Von Ryan's Express is a 1965 World War II adventure film starring Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard, based on a novel by David Westheimer, and directed by Mark Robson. The film changes several aspects of the novel, including its ending, which is considerably more upbeat in the book. It became one of Frank Sinatra's most successful films, and is still shown on cable occasionally today. Colonel Joseph L. Ryan is an American pilot whose P-38 Lightning is shot down. He is captured by Italian troops and taken to an Italian prisoner-of-war camp in Italy, run by the cruel Blackshirt Major Battaglia .... The camp is populated mainly by British prisoners Infantry Division. The previous British commanding officer, Col. Brian Lockhart, had recently died as a result of harsh camp discipline, specifically in being put in the metal "sweat box." When Ryan arrives in camp, Major Eric Fincham is the ranking British officer. The American colonel being senior to Fincham, Ryan assumes command of the prisoners.
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| Release date: | June 23, 1965 |
| Directed by: | Mark Robson |
| Runtime: | 117 Minutes |
| Producer: | Saul David |
| Editor: | Dorothy Spencer |
| Music by: | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography: | William H. Daniels |
| Screenplay by: | Joseph Landon, Wendell Mayes |
| Adapted from: | Von Ryan's Express |
| Genre: | Action |