More than a dozen feature films as well as several TV movies were inspired by the writings of Scottish novelist Alistair MacLean, who specialized in taut thrillers with exotic settings and heroes who are stretched to the limits of their endurance. The action often takes place at sea, with MacLean utilizing his personal knowledge of naval warfare to create an exciting air of authenticity. The best-remembered film versions of his novels are The Guns of Navarone (1961) and Where Eagles Dare (1968).

MacLean (1922-1987) was born in Glasgow, the son of a minister. At age 19 he joined the Royal Navy and saw action during World War II, serving in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Far East theatres. After leaving the Navy in 1946 he studied English at the University of Glasgow, graduating in 1953. He had begun writing short stories while still at the University and published his first novel, HMS Ulysses, in 1955. A huge success, the book quickly emerged as a classic among World War II naval adventures. MacLean eventually became such a celebrity in the world of literary thrillers that he wrote two novels under the pseudonym "Ian Stuart" to prove that it was the quality of his writing, not his name on the cover, that guaranteed the success of his books.

The Guns of Navarone was MacLean's first book to be made into a film, with J. Lee Thompson directing a star-heavy cast headed by Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn in the suspenseful story of Allied commandos charged with destroying German cannons on an Aegean island during WWII. The Cold War thriller Ice Station Zebra (1968) has Rock Hudson as the commander of a nuclear submarine on a secret and very dangerous mission to the North Pole.

Where Eagles Dare, with a screenplay by MacLean himself, was a big hit for Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton. The stars play WWII Allied officers who pose as Nazis in order to rescue an American general held captive in an Alpine castle. Breakheart Pass (1975), with MacLean again adapting one of his novels for the screen, is a Western starring Charles Bronson as an undercover agent who boards a train in pursuit of a gang of outlaws.

Other MacLean film adaptations include Force 10 from Navarone (1978), a follow-up to The Guns of Navarone with Robert Shaw and Harrison Ford; and Bear Island (1979), a thriller set in the Arctic starring Donald Sutherland and Vanessa Redgrave.

by Roger Fristoe