The Great Escape

1963 "Put a fence in front of these men... and they'll climb it!"
8.2| 2h53m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 04 July 1963 Released
Producted By: The Mirisch Company
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners plan one of the most ambitious escape attempts of World War II. Based on a true story.

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Reviews

VividSimon Simply Perfect
HeadlinesExotic Boring
Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation
Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
adonis98-743-186503 Allied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II. I liked 'The Great Escape' way better when it was called 'Victory' and starred Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine and Man Von Sydow cause this version was just awful and of course i'm kidding by the way but this movie was completely pure garbage and just very and i mean very long and boring to the point where even the great actors that starred to it seemed lost and full of despair but don't worry there's always the better version remember? (0/10)
caseyt-48511 Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attonbourgh, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn. How can you make a bad movie from this stellar cast? The Great Escape is a classic war/adventure film. Although it is more than that. It is an exciting escape film filled with great acting, exciting action and suspenseful moments. It really has the whole package. You could easily argue when it comes to historical accuracy but I hardly take that into account anymore unless it is detrimental to the story. It is not all action though. Much of the movie is exposition but the dialogue is well written and the actors do such a good job that it is hard to turn away. Director John Sturges is a personal favorite director of mine and he does a great job here. It is a classic epic that is a necessity for classic movie and action movie fans.
TheBigSick The first half of the movie "The Great Escape", namely the build-up for the escape, is slow and overlong. Also, some scenes lack credibility in the sense that the Germans are too nice to the allied prisoners. The second half, that is to say, the escape process, is much more taut, realistic and breathtaking. The plot is beyond the expectation of the audience, which makes perhaps the greatest prison break film of all time.
Takethispunch EditIn 1943, having expended enormous resources on recapturing escaped Allied prisoners of war (POWs), the Germans move the most determined to a new, high-security prisoner of war camp. The commandant, Luftwaffe Colonel von Luger (Hannes Messemer), tells the senior British officer, Group Captain Ramsey (James Donald), "There will be no escapes from this camp." Von Luger points out the various features of the new camp designed to prevent escape, as well as the advantages that the prisoners will receive as an incentive not to try. After several failed escape attempts on the first day, the POWs settle into life at the prison camp.Meanwhile, Gestapo and SD agents bring RAF Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett (Richard Attenborough) to the camp. Known as "Big X", Bartlett is introduced as the principal organiser of escapes. As Kuhn (Hans Reiser) leaves, he warns Bartlett that if he escapes again, he will be shot. However, locked up with "every escape artist in Germany", Bartlett immediately plans the greatest escape attempted, with tunnels for breaking out 250 prisoners, to the point that as many troops and resources as possible will be wasted on finding POWs instead of being used on the front line.Teams are organised to support the effort. Flight Lieutenant Robert Hendley (James Garner), an American in the RAF, is "the scrounger" who finds needed materials, from a camera to clothes and identity cards. Australian Flying Officer Louis Sedgwick (James Coburn), "the manufacturer," makes necessary tools like picks for digging and bellows for pumping air into the tunnels. Flight Lieutenants Danny Valinski (Charles Bronson) and William "Willie" Dickes (John Leyton) are "the tunnel kings" in charge of digging the tunnels. Flight Lieutenant Andrew MacDonald (Gordon Jackson) acts as intelligence provider and Bartlett's second-in-command. Lieutenant Commander Eric Ashley-Pitt (David McCallum) of the Royal Navy devises a method of spreading soil from the tunnels over the camp, under the guards' noses. Flight Lieutenant Griffith (Robert Desmond) acts as "the tailor", creating civilian outfits from scavenged cloth. Forgery is handled by Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe (Donald Pleasence), who becomes nearly blind due to progressive myopia caused by intricate work by candlelight; Hendley takes it upon himself to be Blythe's guide in the escape. The prisoners work on three tunnels simultaneously, calling them "Tom", "Dick", and "Harry".