The Great Escape (1963)

Directed by John Sturges. Starring Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, James Garner, Donald Pleasence, Charles Bronson, James Donald, Gordon Jackson, Hannes Messemer, Angus Lennie, James Coburn, John Leyton, David McCallum, Robert Graf, Nigel Stock.

Classic POW film dramatizing the efforts of hundreds of prisoners to escape a German stalag during World War II. Director Sturges assembled a fine ensemble cast (including a few of the gunfighters from his earlier film, The Magnificent Seven), shot it on scenic locations primarily in and around Bavaria, and oiled the machine with plenty of action, humor, suspense and pathos. No real depth or psychological interest; just terrific escapist entertainment. Based on Paul Brickhill’s nonfiction book of the same name. Composer Elmer Bernstein (who had also previously worked with Sturges on The Magnificent Seven) provides the unforgettable score. A Hollywood crowd-pleaser, not a history lesson—though the opening disclaimer notes that changes/composites were made to the characters and timeline, it also promises that “every detail of the escape is the way it really happened” (which is also quite inaccurate).

87/100