Movie tale to tell
New book celebrates 60th anniversary
A Paisley author is marking the 60th anniversary of one of the most celebrated action movies of all time.
Brian Hannan has produced a new version of his book, Making of The Guns of Navarone which comes with more than 40 illustrations and extra pages packed with information.
As well as lecturing at Strathclyde University, Brian is attracting an increasing audience for his film books and has delivered many virtual talks.
He was interviewed about
The Magnificent Seven for the Curiosityness podcast, which is based in the USA and available on YouTube.
Brian is currently taking part in a project based on The Guns of Navarone with Central Queensland University in Australia and next month he will take part in a conference in Dublin.
His blog, The Magnificent 60s, has been a hit around the world, with 160 daily views from as far afield as Thailand and India.
Now he plans to release a new version of his book about the classic The Guns of Navarone.
At the time of its release in 1961, the movie set a new benchmark for high-octane entertainment, a fast-moving war thriller packed with twists and a genuine all-star cast.
Though denied a roadshow release, it turned into a huge blockbuster for Columbia.
But Brian said it was far from the sure thing it appears to be now.
He said: “For a start, US producer Carl Foreman, a victim of the McCarthy anticommunist witchhunt of the early 1950s, was unable to assemble any of the talent he had set his heart on.
“On top of that, once filming began he lost his director, Alexander Mackendrick, who had not only achieved a critical and commercial success with British Ealing comedy The Ladykillers ( 1951) but also crossed the Atlantic to make the acclaimed The Sweet Smell of Success ( 1957) starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis, to prove he could handle big Hollywood stars.
“David Niven nearly lost his life during production and by the time the picture appeared Gregory Peck had suffered so many box office flops that he was a potential liability.
“And Foreman’s own marriage was in trouble.”
In the end the film was the second-highest grossing of 1961 and was nominated for seven Oscars, winning one for best special effects.