IMDb > The Great Escape (1963)
The Great Escape
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The Great Escape (1963) More at IMDbPro »

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The Great Escape -- Trailer for The Great Escape

Overview

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Top 250: #113  (login to vote)
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Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Sturges
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) See more »
Genre:
Adventure | Drama | History | War See more »
Tagline:
put a fence in front of these men...and they'll climb it... See 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:
See more »
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(246 articles)
The 10 Hottest Men in Military Movies
 (From AfterElton.com. 29 May 2012, 6:56 AM, PDT)
Danny Boyle's Trainspotting named best British film, Harry Potter comes third and seventh
 (From The Geek Files. 28 May 2012, 2:30 AM, PDT)
Movie Alert! TCM Memorial Day War Movie Marathon
 (From CinemaRetro. 27 May 2012, 3:19 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Absolutely Awesome!!! See more (267 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Steve McQueen ... Hilts 'The Cooler King'

James Garner ... Hendley 'The Scrounger'

Richard Attenborough ... Bartlett 'Big X'
James Donald ... Ramsey 'The SBO'

Charles Bronson ... Danny 'Tunnel King'

Donald Pleasence ... Blythe 'The Forger'

James Coburn ... Sedgwick 'The Manufacturer'
Hannes Messemer ... Von Luger 'The Kommandant'

David McCallum ... Ashley-Pitt 'Dispersal'
Gordon Jackson ... MacDonald 'Intelligence'

John Leyton ... Willie 'Tunnel King'
Angus Lennie ... Ives 'The Mole'

Nigel Stock ... Cavendish 'The Surveyor'
Robert Graf ... Werner 'The Ferret'
Jud Taylor ... Goff
Hans Reiser ... Herr Kuhn
Harry Riebauer ... Stratwitch
William Russell ... Sorren
Robert Freitag ... Capt. Posen
Ulrich Beiger ... Preissen
George Mikell ... Lt. Dietrich
Lawrence Montaigne ... Haynes ('Diversions')
Robert Desmond ... Griffith 'Tailor'
Til Kiwe ... Frick
Heinz Weiss ... Kramer
Tom Adams ... Dai Nimmo ('Diversions')
Karl-Otto Alberty ... S.S. Officer Steinach

Directed by
John Sturges 
 
Writing credits
Paul Brickhill (book)

James Clavell (screenplay) and
W.R. Burnett (screenplay)

Produced by
John Sturges .... producer
James Clavell .... producer (uncredited)
Walter Mirisch .... executive producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Elmer Bernstein 
 
Cinematography by
Daniel L. Fapp (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Ferris Webster 
 
Art Direction by
Fernando Carrere 
 
Set Decoration by
Kurt Ripberger 
 
Makeup Department
Emile LaVigne .... makeup artist
Jay Sebring .... hair designer: Steve McQueen, James Garner (uncredited)
 
Production Management
Allen K. Wood .... production supervisor
Hubert Fröhlich .... production manager (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack N. Reddish .... assistant director
John Flynn .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Frank Agnone .... property
 
Sound Department
Wayne Fury .... sound effects editor
 
Special Effects by
A. Paul Pollard .... special effects (as Paul Pollard)
 
Stunts
Bud Ekins .... stunt double: Steve McQueen, motorcycle jump (uncredited)
Tim Gibbs .... stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward .... stunts (uncredited)
Roy Jenson .... stunts (uncredited)
Robert E. Relyea .... stunt pilot (uncredited)
Roy N. Sickner .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bert Henrikson .... wardrobe
 
Editorial Department
Don Tomlinson .... assistant film editor
 
Music Department
Richard Carruth .... music editor
Jack Hayes .... orchestrator (uncredited)
Leo Shuken .... orchestrator (uncredited)
 
Other crew
John Franco .... script supervisor
Robert E. Relyea .... assistant to producer
Wally Floody .... technical advisor (uncredited)
Michael Hyatt .... film restoration (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies

Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
172 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | German | French | Russian
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) | Mono
Certification:
Iceland:12 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #20399) | USA:Unrated | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:PG | Japan:G (2009) | Brazil:12 | UK:U (passed with cuts) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG
Filming Locations:
Bavaria Filmstudios, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, GermanySee more »
Company:
Mirisch Corporation, TheSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Wally Floody, the real-life "Tunnel King" (he was transferred to another camp just before the escape), served as a consultant to the filmmakers, almost full-time, for more than a year.See more »
Goofs:
Factual errors: The film shows that the Germans discovered a tunnel located under a stove. The Germans actually did find one of the three tunnels, but it was located in a corner of hut 123. And in reality it was indeed the tunnel "Harry" located under a stove in hut 104 that was actually used by the airmen to escape.See more »
Quotes:
Stratwitch:Your name?
Ives:Ives.
[Strachwitz looks through his prisoner profiles]
Stratwitch:Ives... Ives... Oh, yes. Archibald Ives. Scot. The photograph doesn't do justice.
Ives:I'd like to see one of you under similar circumstances.
See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Whose Line Is It Anyway?: Series 2 Compilation 2 (#2.17)" (1990)See more »

FAQ

Is this a true story?
Any recommendations for movies similar to "The Great Escape"?
What did Henley mean when he asked Blythe "What are you doing here?"
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
74 out of 106 people found the following review useful.
Absolutely Awesome!!!, 28 September 2004
Author: aquaman-7 from Northern Ontario Canada

The Great Escape is a classic war movie with plenty happening in it. It just so happens that it is my all time favourite having seen it 60 times since it first was released. Steve McQueen , as Hilts, was the driving force behind this movie. He seemed to tie everything together between the American and British prisoners especially in the scene where they were celebrating the 4th of July with the drums and good ole fashioned American moonshine. The Great Escape contains one of the most famous movie scenes of all times when McQueen has half of the German army chasing after him while riding his motorcycle trying to jump the barb wire fence to get to Switzerland. All in all, The Great Escape had a cast of actors that was so strong that it was a wonder they got this movie made in the first place with all of the egos involved. James Garner, Charles Bronson, Angus Lennie, James Coburn, etc.were absolutely awesome.

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (267 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Great Escape (1963)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Escapees in Great Escape uspattys2
Recast a Remake tazikhay
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'I think you did a damn good job. I think we all did.' ElizabethSkywalker
Would Have Thought The Camp German's Would Have Learned.. apriceproduction
Why did Hilts Give Up Wire Cutters? sunraider
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