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Escape to Athena
Escape to Athena is a 1979 British adventure comedy war film directed by George P. Cosmatos. It stars Roger Moore, Telly Savalas, David Niven, Stefanie Powers, Claudia Cardinale, Richard Roundtree, Sonny Bono and Elliott Gould. The film is set during the Second World War on a German-occupied Greek island. The music was composed by Lalo Schifrin. It was filmed on location on the island of Rhodes.
In 1944, Allied prisoners at a POW camp on an unnamed Greek island are forced to excavate ancient artefacts. The camp Commandant, Major Otto Hecht, a former Austrian antiques dealer, is sending some of the valuable pieces to his sister living in Switzerland. However, the prisoners have discovered that the prisoners in the camp will be sent to other camps once the finds run out, so they arrange to keep "discovering" the same pieces. While Hecht is content to sit out the war, the SS Commandant of the nearby town, Major Volkmann, brutally enforces discipline, including reprisal executions of civilians.
Resistance to the Germans is led by Zeno, a former monk, and his few fighters. They use the local brothel, run by his girlfriend Eleana, as an undercover headquarters. Zeno, who is in contact with Allied Headquarters, is ordered to break the prisoners out of their camp and use them to liberate the town and capture the nearby U-boat refuelling depot.
Two captured USO artists, Charlie Dane and Dottie Del Mar, perform a concert as cover, while the Resistance takes over the camp. With the choice of being killed by Zeno or helping them, Hecht joins forces with the Allies, helping them eradicate Volkmann's troops as well as capturing the fuel depot. After completing the mission, Charlie asks Zeno to lead him and two other prisoners, Nat Judson and Bruno Rotelli, to the monastery atop Mount Athena to steal Byzantine treasures. Zeno rejects the offer, stating the treasures belong to the Greek people, but then receives word from Allied intelligence that the planned invasion of the islands is imminent, and the German garrison on Mount Athena must be neutralised. Without revealing the whole truth, Zeno tells Charlie, Rotelli and Judson that in return for their help, they can keep whatever antiquities they find.
The group discover a heavily armed garrison atop the mountain. Zeno uses gas to knock out most of the soldiers, but not before their commander orders a V-2 rocket launch to destroy the invasion fleet. Judson knocks out the control room with grenades, but one of the Germans activates the base's self-destruct mechanism. Not realising the danger immediately, Charlie and Rotelli scour the monastery for the treasure, while Judson frees the monks. Zeno finds the self-destruct clock, but can't deactivate it. Zeno, the monks and the Americans escape just before the monastery explodes. Charlie escapes with the only treasure the Germans left behind — tin plates adorned with Adolf Hitler's face.
During the victory celebration in the village, Hecht, Charlie, and Dottie plan after the war to capitalise on treasures Hecht has already looted, by selling counterfeit copies to Americans. Professor Blake learns from one of the freed monks that their treasure — Byzantine plates made of gold — is safe, having been hidden in the brothel the entire time.
In the modern day, Zeno's former headquarters has been turned into a state museum housing the treasures of Mount Athena.
William Holden, who was in a romantic relationship with Stefanie Powers at the time, makes an uncredited cameo as an American sergeant, commenting that he has not escaped as he has a comfortable life as a prisoner (an inside joke referencing his role in Stalag 17).
Escape to Athena
Escape to Athena is a 1979 British adventure comedy war film directed by George P. Cosmatos. It stars Roger Moore, Telly Savalas, David Niven, Stefanie Powers, Claudia Cardinale, Richard Roundtree, Sonny Bono and Elliott Gould. The film is set during the Second World War on a German-occupied Greek island. The music was composed by Lalo Schifrin. It was filmed on location on the island of Rhodes.
In 1944, Allied prisoners at a POW camp on an unnamed Greek island are forced to excavate ancient artefacts. The camp Commandant, Major Otto Hecht, a former Austrian antiques dealer, is sending some of the valuable pieces to his sister living in Switzerland. However, the prisoners have discovered that the prisoners in the camp will be sent to other camps once the finds run out, so they arrange to keep "discovering" the same pieces. While Hecht is content to sit out the war, the SS Commandant of the nearby town, Major Volkmann, brutally enforces discipline, including reprisal executions of civilians.
Resistance to the Germans is led by Zeno, a former monk, and his few fighters. They use the local brothel, run by his girlfriend Eleana, as an undercover headquarters. Zeno, who is in contact with Allied Headquarters, is ordered to break the prisoners out of their camp and use them to liberate the town and capture the nearby U-boat refuelling depot.
Two captured USO artists, Charlie Dane and Dottie Del Mar, perform a concert as cover, while the Resistance takes over the camp. With the choice of being killed by Zeno or helping them, Hecht joins forces with the Allies, helping them eradicate Volkmann's troops as well as capturing the fuel depot. After completing the mission, Charlie asks Zeno to lead him and two other prisoners, Nat Judson and Bruno Rotelli, to the monastery atop Mount Athena to steal Byzantine treasures. Zeno rejects the offer, stating the treasures belong to the Greek people, but then receives word from Allied intelligence that the planned invasion of the islands is imminent, and the German garrison on Mount Athena must be neutralised. Without revealing the whole truth, Zeno tells Charlie, Rotelli and Judson that in return for their help, they can keep whatever antiquities they find.
The group discover a heavily armed garrison atop the mountain. Zeno uses gas to knock out most of the soldiers, but not before their commander orders a V-2 rocket launch to destroy the invasion fleet. Judson knocks out the control room with grenades, but one of the Germans activates the base's self-destruct mechanism. Not realising the danger immediately, Charlie and Rotelli scour the monastery for the treasure, while Judson frees the monks. Zeno finds the self-destruct clock, but can't deactivate it. Zeno, the monks and the Americans escape just before the monastery explodes. Charlie escapes with the only treasure the Germans left behind — tin plates adorned with Adolf Hitler's face.
During the victory celebration in the village, Hecht, Charlie, and Dottie plan after the war to capitalise on treasures Hecht has already looted, by selling counterfeit copies to Americans. Professor Blake learns from one of the freed monks that their treasure — Byzantine plates made of gold — is safe, having been hidden in the brothel the entire time.
In the modern day, Zeno's former headquarters has been turned into a state museum housing the treasures of Mount Athena.
William Holden, who was in a romantic relationship with Stefanie Powers at the time, makes an uncredited cameo as an American sergeant, commenting that he has not escaped as he has a comfortable life as a prisoner (an inside joke referencing his role in Stalag 17).