action-adventure sequences and the combination just didn't work." Grade thought ""the first eighty minutes were a failure because of these different elements but the last forty, action-packed minutes were wonderful. If only the emphasis had been on action throughout the film would have been a hit. Unfortunately it wasn't. Still, with the pre-sales I'd made we didn't lose nearly as much as we might have". David Niven Jr said "we had a lot of fun on that picture, I just wish it had been more successful." According to a number of sources, this film's motorcycle chase scene is, as one critic said, "one of the most memorable motorcycle chase scenes in cinematic history". Another says: "Film is an uneven mix of comedy and military action, but includes a stand out motorcycle chase. During a battle with the resistance, SS Major Volkmann escapes on a motorcycle with Charlie (played by Elliott Gould) chasing after him on a motorcycle with sidecar down narrow village streets. Impressive motorcycle stuntwork featuring some excellent jumps". Author Mark Hinchliff of Motorbike Writer ranks the chase in Escape to Athena as 3rd, only after those in The Great Escape (1st) and Skyfall (2nd). See also Kelly's Heroes (1970) Inside Out (1975) References External links 1970s adventure films 1970s war films 1979 films British war films Films about Greek resistance Films directed by George P. Cosmatos Films set in 1944 Films set in Axis-occupied Greece Films set on islands ITC Entertainment films War adventure films World War II films based on actual events World War II prisoner of war films Films shot in Greece Films shot in Rhodes Films scored by Lalo Schifrin Films with screenplays by Edward Anhalt 1970s English-language films 1970s British films