The Great Escape: The Reckoning (TV 2009)

The story behind the Hollywood film 'The Great Escape', examining the search for the Gestapo men who murdered 50 of the escapers.

Director:

Steve Westh

Writers:

Phil Craig, Steve Westh

Stars:

Sandy McCutheon, Alan Bryett, Amanda Catanach

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sandy McCutheon	...	Himself - Narrator (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alan Bryett	...	Himself - Great Escaper
Amanda Catanach	...	Herself - Great Niece of James Catanach
Steve Davies	...	Himself - RAF Police Historian
Adrian Gilbert	...	Himself - POW Historian
Jamie Lee	...	Himself - Narrator (UK version) (voice)
Ken Rees	...	Himself - Great Escaper
Ingeborg Reinhardt	...	Herself - Daughter of Emil Schulz
Charles Rollings	...	Himself - POW Historian
Paul Royle	...	Himself - Great Escaper

Storyline

The story behind the Hollywood film 'The Great Escape', examining the search for the Gestapo men who murdered 50 of the escapers.

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Plot Keywords:

reenactment

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 October 2009 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Gesprengte Ketten - Die Abrechnung

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel 4 Television Corporation, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), History Channel

Technical Specs

Runtime:

52 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

References The Great Escape (1963)

User Reviews

Aboslutely riveting and an eye opener

I sat and watched this thinking, rather naively, that the movie pretty much told the story though embellished somewhat for the American audience. Though the movie had some fact included it certainly didn't capture the real horror of what happened to those escaped prisoners. In fact this documentary could certainly have been captured in a sequel. A little known figure in history, Frank McKenna, a Blackpool policeman enlisted into the RAF was tasked with bringing to justice those responsible for the murder of the POW escapees. The documentary shows not only the amount of effort and time and determination that McKenna and his men plough into uncovering the perpetrators but also the background to those perpetrators themselves, in one case interviewing the daughter of Emil Shultz. In some cases you feel for these men; being possibly forced into their actions but there are others who clearly relished their duty. I would recommend anyone to watch this and am disappointed that there is not more information available about Frank McKenna, a man who evokes admiration but remained modest and humble up to his death.