Escape to Athena (1979)

★ 5.7 2h 5m IMDb

During the World War II, the prisoners of a German camp in a Greek island are trying to escape. They not only want their freedom, but also seek an ineffable treasure hidden in a monastery at the summit of the island's mountain.

Escape to Athena

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Cast

Roger Moore
Roger Moore as Otto Hecht Died 2017 · Stockwell, London, England, UK Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 1927 – 23 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the third actor to portray Ian Fleming's fictional secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions/MGM Studios film s...
Telly Savalas
Telly Savalas as Zeno Died 1994 · Garden City, Long Island, New York, USA Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American film and television actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the...
David Niven
David Niven as Professor Blake Died 1983 · London, England, UK James David Graham Niven (1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983), known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles...
Stefanie Powers
Stefanie Powers as Dottie Del Mar Age 83 · Hollywood, California, USA Stefanie Powers (born Stefania Zofya Paul; November 2, 1942) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Jennifer Hart on the mystery television series Hart to Hart (1979–1984), for whic...
Claudia Cardinale
Claudia Cardinale as Eleana Died 2025 · Tunis, Tunisia Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (15 April 1938 – 23 September 2025) was an Italian actress. Regarded as one of the leading figures of Italian cinema, alongside Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobri...
Richard Roundtree
Richard Roundtree as Nat Judson Died 2023 · New Rochelle, New York, USA Richard Roundtree (July 9, 1942 – October 24, 2023) was an American actor. He is noted as being "the first black action hero" for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film Shaft,...

Audience Reviews

CinemaSerf 6/10 Jan 02, 2025
I can just imagine Telly Savalas getting a few of his pals around a table for some ouzo on the rocks and suggesting they set a comedy-adventure film on a Greek island so they can all get a tan whilst he exudes his obvious pride in his homeland. Luckily, David Niven's experiences at cirrhosis-by-the-sea made him ideally qualified to take part and Roger Moore was also up for something shaken not stirred, so off to Rhodes they all went, bringing along Stefanie Powers and Elliott Gould for some extra international box office. Niven is an archeology professor; Moore the commandant of an open-air excavation/prison and their host is a local freedom fighter determined not just to get shot of the Nazis, but to prevent the looting of some ancient Byzantine treasures reputedly being hidden by the monks in a mountaintop monastery. "Dane" (Gould) and the temptress "Dottie Del Mar" (Powers) are on an USO tour when their plane is shot down and so she takes to doing the troop-entertaining while her more "greedy than suspicious" pal sets about helping stoke the fires of a coup! This is all light-hearted and engaging stuff with everyone looking like they are enjoying themselves, some stunning photography of the island - how did they ever manage to build a monetary like that? There's loads of over-acting, thick accents and Michael Sheard (after he'd been strangled by "Darth Vader") seems to have found his feet as a scene-stealing sergeant. Lalo Schifrin's score tries it's best to emulate the "Zorba" style theme of Mikis Theodorakis and on the whole I did quite enjoy their daft seaside escapades.

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