The Great Escape

A stirring example of courage and the indomitable human spirit, for many John Sturges's The Great Escape is both the definitive World War II drama and the nonpareil prison escape movie. Featuring an unequalled ensemble cast in a rivetingly authentic true-life scenario set to Elmer Bernstein's admirable music, this picture is both a template for subsequent action-adventure movies and one of the last glories of Golden Age Hollywood. Reunited with the director who made him a star in The Magnificent Seven, Steve McQueen gives a career-defining performance as the laconic Hilts, the baseball-loving, motorbike-riding "Cooler King." The rest of the all-male Anglo-American cast--Dickie Attenborough, Donald Pleasance, James Garner, Charles Bronson, David McCallum, James Coburn, and Gordon Jackson--make the most of their meaty roles (though you have to forgive Coburn his Australian accent). Closely based on Paul Brickhill's book, the various escape attempts, scrounging, forging, and ferreting activities are authentically realized thanks also to technical advisor Wally Flood, one of the original tunnel-digging POWs. Sturges orchestrates the climax with total conviction, giving us both high action and very poignant human drama. Without trivializing the grim reality, The Great Escape thrillingly celebrates the heroism of men who never gave up the fight. --Mark Walker



Based on a true story, a group of allied escape artist type prisoners of war are all put in an 'escape proof' camp. Their leader decides to try to take out several hundred all at once. The first half of the film is played for comedy as the prisoners mostly outwit their jailers to dig the escape tunnel. The second half is high adventure as they use boats and trains and planes to get out of occupied Europe. Written by John Vogel




In 1942, the Germans have built what they consider an escape-proof POW camp where they plan to house all the problem POWs, i.e. 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 POWs 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 POW 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 POWs who may become liabilities dealing with their own personal issues. Written by Huggo




The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocates 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. Written by Kevin Ackley




Based on a true story, "The Great Escape" deals with the largest Allied escape attempt from a German POW camp during the Second World War. The first part of the film focuses on the escape efforts within the camp and the process of secretly digging an escape tunnel. The second half of the film deals with the massive effort by the German Gestapo to track down the over 70 escaped prisoners who are at this point throughout the Third Reich attempting to make their way to England and various neutral countries. Written by Anthony Hughes



SYNOPSIS

In 1944, the Germans have built a special Stalag, or prison camp, designed to house their most troublesome inmates, the ones who make repeated escape attempts. Arriving at the new camp, many begin immediately to asses its security and figure out how to get away. One American prisoner, Capt. Hilts (Steve McQueen) casually tosses his ever-present baseball into a percieved blind spot between the guard towers in order to test the Germans, and stepping over the warning wire gets a few machine-gun bullets fired at his feet. Others try different escape tactics; several hide themselves in trucks full of brush as they drive towards the gate, and two of the men even try inflitrating a group of Russian workers marching out of the camp. All are quickly found and rooted out, with Hilts being thrown into the "Cooler", a isolation cell at the far side of the camp. All this in the first 20 minutes after they arrive.

After the initial excitement, the POW's begin to make more cohesive plans. The ranking officer of the group, Capt. Ramsey (James Donald) has a meeting with the German Commandant, who assures him escape is impossible, and it would be in everyone's best interest if they would all accept their situation, settle down, and sit out the remainder of the war "as comfortably as possible". Ramsey must however remind the Commandant that it is the sworn duty of all the prisoners to create as much trouble for the Germans as they can, and politely leaves.

Between then, the POW's have considerable experience in tunneling, and have made many escape attempts. Sqdn. Leader Bartlet (Richard Attenborough) quickly organizes everyone into teams and get them all to work. Some, like Lt. "Tunnel King" Velinski (Charles Bronson) begin digging, while Lt. "Scrounger" Hendley (James Garner) begins to gather the materials needed to make everything work.

