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IMDbPro

The Great Escape

  • 19631963
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 2h 52m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
243K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,950
262
Richard Attenborough, Steve McQueen, and James Garner in 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.
Play trailer3:09
3 Videos
99+ Photos
AdventureDramaHistory
Allied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.Allied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.Allied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
243K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,950
262
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • John Sturges
    • Writers
      • Paul Brickhill(based on the book by)
      • James Clavell(screen play by)
      • W.R. Burnett(screen play by)
    • Stars
      • Steve McQueen
      • James Garner
      • Richard Attenborough
    Top credits
    • Director
      • John Sturges
    • Writers
      • Paul Brickhill(based on the book by)
      • James Clavell(screen play by)
      • W.R. Burnett(screen play by)
    • Stars
      • Steve McQueen
      • James Garner
      • Richard Attenborough
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 422User reviews
    • 122Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
    Top rated movie #149
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 3 wins & 11 nominations total

    Videos3

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 3:09
    Official Trailer
    The Great Escape
    Trailer 2:42
    The Great Escape
    'The Great Escape' Anniversary Mashup
    Video 1:01
    'The Great Escape' Anniversary Mashup

    Photos175

    Steve McQueen in The Great Escape (1963)
    Steve McQueen in The Great Escape (1963)
    James Garner in The Great Escape (1963)
    Charles Bronson in The Great Escape (1963)
    Steve McQueen in The Great Escape (1963)
    Steve McQueen in The Great Escape (1963)
    Steve McQueen in The Great Escape (1963)
    Richard Attenborough in The Great Escape (1963)
    Donald Pleasence and James Garner in The Great Escape (1963)
    Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Jud Taylor in The Great Escape (1963)
    Steve McQueen in The Great Escape (1963)
    Richard Attenborough, Donald Pleasence, James Garner, and Gordon Jackson in The Great Escape (1963)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Steve McQueen
    Steve McQueen
    • Hilts 'The Cooler King'
    James Garner
    James Garner
    • Hendley 'The Scrounger'
    Richard Attenborough
    Richard Attenborough
    • Bartlett 'Big X'
    Charles Bronson
    Charles Bronson
    • Danny 'Tunnel King'
    James Donald
    James Donald
    • Ramsey 'The SBO'
    Donald Pleasence
    Donald Pleasence
    • Blythe 'The Forger'
    James Coburn
    James Coburn
    • Sedgwick 'Manufacturer'
    Hannes Messemer
    Hannes Messemer
    • Von Luger 'The Kommandant'
    David McCallum
    David McCallum
    • Ashley-Pitt 'Dispersal'
    Gordon Jackson
    Gordon Jackson
    • MacDonald 'Intelligence'
    John Leyton
    John Leyton
    • Willie 'Tunnel King'
    Angus Lennie
    Angus Lennie
    • Ives 'The Mole'
    Nigel Stock
    Nigel Stock
    • Cavendish 'The Surveyor'
    Robert Graf
    • Werner 'The Ferret'
    Jud Taylor
    Jud Taylor
    • Goff
    Hans Reiser
    • Herr Kuhn
    Harry Riebauer
    • Strachwitz
    William Russell
    William Russell
    • Sorren
    • Director
      • John Sturges
    • Writers
      • Paul Brickhill(based on the book by)
      • James Clavell(screen play by)
      • W.R. Burnett(screen play by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In this movie, several Americans (including Hilts and Henley) were amongst the escapees. In real life, American officers assisted with the construction of the escape tunnel, but weren't amongst the escapees, because the Germans moved them to a remote compound just before the escape.
    • Goofs
      Timbers are needed to hold back thousands of pounds of dirt from a tunnel collapse. The three feet long, 1/2 inch thick pieces taken from the bed frames shown used in the tunnel could not withstand the weight. However documentary interviews and excavation of the actual Stalag Luft 3 site, shows that the films depiction of the tunnel's construction was accurate. While the material used may not have been adequate for a professional tunnel or mine, they were apparently adequate for the task and some are still holding up the tunnel even now.
    • Quotes

      Sedgwick: Danny, do you speak Russian?

      Danny: A little, but only one sentence.

      Sedgwick: Well, let me have it, mate.

      Danny: Ya vas lyublyu.

      Sedgwick: Ya ya vas...

      Danny: Lyublyu.

      Sedgwick: Lyubliu? Ya vas lyubliu. Ya vas lyublyu. What's it mean?

      Danny: I love you.

      Sedgwick: Love you. What bloody good is that?

      Danny: I don't know, I wasn't going to use it myself.

    • Alternate versions
      Some TV versions edit the scene in which Ives is shot and killed for trying to escape over the fence.
    • Connections
      Edited into Return to 'the Great Escape' (1993)

    User reviews422

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Not just great, simply magnificent more like!
    "Wait a minute, you aren't seriously suggesting that if I get thru the wire and case everything out there, and don't get picked up, to turn myself in and get thrown in the cooler for a couple of months so you can get the information you need"

    Smart, witty and directed with adroit hands by John Sturges, The Great Escape is standing the test of time as a joyous multi cast family favourite. Based on the real accounts of allied soldiers escaping en mass from a German POW camp back in 1942, the film is involving from start to finish, due in the main to the wonderful array of characters on show. We follow them from the moment they arrive at the camp right through to the stunning climax, and it is with great joy I say that none of the cast lets the side down, they all do great work for the astute and undervalued Sturges. A number of great set pieces align with Elmer Bernstein's fabulous score to never let the blood settle, and in among the cheeky slices of humour is palpable tension to make this simply one of the best films of its type, in fact one of the best films ever.

    Sturges and his writers, James Clavell & W.R. Burnett, adapt from the book written by Paul Brickhill, someone who speaks from experience having been one of the prisoners of super POW camp Stalag Luft III, which of course is what The Great Escape is born from. Sturges was fascinated by the story and after trying without fail for over a decade to get it onto the screen, he finally succeeded. The success three years earlier of his star ensemble Western, The Magnificent Seven, enabled Sturges to realise his vision, the result of which is still enthralling new generations with each passing year.

    The cast is made up of notable thespians and iconic heroes. Steve McQueen (enticing the American audience in one feels), Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Donald, Donald Pleasance, James Coburn, James Garner, David McCallum, John Leyton and Gordon Jackson. Which of course is a pretty tidy roll call, but the input and impact of Hannes Messemer as the Camp Commandant, Colonel Von Luger should not be understated. His scenes have a real humanistic quality that shows a softer side of Germany to the one ruled by a certain despot (the finale here offering up the counter opposite of the war), the writers smartly, and rightly, not tarring a nation with the same old brush.

    A wonderful involving movie that puts characteristic heart in bed with the action and suspense laden plot. 10/10
    helpful•40
    11
    • hitchcockthelegend
    • Mar 4, 2008

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    FAQ9

    • What is 'The Great Escape' about?
    • Is this movie based on a book?
    • Is this a true story?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 4, 1963 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • French
      • Russian
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Gesprengte Ketten
    • Filming locations
      • Füssen, Bavaria, Germany
    • Production companies
      • The Mirisch Company
      • Alpha
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $4,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $228,178
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 52 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

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