Escape to Athena

Infobox Film
name = Escape to Athena


caption = "Escape to Athena" release poster
director = George P. Cosmatos
producer = Lew Grade
David Niven Jr.
Jack Wiener
writer = George P. Cosmatos (story)
Edward Anhalt (screenplay)
Richard Lochte (screenplay & story)
starring = Roger Moore
Telly Savalas
David Niven
Stefanie Powers
Claudia Cardinale
Richard Roundtree
Sonny Bono
and
Elliott Gould
music = Barry Blue &
Rod Temperton (song, "Keep Tomorrow For Me")
Lalo Schifrin
cinematography = Gil Taylor
editing =
distributor = Associated Film Distribution
released = 1979
runtime = 125 min.
(Sweden: 119 min.)
(Argentina: 120 min.
(US: 101 minutes)
country = UK
language = English
budget =
amg_id = 1:16043
imdb_id = 0079117

"Escape to Athena" is an 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.

Plot

The film is set during the Second World War on a German-occupied Greek island. It is filmed on the island of Rhodes according to the credits at the end of the film. There is a small town on the island where the Greek resistance movement is strong.

On the same island there is a POW camp. The commandant of the camp is an antiques-loving Austrian, Major Otto Hecht (Roger Moore). The prisoners, living quite a comfortable life, are doing archaeological work and the commandant is sending valuable works of art to his sister living in Switzerland.

Meanwhile, the Greek resistance movement is preparing for the landing of the Allies. The overtaking of the camp is a part of this plan. Another task is to destroy the missile launching pad (located in a monastery).

Cast

*Roger Moore - Major Otto Hecht - the commandant of the POW camp
*Telly Savalas - Zeno - the head of the local resistance movement
*David Niven - Professor Blake - an archaeologist, prisoner in the camp
*Stefanie Powers - Dottie Del Mar - an American artist (in fact, stripper), who was shot down with Charlie and detained in the POW camp.
*Elliott Gould - Charlie - a comedian, a partner of Dottie.
*Claudia Cardinale - Eleana - a local madame, girlfriend of Zeno
*Richard Roundtree - Nat Judson - a magician, POW
*Sonny Bono - Bruno Rotelli - an Italian chef, POW
*Anthony Valentine - SS Major Volkmann
*Siegfried Rauch - Braun, a German officer
*Michael Sheard - Sergeant Mann

External links

*imdb title|id=0079117|title=Escape to Athena
*amg movie|id=1:16043|title=Escape to Athena
*rotten-tomatoes|id=escape_to_athena|title=Escape to Athena