecks and walked through the parts. I remember seen the movie when I was a kid and didn't like it then much. So when I tried a second viewing, as an adult, my opinion worsened considerably. The inspiration for this comment is the credit shot of the movie. It starts as a traveling from the sea towards the island and ends in a medium shot of man killed (irrelevant to the story) after we have watched him trying to escape from his predators. This aerial single shot which lasts for several minutes, includes many difficult framings within the shot and incredible timing, is one of the best helicopter shots ever being filmed. The movie although totally uninspiring has other well crafted aerial shots and a very good motorcycle chasing in very narrow streets. Everything else just falls apart after the first 10 minutes. A failed effort to advertise the beauties of the Greek island of Rhodes.
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352 weeks ago