Stalag 17 (1953)

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Billy Wilder (written for the screen by) and
Edwin Blum (written for the screen by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

10 August 1953 (Brazil)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

Hilarious, heart-tugging! You'll laugh...you'll cry...you'll cheer William Holden in his great Academy Award role! (from reissue print ad)

Plot:

When two escaping American World War II prisoners are killed, the German POW camp barracks black marketeer, J.J. Sefton, is suspected of being an informer.

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Spy | Barracks | Guard | Christmas

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

William Holden	...	Sgt. J.J. Sefton
Don Taylor	...	Lt. James Dunbar
Otto Preminger	...	Oberst von Scherbach
Robert Strauss	...	Sgt. Stanislaus 'Animal' Kuzawa
Harvey Lembeck	...	Sgt. Harry Shapiro
Richard Erdman	...	Sgt. 'Hoffy' Hoffman
Peter Graves	...	Sgt. Price
Neville Brand	...	Duke
Sig Ruman	...	Sgt. Johann Sebastian Schulz
Michael Moore	...	Sgt. Manfredi
Peter Baldwin	...	Sgt. Johnson
Robinson Stone	...	Joey
Robert Shawley	...	Sgt. 'Blondie' Peterson
William Pierson	...	Marko the Mailman
Gil Stratton	...	Sgt. Clarence Harvey 'Cookie' Cook (as Gil Stratton Jr.)
Jay Lawrence	...	Sgt. Bagradian
Erwin Kalser	...	Geneva Man
Edmund Trzcinski	...	'Triz' Trzcinski
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marie Ardell	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Irene Bacha	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Ross Bagdasarian	...	Singing Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Rodric Beckham	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Richard P. Beedle	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Tina Blagoi	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Mike Bush	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Don Cameron	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Janice Carroll	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Jarvis Caston	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Tommy Cook	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Beatrice Da Yarr	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
James Dabney Jr.	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Zina Dennis	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Yvette Eaton	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Thomas B. Fleming	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Carl Forcht	...	German Lieutenant (uncredited)
Ralph Gaston	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Jerry Gerber	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Lana Golubeff	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Ross Gould	...	Von Scherbach's Orderly (uncredited)
Russell Grower	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Alla Gursky	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Willy Kaufman	...	German Barrack Sergeant (uncredited)
William LaChasse	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Olga Lebedeff	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Forrest Lederer	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Peter Leeds	...	Barracks #1 Prisoner of War Getting Distillery (uncredited)
Wesley Ling	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Harald Maresch	...	German Lieutenant (uncredited)
Svetlana McLe	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Bill McLean	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Constance C. Meyer	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
John Mitchum	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Robin Morse	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
William Mulcahy	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Joe Ploski	...	German Guard - Volleyball Player (uncredited)
Harry Reardon	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Paul Salata	...	Bearded Prisoner (uncredited)
William Schramm	...	German Sentry (uncredited)
James R. Scott	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Bill Sheehan	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
A. Gerald Singer	...	Steve - The Crutch (uncredited)
Mara Sondakoff	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Warren Sortomme	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Fred Spitz	...	German Barrack Sergeant (uncredited)
Robert R. Stephenson	...	German Barrack Sergeant (uncredited)
Audrey Strauss	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
Herbert Street	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Anthony M. Taylor	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Bob Templeton	...	Bearded Prisoner (uncredited)
Del Tenney	...	(uncredited)
Lyda Vashkulat	...	Russian Woman Prisoner (uncredited)
John Veitch	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Steve Wayne	...	Prisoner of War (uncredited)
Alexander J. Wells	...	Bearded Prisoner (uncredited)
Max Willenz	...	German Lieutenant Supervisor (uncredited)
William Yetter Jr.	...	German Private (uncredited)

Directed by
Billy Wilder

Writing credits
Billy Wilder		(written for the screen by) and
Edwin Blum		(written for the screen by)
Donald Bevan		(based on the play by) and
Edmund Trzcinski		(based on the play by)

Produced by
William Schorr	....	associate producer
Billy Wilder	....	producer

Original Music by
Franz Waxman		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Ernest Laszlo		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
George Tomasini

Casting by
Bill Greenwald		(casting) (uncredited)
Bert McKay		(unit casting director) (uncredited)

Art Direction by
Franz Bachelin
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Ray Moyer

