Operation Crossbow (1965)

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PG-13
1h 55min
Action, Drama
01 Apr 1965 (USA)
Movie

6.6 (5,508)

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Allied agents attempt to infiltrate a German rocket research site.

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writers:

Stars:

Award:

1 win.
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Photos and Videos

Still of Sophia Loren in Operation Crossbow (1965)

Still of Trevor Howard (I), John Mills (I) and Richard Todd (I) in Operation Crossbow (1965)

Still of Barbara Rütting in Operation Crossbow (1965)

Still of Sophia Loren and George Peppard in Operation Crossbow (1965)

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61 photos

Cast verified as complete

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	Sophia Loren	...	Nora Van Ostamgen
	George Peppard	...	1st Lt. John Curtis USAAF
	Trevor Howard	...	Professor Frederick Lindemann
	John Mills	...	General Boyd
	Richard Johnson	...	Duncan Sandys
	Tom Courtenay	...	Robert Henshaw
	Jeremy Kemp	...	Captain Phil Bradley
	Anthony Quayle	...	Bamford
	Lilli Palmer	...	Frieda
	Paul Henreid	...	General Ziemann
	Helmut Dantine	...	General Linz
	Barbara Rütting	...	Hannah Reitsch (as Barbara Rueting)
	Richard Todd	...	Wing Commander Kendall
	Sylvia Syms	...	Flight Officer Constance Babington Smith
	John Fraser	...	Flight Lieutenant Kenny Post
	Maurice Denham	...	Air Chief Marshal
	Patrick Wymark	...	Prime Minister Winston Churchill
	Wolf Frees	...	German Police Inspector
	Moray Watson	...	Colonel Kenneth Post
	Richard Wattis	...	Sir Charles Sims
	Allan Cuthbertson	...	German Technical Examiner
	Karel Stepanek	...	Professor Hoffer
	William Mervyn	...	Dutch Technical Examiner
	Milo Sperber	...	German Hotel Porter
	George Mikell	...	German Officer at V2 Launch
	Ferdy Mayne	...	German Officer at Rocket Plant
	Robert Brown	...	Air Commodore
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
	Billy Dean	...	German soldier
	Gordon Jackson	...	R.A.F. Pilot (scenesDeleted)
	John Le Mesurier	...	British Army Officer (scenesDeleted)
	John Abineri	...	German Policeman (uncredited)
	John Adams	...	Officer Toasting Hannah Reitsch (uncredited)
	John Alderton	...	RAF 'Dakota' Navigator (uncredited)
	Tony Allen	...	German Officer (uncredited)
	Jack Armstrong	...	Man in Air Raid Shelter (uncredited)
	Bernard Barnsley	...	Power Plant Operator (uncredited)
	William Baskiville	...	Constable (uncredited)
	Joe Beckett	...	RAF Officer (uncredited)
	Ernest Blyth	...	German Officer Leaving Drinks Party (uncredited)
	Bob Bryan	...	Power Plant Operator (uncredited)
	Tony Castleton	...	SS Officer (uncredited)
	Vic Chapman	...	Projectionist (uncredited)
	George Lane Cooper	...	Power Plant Operator (uncredited)
	Jack Cooper	...	German Soldier (uncredited)
	Billy Cornelius	...	Power Plant Operator (uncredited)
	Harold Coyne	...	Foreign Engineer (uncredited)
	Maxwell Craig	...	German Soldier (uncredited)
	Dan Cressey	...	Air Commodore's Driver (uncredited)
	George Curtis	...	German Policeman (uncredited)
	Fred Davis	...	German Officer (uncredited)
	Jack Dearlove	...	German Officer (uncredited)
	Guy Deghy	...	Dutch Barge Skipper (uncredited)
	Anton Diffring	...	German Soldier (uncredited)
	Carl Duering	...	German Officer Arriving at Rocket Plant (uncredited)
	Peter Evans	...	Rocket Plant Scientist (uncredited)
	Vince Fleming	...	British Airman (uncredited)
	Frank Foley	...	Parachute Instructor (uncredited)
	David Hadda	...	V1-Rocket Test Pilot (uncredited)
	Paul Hansard	...	German Policeman (uncredited)
	Victor Harrington	...	Man in Air Raid Shelter (uncredited)
	Alan Harris	...	German Soldier (uncredited)
	Philo Hauser	...	Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)
	Gerard Heinz	...	German Officer (uncredited)
	John G. Heller	...	German Officer in Charge of V2 Launch (uncredited)
	Drewe Henley	...	Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
	Hubert Hill	...	Officer Interviewee (uncredited)
	Lew Hooper	...	German Officer (uncredited)
	John Howard	...	SS Officer (uncredited)
	Carl Jaffe	...	German Officer at Rocket Plant (uncredited)
	Philip Johns	...	German Police Officer (uncredited)
	John Ketteringham	...	German Police Officer (uncredited)
	Gertan Klauber	...	Security Guard at Rocket Plant (uncredited)
	Roy Lansford	...	Army Officer (uncredited)
	Charles Lloyd Pack	...	Technical Examiner (uncredited)
	John Lynn	...	Foreign Engineer (uncredited)
	Philip Madoc	...	German Police Officer (uncredited)
	Alf Mangan	...	Foreign Engineer (uncredited)
	Richard Marner	...	SS Oberscharführer (uncredited)
	Jack May	...	Man with Head out of Window (uncredited)
	Rudolph Offenbach	...	Rocket Launch Leader (uncredited)
	James Payne	...	Lorry Driver in Airfield (uncredited)
	Paul Phillips	...	Foreign Engineer (uncredited)
	Bill Reed	...	Power Plant Operator (uncredited)
	George Romanov	...	German Officer (uncredited)
	John Ronane	...	RAF 'Dakota' Pilot (uncredited)
	Johnny Rossi	...	Rocket Plant Worker (uncredited)
	Paddy Ryan	...	Power Plant Operator (uncredited)
	Stuart Saunders	...	Sergeant Organising Interviewees (uncredited)
	Eddy May Scandrett	...	Extra (uncredited)
	Richard Shaw	...	German Officer (uncredited)
	Jeremy Spenser	...	SS Officer at Rocket Plant (uncredited)
	Guy Standeven	...	Volunteer Agent (uncredited)
	John Tatham	...	German Officer (uncredited)
	Connie Tilton	...	Postwoman (uncredited)
	Joseph Tregonino	...	Foreign Engineer (uncredited)
	James Ure	...	German Officer at Party (uncredited)
	Harry Van Engel	...	Erik Van Ostamgen (uncredited)
	Martin Voss	...	RAF Officer (uncredited)
	Del Watson	...	German Soldier (uncredited)
	Eric Wetherell	...	British Officer (uncredited)
	Sonnie Willis	...	German Officer (uncredited)
	Fred Wood	...	Mess Steward (On the Right) (uncredited)

