The Great Escape (1963)

Allied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.

Director:

John Sturges

Writers:

Paul Brickhill (book), James Clavell (screenplay)

Stars:

Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough

Top Rated Movies #142 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 '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

Storyline

Based on a true story, a group of allied escape artist-type prisoners-of-war are all put in an "escape proof" camp. Their leader decides to try to take out several hundred all at once. The first half of the movie is played for comedy, as the prisoners mostly outwit their jailers to dig the escape tunnel. The second half is high adventure as they use planes, trains, and boats to get out of occupied Europe.

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Plot Keywords:

tunnel | escape from prison | escape | prisoner of war | nazi germany | 

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Taglines:

Hours ago... Minutes ago.... These men were behind barbed wire.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song sung by Ives and MacDonald on the fourth of July is "Wha Hae the 42nd?" Contrary to common belief, it is not in Gaelic, but in Scottish. The 42nd Regiment of Foot was the Scottish regiment in the British Army, known as "the Black Watch".

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Goofs

While Hilts is contemplating throwing his baseball to the "blind spot" at the fence, he backs up to the shadows at the corner of one of the prisoner's huts. When the camera cuts back to the same spot at corner of the hut, the area is no longer in shadows.

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Quotes

MacDonald: [learning the escape tunnel is twenty feet short of the woods] We could postpone until we dig to the trees.
Bartlett: All the documents are dated today. It's now or never.

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Alternate Versions

Some TV versions edit the scene in which Ives is shot and killed for trying to escape over the fence.

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Connections

Referenced in Supernatural: The Usual Suspects (2006)

User Reviews

Great Movie

This film does take a few libertys with facts, there were no Americans involved in the escape, though some helped plan it, and where transferred to another camp at the last moment.This film though is about heroes and the spirit of freedom.T he film belongs to McQueen who is just fantastic to watch the camera loved him and I believe one day he will jump that fence.The rest of the cast are particurlarly good, the scene where the forger is told he can't escape is moving especially when James Garner volunteers to look after him.The James Garner character is roll model for me I always try to scrounge things.Simply watch and enjoy a truly great movie you will laugh and then feel down. I give this movie 8/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German French Russian Spanish

Release Date:

4 July 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Great Escape

Filming Locations:

Perlacher Forst, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$228,178

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mirisch Company, Alpha

Technical Specs

Runtime:

172 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1