I had never seen The Guns of Navarone before; in fact, I hadn't even heard of it, as I wasn't born till much later after it had come out. However, The Guns of Navarone holds up quite well by today's standards, and isn't as dated as most older war films. The story is quite interesting and suspenseful; twists and turns happen often, as a traitor on the team gives their position to the Germans. The movie is a little too long (at 157 minutes) and could've benefited from some trimming. Overall though, it was a very good movie with some very strong performances by the cast.

Picture:
The Guns of Navarone is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, and generally looks quite good for a film almost 40 years old. There is some grain noticeable in areas, and the colors seem faded or muted, but quite often the picture is crisp and clean.

Sound:
The Guns of Navarone contains Dolby Digital 5.1 and the original Dolby 2 channel surround. In addition, there are Spanish and French tracks in mono sound. The DD 5.1 is mostly center channel based; the surround is only utilized occasionally, such as when planes fly by, or during a few explosions. For a film of its age, the sound is quite good.

Extras:
The DVD shines in terms of extras. J. Lee Thompson, the director, provides a fairly interesting audio commentary, although there are the occasional pauses. There are four original featurettes on the disc, each presented in full frame and in black & white. They are: Great Guns, No Visitors, Honeymoon on Rhodes, and Two Girls on the Town. Each lasts about 4 minutes long. However, the best extra is the documentary, "Memories of Navarone." It lasts about 30 minutes, and contains interviews with Peck, Quinn, Thompson, and James Darren. Also included are subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai; talent files; the theatrical trailers for The Guns of Navarone, and Behold a Pale White Horse; and "A Message from Carl Foreman," which introduces us to the screenwriter.

Summary:
Fans of the movie will find a lot to love here, from the extras to the decent audio and video. Newcomers interested in classic war movies should give this a try, its one of the best in its genre. Recommended.