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The Colditz Story (1955)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
26 February 1955 (Sweden)
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Plot:
Allied prisoners of various nationalities pool their resources to plan numerous escapes from an "escape-proof" German POW camp housed in a Medieval castle. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Escape
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Guard
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Barbed Wire
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Senior Officer
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Nazi Officer
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Awards:
Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards.
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User Comments:
Enjoyable and good humoured prisoner of war story?
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | John Mills | ... | Pat Reid |
 | Christopher Rhodes | ... | 'Mac' McGill |
| Lionel Jeffries | ... | Harry Tyler |
| Bryan Forbes | ... | Jimmy Winslow |
| Guido Lorraine | ... | Polish officer |
| Witold Sikorski | ... | Polish officer |
| A. Blichewicz | ... | Polish officer |
| B. Dolinski | ... | Polish officer |
| Anton Diffring | ... | Fischer |
| Richard Wattis | ... | Richard Gordon |
| Ian Carmichael | ... | Robin Cartwright |
| Eric Portman | ... | Colonel Richmond |
| Frederick Valk | ... | Kommandant |
| Leo Bieber | ... | German interpreter |
| Denis Shaw | ... | Priem |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
94 min
Country:
Color:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
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Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
According to the movie's epilogue, prior to the liberation of Colditz during April 1945, there were a total of 320 escape attempts from Colditz Castle. Of these, there were 56 successful escapes (5 Polish; 14 British; 15 Dutch; and 22 French). The film maintains that this was "a record unequaled in any P.O.W. camp in the two world wars".
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Goofs:
Anachronisms: According to the calendar on the Kommandant's desk during his interview with Colonel Richmond about moving the Polish prisoner, the date is "Dienstag Oktober 4" (Tuesday October 4). October 4 did not fall on a Tuesday at all during WW2, although it did in 1955, the year of the film's release.
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Quotes:
Colonel Richmond:
[discussing the death of Mac] We had a talk. I did the talking mostly. I was very unpleasant to him. I told him straight that he was too big. I told him every sentry in the camp was gunning for him - that he hadn't a hope of getting past the guards, and he agreed. I recommended him to think of standing down. There the discussion ended.
Pat Reid: And his life as well!
Colonel Richmond: The fact that he's dead hasn't escaped me, Pat!
Pat Reid: [resentfully] That sentry didn't kill him!
Colonel Richmond: [angrily] Watch your tongue or get out!
Pat Reid: We knew he was too big, but it was his idea. We were prepared to take the risk!
[...]
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Pat Reid: And his life as well!
Colonel Richmond: The fact that he's dead hasn't escaped me, Pat!
Pat Reid: [resentfully] That sentry didn't kill him!
Colonel Richmond: [angrily] Watch your tongue or get out!
Pat Reid: We knew he was too big, but it was his idea. We were prepared to take the risk!
[...]
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Movie Connections:
Featured in War Stories (2006) (TV)
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Soundtrack:
I Belong to Colditz
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (10 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Colditz Story (1955)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| Modern censorship? | JayBee-66 |
| Goodbye 'Pat Reid' | phantomsteve |
Recommendations
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This was bundled with 'Ice Cold in Alex', 'The Dam Busters' and one other British war movie. Of the four, I found this the least satisfying, probably due to the brilliance of the other three. There's a TV mini series on Colditz which is far more enjoyable, probably due to its attention to detail. The movie lacks those details, of course, as it's relatively short. Nevertheless, it's still good but John Mills rather underplays his character, unlike his outstanding performance in, for example, 'Ice Cold in Alex'.
It's all a little unreal, really, considering Colditz was reserved for the most troublesome of allied prisoners. You just won't believe that some of the characters shown created trouble for their captors in this version.
However, as mentioned, it's still good to watch and better than the majority of movies with a similar theme churned out after 1960.