A Western movie starring Yul Brynner
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The story was adapted by James Clavell, W.R. Burnett, and Walter Newman from Paul Brickhill's book The Great Escape. Brickhill had been a prisoner at Stalag Luft III during World War II.
The screenwriters increased the importance of the roles of American POWs; their role was minor and the escape was a largely British affair.[1] While Americans in the POW camp helped build the tunnels and worked on the early escape plans, they were separated from the Europeans before the tunnels could be completed. Fictional elements were added, such as Hilts's dash for the border by motorcycle. This was done at the request of McQueen, who did the stunt riding himself except for the final jump.[citation needed]
Ex-POWs asked filmmakers to exclude details about the help the POWs received from their home countries, such as maps, papers, and tools hidden in gift packages, lest it jeopardize future POW escapes. The filmmakers complied.[2]
[edit] Casting
Steve McQueen's Virgil Hilts, "remains one of the film's most enduring characters, his cooler king having become an icon of cool who continues to inform popular culture."[citation needed] Critic Leonard Maltin wrote that "the large, international cast is superb, but the standout is McQueen; it's easy to see why this cemented his status as a superstar."[3]
Richard Attenborough was cast as Sq Ldr Roger Bartlett RAF ("Big X"), a character based on Roger Bushell, the South Africa-born British POW who was the mastermind of the real Great Escape.[4] Flt Lt Colin Blythe RAF ("The Forger") was based on Tim Walenn and played by Donald Pleasence.[5] Pleasence himself had served in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He was shot down and spent a year in German prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft 1.
James Garner had been a soldier in the Korean War and was twice wounded. He was a scrounger during that time, as is his character Flt Lt Hendley.[6]
Hannes Messemer was cast as the Kommandant of Stalag Luft III, "Colonel von Luger," a character based on Oberst Friedrich Wilhelm von Lindeiner-Wildau.[7]
Angus Lennie's Flying Officer Archibald Ives, "The Mole", was based on Jimmy Kiddel, who was shot dead while trying to scale the fence.[8]
Cast:
Steve McQueen,
James Garner,
Charles Bronson,
Donald Pleasence,
James Donald,
George Mikell,
Richard Attenborough,
Karl Otto Alberty,
Gordon Jackson,
James Coburn,
Nigel Stock,
Lawrence Montaigne,
Tom Adams,
John Leyton,
David McCallum,
Angus Lennie,
Jud Taylor,
William Russell,
Robert Desmond,
Hannes Messemer,
Robert Graf,
Harry Riebauer,
Hans Reiser,
Robert Freitag,
Heinz Weiss,
Til Kiwe,
Ulrich Beiger
Director: John Sturges
Genre: War
Release Date: July 4, 1963
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Screen Writer: James Clavell, W.R. Burnett, Paul Brickhill
Runtime: 2hrs 50min
Director: John Sturges
Genre: War
Release Date: July 4, 1963
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Screen Writer: James Clavell, W.R. Burnett, Paul Brickhill
Runtime: 2hrs 50min
More The Great Escape (1963 movie) reviews
This is probably my favourite WWII movie, one of the main reasons that I love it is because it's one of the only films which shows a realistic viewpoint of both sides. It made me want to go and learn more about the different organisations, and I think that any film that continues to impact you outside of its runtime is a winner.
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