They Who Dare facts for kids
Quick facts for kids They Who Dare |
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Film poster
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| Directed by | Lewis Milestone |
| Produced by | Aubrey Baring Maxwell Setton |
| Written by | Robert Westerby |
| Starring | Dirk Bogarde Denholm Elliott Akim Tamiroff |
| Music by | Robert Gill |
| Cinematography | Wilkie Cooper |
| Editing by | Vladimir Sagovsky |
| Studio | Mayflower Productions |
| Distributed by | British Lion Films |
| Release date(s) | 2 February 1954 |
| Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Money made | £132,074 (UK) |
They Who Dare is a 1954 British war film. It tells a thrilling story set during World War II. The movie was directed by Lewis Milestone and stars actors like Dirk Bogarde, Denholm Elliott, and Akim Tamiroff.
The film's story is based on a real-life mission called Operation Anglo. This mission happened during World War II in the Dodecanese islands. Special forces tried to stop German and Italian air forces from attacking Allied troops in Egypt. The movie's title, They Who Dare, comes from the famous motto of the Special Air Service (SAS): "Who Dares Wins."
The Mission's Story
During World War II, a brave officer named Lieutenant Graham gets a very important job. He must lead a team to destroy two Italian airfields on the island of Rhodes. These airfields were a threat to Allied forces in Egypt.
Lieutenant Graham's team is made up of six members from the Special Boat Service. They are joined by two Greek officers and two local guides. This small group is taken to Rhodes by a submarine. They land secretly on a quiet beach at night.
From the beach, the team has to climb over mountains to reach their targets. Once they get to a certain spot, they split into two smaller groups. Both groups sneak into the air bases and successfully blow up the enemy aircraft. However, two of the team members are captured by the Italian soldiers.
After their mission, the remaining team members are hunted by many enemy patrols. Eight more members of the group are caught. Only two men, Lieutenant Graham and Sergeant Corcoran, manage to escape. They make it back to the pick-up point. A submarine rescues them, even though an enemy patrol boat is nearby.
Meet the Cast
Many talented actors brought this exciting story to life. Here are some of the main stars and their roles:
- Dirk Bogarde as Lieut. Graham
- Denholm Elliott as Sgt. Corcoran
- Akim Tamiroff as Captain George One
- Harold Siddons as Lieut. Stevens R.N.
- Eric Pohlmann as Captain Papadapoulos
- William Russell (credited as Russell Enoch) as Lieut. Poole
- Gérard Oury as Captain George Two
- Sam Kydd as Marine Boyd
- Peter Burton as Marine Barrett
- David Peel as Sgt. Evans
- Michael Mellinger as Toplis
- Alec Mango as Patroklis
- Anthea Leigh as Marika
- Eileen Way as Greek woman
- Lisa Gastoni as George Two's girlfriend
- Kay Callard as nightclub singer
- Robert Rietty as Italian Officer
- Christopher Rhodes as German Officer
Making the Movie
They Who Dare was filmed in some amazing locations. Parts of the movie were shot in Cyprus and Malta. A former officer from the Special Boat Service, Walter Milner Barry, helped as a technical adviser. This meant he made sure the military details in the film were accurate. Also, a real survivor of the mission, David Sutherland, shared his report to help the writer, Robert Westerby. The indoor scenes were filmed at Shepperton Studios near London.
The director, Lewis Milestone, rewrote parts of the film's script. He was very particular about how the actors looked. He wanted them to carry heavy backpacks, weighing about 90 pounds (40 kilograms). He believed this would make their acting more believable. The actors even had a week of exercises with these heavy packs! However, the weight was later reduced to 60 pounds (27 kilograms).
The Lebanese Air Force helped with the movie by providing two Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 aircraft. These planes were used in the film's scenes.
