Making matters worse, Mallory has only a handful of men to accomplish this impossible task, slipping past the occupying German forces at very turn. Mallory does have the aid of the Greek resistance, but eluding German soldiers becomes increasingly difficult the closer they come to their objective. However, those who have seen this classic film know what s in store, so no further description is necessary. Director J. Lee Thompson handles the action sequences with aplomb, plus he maintains a quick pace throughout, making the film s two hour thirty seven minute running time seem only half as long. Visible film grain crops up from time to time, colors are somewhat faded in places, plus all of the opticals, including fades and other transitions are somewhat rough looking.
Blacks are inconsistent, sometimes appearing accurate, sometimes leaning towards dark gray.
Shadow detail isn t anywhere near the level of a new movie, in addition the inconsistencies in the black level also affect the depth of the image. Dual layer authoring keeps digital compression artifacts from becoming noticeable on this lengthy movie. The Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack has been created from the film s original four channel stereo track. Directional effects are somewhat limited, with the surround channels seeing very little action. Dialogue is cleanly reproduced and maintains intelligibility its throughout.