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Von Ryan's Express, directed by Mark Robson, from a screenplay by Wendall Mayes and Joseph Landon, based on the best-selling novel by David Westheimer, opens nationally. Set in August of 1943, Frank Sinatra is Col. Joseph Ryan, a captured US pilot who, along with a contingent of mostly allied prisoners, facilitates a daring escape from an Italian/German POW camp in southern Italy by commandeering an enemy freight train. Spectacularly crafted WWII adventure sustains its breakneck pace right up to a rip-roaring finale. Shot on picturesque European locations in glorious wide-screen, with a solid supporting cast including Trevor Howard, John Leyton and Adolfo Celi. One of the year's biggest successes.
