The Great Escape

Continuing the theme of war films, specifically P.O.W. films (from WWII), for Memorial Day I decided to review the classic The Great Escape (especially since TCM aired this film immediately after Stalag 17 which I was already watching)

"Colonel Von Luger, it is the sworn duty of all officers to try to escape. If they cannot escape, then it is their sworn duty to cause the enemy to use an inordinate number of troops to guard them, and their sworn duty to harass the enemy to the best of their ability."

The German Luftwaffe are frustrated by the amount of time wasted trying to recapture P.O.W.s, and decide to create a special, high security, "escape proof" camp to hold the troublemakers.  The camp will house over 200 Ally escape artists.  Within the first 20 minutes of being in the new camp, 7 prisoners attempt to escape (2 with the leaving Russian prisoners, 5 in the back of trucks), but are thwarted by the guards.

Kommandant von Luger (Messemer) advises the commander of the prisoners, Group Captain Ramsey (Donald), to discourage escape attempts and to find other ways to amuse themselves until the war ends... Ramsey is not impressed (and says the quote underneath the picture).  The arrival of "The Big X", Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett (Attenborough), is the kick everyone needs.  Realizing the potential talent gathered in one place, he plans a mass escape to keep the German soldiers occupied for a long time.

The team includes: American "The Cooler King" Hilts (McQueen) who is perpetually in the cooler (solitary) with his glove and baseball for escape attempts and his Scottish partner in crime, "the Mole" Ives (Lennie) who has as many escape attempts as Hilts and is an expert at tunnels.  American Hendley (Garner) is the "scrounger" who is an expert trader and can get just about anything, and his roommate British Forger Colin Blythe (Pleasence) who has an eye for detail and weakness for tea.  There are two tunnel experts, Danny Velinski (Bronson) and Willie Dickes (Leyton), who dig three tunnels, with help from Denys Cavendish (Stock) "the Surveyor" and Aussie Sedgwick (Coburn) the "Manufacturer."  They have people making civilian clothes and luggage and several others in leadership positions, such as MacDonald (Jackson) in Intelligence and Ashley-Pitt in Dispersal.  And everyone takes a turn at "normal" activities such as choir and sports, to draw attention away from their secret plans.


This film was based on the real-life experiences of a group of POWs from WWII (from the book by the same title by Paul Brickhill, one of the POWs).... and filmmakers used information from POWs involved in the escape, and accounts from cast and crew who had been POWs.  Like Stalag 17, the filmmakers used a mixture of humor, action, and suspense in the film, and once again it creates a memorable and touching film.

Director John Sturges used actors from his Magnificent Seven, Coburn, Bronson, and McQueen, to create an ensemble film with a group of memorable characters and excellent performances.  Steven McQueen stands out as Hilts, and his exciting motorcycle chase.

At three hours, the film might seem like a lot to take, but you barely notice the time as you get wrapped up in the story.  The majority of the time is devoted to the setup of the escape... the plan and various obstacles, while developing the characters and their relationships to each other.  The final payoff is the escape (which isn't a spoiler, since the film is called "The Great Escape"), which doesn't disappoint.  The entire film is a study in suspense.

Another classic, and a must-see!!

The Great Escape (1963) 172 minutes
Director: John Sturges
Starring: Steve McQueen as Captain Hilts "The Cooler King"
James Garner as Flight Lt. Hendley "The Scrounger"
Richard Attenborough as Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett "Big X"
James Donald as Group Captain Ramsey "The SBO"
Charles Bronson as Flight Lt. Danny Velinski "The Tunnel King"
Donald Pleasence as Flight Lt. Colin Blythe "The Forger"
James Coburn as Flying Officer Louis Sedgwick "The Manufacturer"
Hannes Messemer as Kommandant von Luger
David McCallum as Lt. Cmdr. Eric Ashley-Pitt "Dispersal"
Gordon Jackson as Flight Lt. Sandy MacDonald "Intelligence"
John Leyton as Flight Lt. Willie Dickes "The Tunnelor"
Angus Lennie as Flying Officer Archibald Ives "The Mole"
Nigel Stock as Flight Lt. Denys Cavendish "The Surveyor"