The Great Escape (1963)

• Year: 1963
• Released: 04 Jul 1963
• Country: United States
• Adwords: Nominated for 1 Oscar. 3 wins & 11 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057115/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/The_Great_Escape
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-great-escape
• Available in: 720p, 1080p, 2160p
• Language: English, German, French, Russian, Spanish
• MPA Rating: Approved
• Genre: Adventure, Drama, History
• Runtime: 172 min
• Writer: Paul Brickhill, James Clavell, W.R. Burnett
• Director: John Sturges
• Cast: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough
• Keywords: based on novel or book, based on true story, based on a true story, world war ii, dystopia,

	8.2/10
	86/100
	94% – Critics
	95% – Audience

The Great Escape Storyline

In 1942, the Germans have built what they consider an escape-proof P.O.W. camp, where they plan to house all the problem P.O.W.s (those that have made multiple escape attempts in the past). What the Germans don’t realize is that they’ve put all the best escape minds in one location. If they can’t escape, these P.O.W.s believe it is their military duty to make the enemy place as much effort into their confinement as possible to divert them from other war-related pursuits. Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Bartlett plans not just a one or two man escape at a time like most escape attempts in the past have been, but a massive escape of two hundred fifty men through a series of tunnels. If one tunnel is found, they can focus on the others. Each escapee will be provided with a complete set of forged documents and standard clothing. With their reputations preceding them, each P.O.W. is assigned a specific task in carrying out the plan. Somewhat outside of the plot are Captain Hilts and Flying Officer Ives, who spent their first thirty days in camp in the cooler together. They who are unofficially assigned as the decoys who will make more rudimentary escape attempts. They ask Hilts to make a more serious task of reconnaissance of the local town if he ever does successfully escape, which of course means his recapture to bring the information back into camp and more time in the cooler. Beyond basic logistical problems and the Germans finding out what’s going on, they have potential problems in certain P.O.W.s who may become liabilities dealing with their own personal issues.

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The Great Escape Movie Reviews

Not just great, simply magnificent more like!

“Wait a minute, you aren’t seriously suggesting that if I get thru the wire and case everything out there, and don’t get picked up, to turn myself in and get thrown in the cooler for a couple of months so you can get the information you need”

Smart, witty and directed with adroit hands by John Sturges, The Great Escape is standing the test of time as a joyous multi cast family favourite. Based on the real accounts of allied soldiers escaping en mass from a German POW camp back in 1942, the film is involving from start to finish, due in the main to the wonderful array of characters on show. We follow them from the moment they arrive at the camp right through to the stunning climax, and it is with great joy I say that none of the cast lets the side down, they all do great work for the astute and undervalued Sturges. A number of great set pieces align with Elmer Bernstein’s fabulous score to never let the blood settle, and in among the cheeky slices of humour is palpable tension to make this simply one of the best films of its type, in fact one of the best films ever.

Sturges and his writers, James Clavell & W.R. Burnett, adapt from the book written by Paul Brickhill, someone who speaks from experience having been one of the prisoners of super POW camp Stalag Luft III, which of course is what The Great Escape is born from. Sturges was fascinated by the story and after trying without fail for over a decade to get it onto the screen, he finally succeeded. The success three years earlier of his star ensemble Western, The Magnificent Seven, enabled Sturges to realise his vision, the result of which is still enthralling new generations with each passing year.

The cast is made up of notable thespians and iconic heroes. Steve McQueen (enticing the American audience in one feels), Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Donald, Donald Pleasance, James Coburn, James Garner, David McCallum, John Leyton and Gordon Jackson. Which of course is a pretty tidy roll call, but the input and impact of Hannes Messemer as the Camp Commandant, Colonel Von Luger should not be understated. His scenes have a real humanistic quality that shows a softer side of Germany to the one ruled by a certain despot (the finale here offering up the counter opposite of the war), the writers smartly, and rightly, not tarring a nation with the same old brush.

A wonderful involving movie that puts characteristic heart in bed with the action and suspense laden plot. 10/10

Excellent…but the history teacher in me could have hoped for just a bit more…

I am a tough audience for historical films. As a retired history teacher, I often notice when details are wrong–and I am not the sort of person you’d like to go to such a movie with, as I will invariably complain about the historical license the filmmakers took in regard to the facts. Now I sometimes realize that there are times when changing the facts a bit might not be such a bad thing–but too often, the writers just don’t seem to care if they get it right. Because of this, I generally love “The Great Escape” as it IS based on a real mass escape and the characters are often based on these actual men. BUT, what I struggle with is the studio’s insistence that Americans be included in the cast–though in the actual escape this was NOT the case. What makes it worse is that two of these Americans (Steve McQueen and James Garner) were among the leads in the film–making the event seem like it was planned and executed thanks to the good ‘ol USA. Now I love my country, but I love the truth even more and it made me feel bad that the Brits and their Commonwealth members somehow got the short end of this. But, on the other hand, the film does do a very job otherwise when it comes to portraying this period in history.

I could review the film at length, but there are countless other reviews on this movie already. The bottom line is that the film has exceptional acting, really fine dialog and is well made throughout–and is clearly one of the best war films can find. Well worth seeing and a film that easily justifies its nearly three hour running time.

One of the all time great war movies

I cannot dislike The Great Escape, with its great cast, anthem-like music score and of course its attention to detail. The film is brilliantly shot with beautiful cinematography, and of course the music score is great, very iconic. It may be a little annoying to some people, as the theme is repeated over and over again, but there is something triumphant about it so I find it hard not to like it. The script is great, but it is the cast and the attention to detail that sticks in the mind. This escape yarn has everything from collapsing tunnels, probing searchlights to the classic movie image of Hilts attempting to escape to freedom on a motorbike. And then there are the characters, for example we have Donald Pleasence’s timid forger, James Garner’s smooth-talking scrounger and most obviously Steve McQueen’s super cool Captain Virgil Hilts. Garner, Pleasence, James Coburn, Richard Attenborough and Charles Bronson fit their parts perfectly, but for me it is McQueen’s movie. Overall, The Great Escape is quite simply great, one of the all time great war movies. 10/10 Bethany Cox