After a couple of weeks in the cooler, Hilts is released and meets with the others, who are working on plans to dig three tunnels under the fence. Hilts has his own plan to dig out, a idea that is so simple it just might work, and he intends to try it that night. Wishing him the best, the main team realizes that Hilts may not succeed, but he'll at least distract the Germans from the other attempts. Hilts starts under the fence that night, but the next morning he's back in the cooler again, bouncing his baseball off the wall.

Other prisoners are working on the main escape attempt. Lt. Blythe (Donald Pleasence) is the forger of the group, and works on fake I.D. papers, while the Aussie Sedgwick (James Coburn) creates amazing tools from scrap metal scavanged around the camp. Lt. Pitt (David McCallum) has figured out a way to get rid of all the dirt they're bringing up out of the tunnels, and everything seems to be moving forward. Bartlet has made up his mind that this will be the greatest escape of the war, and plans to get every single POW out in one big night, all 250 men.

Constant inspections by the suspicious Germans hinder their progress, but the tunnels grow a few feet longer every night, and the men get closer to their goal. Hilts, finally out of the cooler again, begins to brew a strange concoction from potatoes, and on the 4th of July surprises everyone with gallons secretly distilled alcohol. A much-needed party breaks out as the POW's gather outside for a few drinks. Inside however, the guards have found a hidden hatch under a wood stove that leads to the main tunnel, and at the height of their celebration the men are suddenly crushed to learn that their greatest hope of escape is now gone. Bitterly resigned, Bartley tersely tells the men to continue quietly on tunnel #2.

Hilts has another attempt in mind and meets with Bartlet, who sees little chance for success, but asks for his help; if Hilts can get out of the camp, even for a few hours, they need all the information he can get on the local roads, the train station and schedules, etc. Hilts says he'll be far away by the time the others ever get their tunnel dug, but of course he's captured the next morning and returned to the cooler. Winking at Bartley as they pass, he's at least gotten the info Bartlet needed.

By the time Hilts is released again, the main group is nearly ready. Their cloths have been tailored to make them look like civilians, they have their fake I.D.'s and they know where to run, thanks to Hilts. That night, Hilts digs the last few feet up to the surface at the end of the tunnel and cautiously pokes his head out, but he finds they've miscalculated; they're 20 feet short of the woods, and now they must try to sneak across open ground without being seen. Timing the men between the passes of the guards, over 70 prisoners make it into the woods and escape before the Germans discover and stop the breakout.

The next morning, guards and police scour the countryside looking for the POW's. As the morning train pulls into the station, many of the men are waiting in their disguises, and they quietly get aboard. Others are making their getaway by boat, bicycle, and two even steal a small plane from a nearby airbase. Hilts is waiting in the countryside, and as a German soldier rides by on a motorcycle, he strings a wire across the road, causing the German to lose control and crash. Hilts quicky steals his uniform and rides off towards Switzerland.

As the day progresses, the prisoners are recaptured one by one, some easily, others after long chases. Only a few make it away, and by the end of the day more than 50 have been rounded up by the Gestapo. As they ride back towards the camp in trucks, Bartlet, who'd led all his men in the escape, confesses that even though they've failed the affair has been exhilarating. "I've never been happier", he says during a rest stop in an open field. The prisoners turn at the sound of a machine gun bolt, and as they stand helpless, the Gestapo guards gun them all down in cold-blooded murder.

Hilts is speeding around the countryside evading the Germans, but eventually is cornered and in a desperate attempt, he makes a daring motorcycle jump over a barb-wired fence. He nearly makes it, but in the end he too is recaptured. Bruised, bloody, but unbowed, he marches defiantly back into the camp only to learn of the murder of most of the other escapees. Staggered at the news, he is hauled off to the cooler.

As the names of those murdered are read off in a memorial service, the Comandant of the Stalag is taken away in disgrace and replaced by another officer. Hilts is locked up in his usual room, and as the guard walks away, he hears the sound of a baseball being bounced, over and over, against the walls of the cell.