An American colonel held prisoner (Frank Sinatra) finds himself leading a group of prisoners at an Italian camp in 1943. Tensions arise between him and a strict British major (Trevor Howard) as the Allies prepare to land near Salerno. A chance appears for them to seize control of a train, potentially allowing them to escape further north. Sergio Fantoni portrays an Italian captain who joins forces with them. "Von Ryan’s Express," released in 1965, was adapted from a book by David Westheimer, who had his own experiences as a B-24 navigator downed over Italy in late 1942 and subsequently imprisoned at Stalag Luft III. While “The Bridge on the River Kwai” focused on a POW camp in Burma and “The Great Escape” dealt with one in Poland, this film’s setting is an Italian prison camp. Fortunately, it doesn't dwell on that aspect for too long; the movie feels more concise than those other two films. Alongside the action, there are some compelling differences in viewpoints between the Italians and Germans, the Allies and Italians, and the British and Americans. Sinatra requested changes to the novel’s conclusion, and the resulting finale is quite striking. Raffaella Carrà looks lovely in her black skirt and white shirt. It's a shame that this popular European performer later embraced left-wing politics, endorsing Communism and similar ideologies (seriously?). But what else is new? The film has a running time of 1 hour, 57 minutes, and was primarily filmed in northern Italy, specifically Cortina d’Ampezzo and Florence. However, the ending scenes were shot in the limestone gorge of El Chorro and near the railway bridge close to Málaga, Spain. The interior shots were completed at 20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles, with the POW camp constructed on the studio's front lot. GRADE: B+

Source on TMDB