Directed by

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Michael Anderson

Written by

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Duilio Coletti	...	(original story) and
Vittoriano Petrilli	...	(original story)

Emeric Pressburger	...	(screenplay) (as Richard Imrie) &
Derry Quinn	...	(screenplay) and
Ray Rigby	...	(screenplay)

Produced by

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Carlo Ponti

...

producer

Music by

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Ron Goodwin

Cinematography by

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Erwin Hillier

...

director of photography

Editing by

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Ernest Walter

Editorial Department

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Martyn K.E. Green

...

assistant editor (uncredited)

Art Direction by

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Elliot Scott

Makeup Department

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George Blackler

...

makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management

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Sydney Streeter

...

production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Basil Rayburn	...	assistant director
Ray Atcheler	...	third assistant director (uncredited)
Stuart Black	...	second assistant director (uncredited)
Roger Simons	...	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department

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Terry Ackland-Snow	...	draughtsman (uncredited)
Willem Mooijman	...	props language advisor (uncredited)
Mickey Pugh	...	assistant standby props (uncredited)

Sound Department

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J.B. Smith	...	dubbing mixer
Allan Sones	...	sound editor
Gerry Turner	...	sound recordist
A.W. Watkins	...	recording supervisor
Chris Kelly	...	assistant sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by

