IMDb > The Great Escape (1963)
The Great Escape
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Great Escape (1963) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 157 | slideshow) Videos (see all 3)
The Great Escape (1963) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Paul Brickhill (book)
James Clavell (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The Great Escape on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 July 1963 (USA) more
Tagline:
put a fence in front of these men...and they'll climb it... more
Plot:
Allied POWs plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations more
User Comments:
Outstanding Entertainment more (245 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Runtime:
172 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
One day, the police in the German town where the film was shot set up a speed trap near the set. Several members of the cast and crew were caught, including Steve McQueen. The Chief of Police told McQueen "Herr McQueen, we have caught several of your comrades today, but you have won the prize [for the highest speeding]." McQueen was arrested and briefly jailed. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: Sedgwick is shown reading "Liberation", a newspaper not published during the German occupation of France. more
Quotes:
Hendley: Come on, Roger. We all know the score here, at least... most of us do. Your idea of this escape is to... start another front, to foul up the Germans behind the lines. All right, that's fine, that's fine. But once we get passed that barbed wire, once we have them looking all over Germany for us, that mission is accomplished. Afterwards, we have some ideas of our own.
Bartlett: You mean getting home? Back to your family and children?
Hendley: That's right.
Bartlett: Good God, man. Do you really believe I haven't thought about that, too?
more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

What is a "mole" escape?
Is this a true story?
Are any of these guys still alive?
more
25 out of 38 people found the following comment useful.
Outstanding Entertainment, 11 February 2004
Author: tdemos from Oregon USA

Credit should be given to the brilliant score by Elmer Bernstein. If you listen to it closely, it literally is a battle between the Allied Prisoners (flutes & woodwinds) and the Germans (tubas). The escape scenes with the little boat on the scenic german river is evocative of Wagner and his heroic Germanic Operas. The scenery of the German countryside and the Alps is breathtaking. I believe that the scriptwriters emphasized the heroism, humor, and character of the prisoners to make an uplifting statement of what is essentially a cruel and tragic story. As a child growing up in the seventies, our 7th grade glass was reading the Paul Brickhill book and we had the opportunity to meet a former (American) Stalag Luft III prisoner from that era. He had arrived at the camp after the Great Escape, but was placed on the monument detail for the 50 executed men. He said that few men seriously contemplated escape after this incident and the emphasis was on surviving the war and going home alive.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (245 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Great Escape (1963)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Danny and Willy ;) Spheer2002
James Coburn's accent Purdinator
Can you imagine collins294
Does the appeal of the cast account for the high rating? Sonars UK
Great Escape referenced in the Psych Lavender_Gooms
Send down 30 feet of rope. collins294
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The Brylcreem Boys Nackt unter Wölfen Haven The Longest Day Die Blechtrommel
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb top 250 movies IMDb Action section
IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.