The Wooden Horse (1950)

True story of three British POWs and their attempt to escape from Nazi Germany.

Director:

Jack Lee

Writer:

Eric Williams (novel)

Stars:

Leo Genn, David Tomlinson, Anthony Steel

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leo Genn	...	Flt. Lt. Peter Howard
David Tomlinson	...	Phil Roe
Anthony Steel	...	Capt. John Clinton
David Greene	...	Nick Bennett
Peter Burton	...	Nigel
Patrick Waddington	...	Group Capt. Wardley (Senior British Officer)
Michael Goodliffe	...	Robbie
Anthony Dawson	...	Pomfret
Bryan Forbes	...	Paul
Dan Cunningham	...	David
Peter Finch	...	Australian in Hospital
Philip Dale	...	Bill White
Russell Waters	...	W / C 'Wings' Cameron
Ralph Ward	...	Adjutant
Franz Schafheitlin	...	Camp Commandant

Storyline

In a POW camp, the Nazis have placed the huts far from the boundary so that any escape tunnel would have to be a long one. One British officer has the idea of starting a daily gynmastics routine using a vaulting horse: they can place it near the boundary and start a tunnel from under it. He and two others do escape the camp by this means and plan to make for neutral Sweden. To do that, they'll not only have to move around without arousing any suspicions, but also find a stranger from a neutral or occupied country who'll be willing and able to help them.

---

Plot Keywords:

prisoner of war | based on novel

---

Genres:

Drama | History | War

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English German Danish French

Release Date:

16 October 1950 (UK)

Also Known As:

Campo 111

Filming Locations:

Denmark

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wessex Film Productions Ltd., British Lion Film Corporation, London Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter Butterworth was one of the vaulters who covered for the real-life Wooden Horse escape. He auditioned for a part in the film after the war, but was turned down on the grounds that he didn't look convincingly heroic and athletic enough.

---

Goofs

Whilst the escape is in progress there is a quick shot of a German guard near the compound fence. His rifle has a British pattern webbing sling,the upper brass buckle can be seen clearly.

---

Quotes

[Doctor, visiting prisoners in hospital, hears they are listening to music by Beethoven]
Doctor: Ah, Beethoven. He is a good German.
Prisoner: [calls out from the background] Yes. He's dead.

---

Crazy Credits

It is the constant hope of nearly every prisoner-of-war - if not, indeed, his duty - to escape and rejoin his unit. This film shows how three British officers carried out an actual escape from a German camp in the last war. It was made mostly in Germany and Denmark, with the help of the British War Office and Air Ministry and of Danish and German civilians.

---

Connections

Referenced in Colors (1988)

---

Soundtracks

"Deutschlandlied"
(uncredited)
Composed by Joseph Haydn

User Reviews

excellent escape story

The Wooden Horse is a real life World War Two escape story. Stalag-Luft III is supposed to be escape proof but this is proved wrong by three incredible escapers. The film is divided into two parts. Firstly, the escape from the camp and then the series of adventures while travelling through Germany and occupied Danmark. The method of escape is ingenious; a tunnel built under a vaulting horse that ends under the camp perimeter wire. The escapers of course are all officers (after all this is a Brtish film) and the camp itself has an air of an English public (private) school. The Germans are baited as if they were form masters or prefects. The film follows Eric William's book The Wooden Horse quite closely. There is an omission though. In the book the two escapers played brilliantly by Leo Genn and Anthony Steele meet up with members of the Danish resistance at a secluded farmhouse. One Jewish member of the resistance tells the escapers about the deportation of Jews and how members of the resistance helped Jews get to Sweden. Another member of the resistance tells of The Schalberg Corps an organization of Danish Nazis who the resistance battle with. However, The Wooden Horse is a very good film and well worth seeing.