The Colditz Story (1955)

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

Writers:

P.R. Reid (novel), Guy Hamilton (adaptation),

Stars:

John Mills, Christopher Rhodes, Lionel Jeffries

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards.

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

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

escape | guard | nazi | commandant | franz josef | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

26 February 1955 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Ceux de Colditz

Filming Locations:

Colditz Castle, Saxony, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ivan Foxwell Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

P.R. Reid wrote three books on Colditz: "The Colditz Story" (1952) and "The Latter Days at Colditz" (1953). The earlier book, based largely on Reid's own experiences, was the basis for the film. In 1984, Reid also published "Colditz: The Full Story," a less personal and more thoroughly researched account of Colditz during WWII.

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Goofs

Christopher Rhodes is listed as "Chistopher Rhodes" in the closing credits.

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Quotes

Fischer: There is too much noise!
Harry Tyler: [nervously, as there are Polish POWs hidden in the room] Oh, I'm sorry. We were laughing.
Fischer: Ah, laughing! Oh, I see, you have the British humor. Well, Englishmen will laugh at anything...
[Tyler smiles and nods]
Fischer: ... but most people laugh at nothing. Here you will not laugh for long! Here you will remain until the war is won - by Germany! There will be no escape unless you wish to die!
[Sarcastically as he is leaving the room]
Fischer: Now you can laugh if you wish.

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Connections

Featured in Hitler: The Comedy Years (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Mademoiselle From Armentieres"
(uncredited)
Tune - traditional; source of English lyrics unknown
Performed by the British prisoners

User Reviews

An interesting tale....

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.