<P> Peter Grant, who had a brief (three films) career as an uncredited extra before becoming music manager of such popular English bands as the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin and Bad Company, played one of the random British commandos . </P> <P> The film was part of a cycle of big - budget World War II adventures that included The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), The Longest Day (1962) and The Great Escape (1963). The screenplay, adapted by producer Carl Foreman, made significant changes from the novel The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean . The film was directed by J. Lee Thompson . Thompson was brought in after original director Alexander Mackendrick was fired by Carl Foreman a week before shooting started due to "creative differences". </P> <P> The Greek island of Rhodes provided locations and Quinn was so taken with the area that he bought land there in an area still called Anthony Quinn Bay . Some further scenes were shot on the islands of Gozo, near Malta, and Tino, in the Ligurian Sea . One of the warships in the film, the USS Slater, then a training ship in the Hellenic Navy known as Aetos (D - 01), is preserved as a museum ship in Albany, New York . </P> <P> As described by director Thompson in the DVD commentary track, David Niven became severely ill after shooting in the pool of water underneath the cave elevator and almost died, remaining in hospital for some weeks as other portions of the cave sequence were completed by the crew . However, since key scenes with Niven remained incomplete at that time, and it was doubtful whether he would be able to return to finish the film, the entire production was in jeopardy . Reshooting key scenes throughout the film with some other actor--and even abandoning the whole project to collect the insurance--was contemplated . Fortunately, Niven was able to complete his scenes some weeks later . </P>

Where was the film the guns of navarone filmed