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Tom Howard	...	special effects
Martin Gutteridge	...	special effects (uncredited)
Jimmy Harris	...	special effects (uncredited)
Garth Inns	...	special effects (uncredited)
John Richardson	...	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Visual Effects by

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Brian Bennett

...

visual effects (uncredited)

Stunts

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George Lane Cooper	...	stunts
Billy Cornelius	...	stunts
Bill Reed	...	stunts
Paddy Ryan	...	stunt actor
Connie Tilton	...	stunt actor
Jack Cooper	...	stunts (uncredited)
Billy Dean	...	stunts (uncredited)
Terence Maidment	...	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Bob Kindred	...	camera operator (as Robert Kindred)
David Cadwallader	...	grip (uncredited)
Terry Cole	...	focus puller (uncredited)
Wally Fairweather	...	focus puller (uncredited)
Mike Tomlin	...	clapper loader (uncredited)

Music Department

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Ron Goodwin

...

conductor

Transportation Department

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Eddie Frewin

...

transportation chief (uncredited)

Additional Crew

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Bernard Doret	...	subtitles
Tony Tweedale	...	publicity assistant (uncredited)

Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios

Distributors

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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1965) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1965) (United States) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1965) (Canada) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1965) (Australia) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1965) (France) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer A/B (1965) (Sweden) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1965) (West Germany) (theatrical)
Fotorama (1965) (Norway) (theatrical)
National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1970) (United States) (theatrical)
MGM Home Entertainment (1992) (United States) (VHS)
Audio Visual Enterprises (1985) (Greece) (VHS)
905 Entertainment (2005) (United States) (DVD)
Indies Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
Warner Home Video (2006) (Canada) (DVD)
Warner Home Video (2006) (United States) (DVD)
Impulso Records (2009) (Spain) (DVD)
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (2019) (United States) (Blu-ray)

Special Effects

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Other Companies

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MGM Home Entertainment (VHS package design)
Turner Entertainment (VHS package design)

Storyline

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Plot Summary	This is the story of the methods used to defeat Hitler's V1 (doodlebug) and V2 (rocket) "revenge weapons" towards the end of World War II. Even though the Germans were in retreat, these weapons could have turned their defeat into victory. This movie includes references to Hannah Reich, who was a German test pilot in real-life. Written by Steve Crook Plot Summary
Plot Keywords	spy-adventure european-adventure woman-murders-a-woman murder professor See All (177) »
Taglines	Sabotage of Hitler's ingenious weapons of mass destruction...the V1 and V2 rockets! See more »
Genres	Action Drama War
Parents Guide	View content advisory »
Certification	Argentina:16 Australia:G Australia:PG Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) Canada:PG (Ontario) Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) Finland:K-16 France:Tous publics Iceland:12 Japan:G Netherlands:12 New Zealand:PG Norway:16 Singapore:PG Spain:TP Sweden:15 United Kingdom:A United Kingdom:PG United States:PG-13 West Germany:12 (f)

Additional Details

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Also Known As	The Great Spy Mission (United Kingdom) Operazione Crossbow (Italy) Code Name: Operation Crossbow (United States) The Great Spy Mission (United States) Opération Crossbow (France) See more »
Runtime	115 min
Country	United Kingdom Italy
Language	English German
Color	Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio	2.20 : 1 (70 mm prints) See more »
Sound Mix	70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System) Mono (35 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System)
Filming Locations	RAF Abingdon Parachute School, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England, UK See more »

Did You Know?

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Trivia	For the scene in which a street is wiped out by a V2, the filmmakers destroyed a row of flats which were slated for demolition. See more »
Goofs	Although piloted V-1s were built, they were launched from aircraft, not ramps. None were ever used in combat. Hanna Reitsch flew one to establish why other pilots crashed them on landing. She found that the problem was caused by the aircraft's exceptionally high stall speed. See more »
Movie Connections	Edited into Mosquito Squadron (1969). See more »
Quotes	Phil Bradley: The first rocket I built rose three feet into the ground. The second took off horizontally, went straight through a hen-house and killed 40 roosters. Bradley's Interviewer: How very discouraging for you. What did you do after that? Phil Bradley: Buried the roosters, sir. See more »

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