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The Colditz Story (1955) 6.9
Allied prisoners of various nationalities pool their resources to plan numerous escapes from an "escape-proof" German POW camp housed in a Medieval castle. Director:Guy Hamilton |
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Title: The Colditz Story (1955)
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Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| John Mills | ... | ||
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Christopher Rhodes | ... |
'Mac' McGill
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| Lionel Jeffries | ... |
Harry Tyler
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Bryan Forbes | ... |
Jimmy Winslow
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Guido Lorraine | ... |
Polish Officer
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Witold Sikorski | ... |
Polish Officer
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A. Blichewicz | ... |
Polish Officer
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B. Dolinski | ... |
Polish Officer
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Anton Diffring | ... |
Fischer
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Richard Wattis | ... |
Richard Gordon
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Ian Carmichael | ... |
Robin Cartwright
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Eric Portman | ... |
Colonel Richmond
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Frederick Valk | ... |
Kommandant
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Leo Bieber | ... |
German Interpreter
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Denis Shaw | ... |
Priem
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Colditz castle was used by the Nazis to hold the "bad boys", (those who regularly tried to escape from other camps). At all times the guards outnumbered the prisoners and, because some political prisoners were also held there they were *very* strictly monitored. But if you put all those people in one place and they're all trying to escape, well ... Written by Steve Crook <steve@brainstorm.co.uk>
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Details
Country:
UKRelease Date:
26 February 1955 (Sweden) See more »Also Known As:
Ceux de Colditz See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)Color:
Black and White
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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 ...
[...]
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parodied from the late Will Fyfe's famous "I Belong to Glasgow"
by kind permission of Mrs. Will Fyffe
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Did You Know?
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". See more »Goofs
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. See more »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 ...
[...]
See more »
Soundtracks
"I Belong to Colditz"parodied from the late Will Fyfe's famous "I Belong to Glasgow"
by kind permission of Mrs. Will Fyffe
See more »
This film is named after an actual German prison camp designated for incorrigible prisoners of war--those who had already attempted escapes from other camps. And, not surprisingly, the multinational inmates spend most of their time plotting to escape. And, by the end of the film, some actually make it. In fact, the statistics on actual escapes is pretty impressive. What surprised me about all this is that the Germans were actually VERY forbearing and didn't just shoot the prisoners because of this--and the difference between these camps and the death camps is striking.
It's odd. Although "The Colditz Story" is based on a true account of prisoners escaping from this German prison camp--yet I never was bowled over by the film. I must admit that normally my biggest complaint about historical films is their inaccuracy--and this one sticks pretty close to the facts--yet I didn't really love the movie. I am not saying it's bad--the acting is very good. But I just didn't get into this film as much as some of the fictional WWII British films like "In Which We Serve" or "The Life of Colonel Blimp". It is still well worth seeing.