The Great Escape (1963)

Wow! Such a good movie.

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

The great escape Six-hundred American and English officers worked together for a year to plan and execute the escape of a nazi prisoners'camp in 1944, the biggest ever attempted in militar history. This great picture tells that real history with a great cast of actors as the instigators of the escape: the main British organizer is Richard Attenborough; the expert on tinnels is Charles Bronson; the role of especialist in forging documents belongs to Donald Pleasence; the one in charge of the supplies is played by James Garner and finally, the guy who comes up with the brilliant ideas is for Steve Mcqueen. Bases on a real story, The Great Escape is a masterwork by director John Sturges (The magnificient seven), the scripwriters James Clavell and W.R. Burnett, and the composer, Elmer Bernstein, whose score adjusts like a glove to the film's ever increasing tension.So much for the summary of the movie. Let's get stuck into it, shall we?. It's one of those adventures films like Master and Comander and The Treasure Island that somehow take place inside a concentration camp in Germany. Steve Mcqueen stands out above the rest of the characters because of his almost poetic determination to get out as well as his heroe-like attitude. His stunts (I'd like to believe he did them himself) with the motorcycle towards the end of the picture blew my mind away, making me to jump off my seat and shout out loud: you're gonna make it! Eventually he doesn't. That's not the point though: the point is he managed to prove, to keep up hope when there was none!

The movie is based on some real events that happened during World War II. The Prisoners of War are kept in camp, guarded by efficient force. Many of them try to escape, several times; but fail. Later, they plan for a mass escape of 250 prisoners. They construct a tunnel from the prison to the forest outside the camp. It was not an easy job. It was time consuming and required a lot of hard work along with tactics.Though it is a very serious movie, first half is fun filled, with a lot of material to laugh. This establishes the relationship between the prisoners and the total atmosphere at the camp. Later it is very thrilling. It is hard to believe that the movie was released in 1963. Such a brilliant making, with amazing visuals.Do not miss this. A must watch.#KiduMovie

Factually satisfying but too much of a wink from Broadway to feel like a war movie. This is a prison camp movie, and more specifically, a prison camp rum by the German Air Force, where the pilot code protects beyond its' nationality. I wouldn't have been surprised for the leaders to sit down for a tea. Characters and plots were a bit simpler until the last 40 years, but they were nobler as well. This is such a well known film, that to further pick at tit s=would only show my cin-agenda, much like those for whom the experience rings of old time patriotism. I like my WWII Germans to be obvious villains and my hero top be perceived to be in peril, despite the outcome. The Steve McQueen motorcycle cool seems a bit propped up and our David Attenborough leader a bit too elitist. I was compelled to watch this through a respect for other reviews and recommendations, but I take my tea a bit harder.

The Great Escape is sure a lot of fun. I was unsure whether a film of this magnitude could pull off all these characters, but I can say it does an admirable job at that. All the characters also admirably show what a person will do in order to obtain freedom, all the while depicting their German captors in a not so unsympathetic light; there is still chivalry among the armies.As far as characters are concerned, Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough really stand out as Allied captives. One minor character I enjoyed was the German soldier Werner, who has a funny interaction with Garner's character in the barracks.The last thirty minutes of The Great Escape dawdle a bit and come across as a bit of a footnote at first, until the viewer realizes the full scope and objective of the plan. Overall, there is a ton to like and this film is close enough to perfect to deserve a 4 out of 4 star rating.