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor
Harry Ray	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Hugh Brown	....	assistant production manager (uncredited)
Don Robb	....	unit production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Baur	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Charles C. Coleman	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Harvey Dwight	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Al Mann	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Earl Olin	....	props (uncredited)
Tom Plews	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Gene Garvin	....	sound recordist
Harold Lewis	....	sound recordist
John Camarda	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Lyle Figland	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Charles Kelly	....	mike grip (uncredited)
August Van Koughnet	....	sound cable (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Gordon Jennings	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Neal Beckner	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Don English	....	stills (uncredited)
Thomas E. 'Pep' Lee	....	best boy (uncredited)
Walter McLeod	....	grip (uncredited)
Roy Roberts	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Harlow Stengel	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Allan Sloane	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Doane Harrison	....	editorial advisor
Robert Lawrence	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Franz Waxman	....	musical settings
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Troy Sanders	....	music advisor (uncredited)

Other crew
Irving Cooper	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Harry Hogan	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)
Max Kolpé	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Art Sarno	....	publicist (uncredited)
Edmund Trzcinski	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (as A Paramount Picture)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1953) (USA) (theatrical) (as A Paramount Picture)
• Paramount Pictures (1959) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Paramount (1960) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1965) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Paramount Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Paramount Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2003) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

120 min | Germany:116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Russian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Norway:12 | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) (2002) | USA:Approved (PCA #15866) | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 (f) | Australia:G | South Korea:12 (2004) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (tv rating) | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

John Show Ranch, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The role of Sefton was originally written for Charlton Heston. But as the role evolved and became more cynical, William Holden emerged as the director's choice. Holden was asked to see the play on which the movie was based. He walked out at the end of the first act. He was later convinced to at least read the screenplay.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Sefton is explaining how he got hold of the telescope, he explains that he got together a "few lenses and a mirror". The telescope he has in the barracks is a refractor telescope, which doesn't use mirrors.

Quotes:

Sgt. Schulz:[on seeing the men wearing Hitler moustaches] Bah! One Fuhrer is enough!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Simpsons: The DeBarted (#19.13)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Jingle Bells

A great film headed by a classic director and strong star William Holden

William Holden is always in the shadows in `Stalag 17', he's always behind the characters or off to the side of the camera. You see, despite Holden's character Sgt. J.J. Sefton being the film's main character, he is only seen through the eyes of his fellow POWs, rarely ever alone. When they start to think he's the spy so do we. Oh, sure, we know he isn't the rat (movies don't do things like that), but since the story is told by all of the POWs who think Sefton is the rat, we start to think like them too. That is the mastery of Billy Wilder's `Stalag 17', it takes the film's most interesting character and sets him apart from the rest for most of the film, letting us learn about him as the characters do.

The story focuses on a group of POWs living in the American section of Stalag 17, supposedly the 's best POW camp. Among them are barracks chief Hoffy (Richard Erdman), Price (Peter Graves), Shapiro (Harvey Lembeck) and Animal Casava (Robert Strauss). They all have their own special job when their fellow prisoners try to escape, Price, for instance, is ‘security'. The film starts when two prisoners try to escape the barracks. Everyone inside is enthused, thinking the two will make it very far, except Sefton, who bets precious cigarettes that they wont make it past the outer forest. When he turns out to be right the POWs start thinking there's a rat and that rat is Sefton. And as the first hour passes we think so too, it's only logical, Sefton has any luxuries because of his deals with the s.

The POWs start to bully Sefton, and once they beat him to a pulp he decides to discover who the real rat is (at this point, of course, we know he is ). His investigation isn't handled with dialogue though, we get this by seeing his facial expressions and his lurking in the shadows of the barracks.

So, what starts as a light, `gung-ho' type war movie (there's lots of comedy in the first hour) turns into a dark, sort of gritty thriller with a twist that left me with my mouth open. I wont reveal it, but I'll just say that Sefton smartly solves the mystery and redeems himself to the rest of the barracks (I didn't spoil anything, come on, it's expected).

As I said, there's lots of comedy in the first hour and some in the second, mostly from Strauss and Lembeck's characters. Some of the comedy is key in showing how these characters cope with their nearly hopeless situation, handled well by Wilder and the actors (Strauss' performance even gained him an Oscar nomination) but some of it just seems tacked on and out of place, like when a drunken Strauss thinks that Lembeck is a hell.

But that is a small qualm, and the rest of the film is excellent. The direction and writing are great in showing us a war film, a mystery, a thriller and a dark comedy all at once. I'd have to say I like the acting the most though, Holden (who won a leading Oscar for his work in this) is suave and charming, as well as mischievous and cynical, he creates a real `cool' character without trying too. And the rest of the cast - Graves, Otto Preminger - are admirable as well. The POWs aren't clichés or caricatures, they're all their own separate people.

`Stalag 17' is great as a war movie, a mystery, a thriller and a dark comedy. It's a classic film, for all who appreciate good cinema, 8.5/10.