Put a fence in front of these men... and they'll climb it!
The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners plan one of the most ambitious escape attempts of World War II. Based on a true story.
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Character
Classical in form, earnest, resolved and meticulous.
- classical in formformally daring
- earnestironic
- resolvedopen-ended
- rawmeticulous
- intimateepic
Who loves it, who doesn't
43 profiled raters. Loved most by The Prestige Hunters; disliked most by The Genre Devotees.
Where do you stand?
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“Is Steve McQueen the best thing in The Great Escape?”
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“Is The Great Escape better than The Magnificent Seven?”
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“Is it too big for its own story?”
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jun 20248/10
Got to be the definition of an all star (albeit all male) cast in this gripping demonstration of just how inventive and ingenious people can be when incarcerated and facing a bleak (if any) future. Each character in this WWII POW drama brings something different to this ensemble of style and imagination. Richard Attenborough stars as the proverbial pain in the ass to his Nazi guards having repeatedly escaped before, and he puts together his "X" organisation to work every scheme imaginable to get people out of this supposedly escape proof "Super-Stalag ". Steve McQueen forms an unlikely alliance with Angus "the Mole" Lennie; James "the scrounge" Garner with the expert, tea-drinking, forger Donald Pleasance whose eyesight is failing rapidly; Charles Bronson and James Coburn and a whole raft of seasoned British actors bring this whole enterprise to life in a gritty, sometimes amusing, but ultimately determined way. Hannes Messemer "The Kommandant" also deserves mention as he seems to still cling to some of the basic tenets of human decency as he tries to stop the Gestapo from implementing their more drastic solutions. Elmer Bernstein tops the whole thing off with a cracking score. It
Read the whole review on TMDB - John Chardon TMDB · Sep 201910/10
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 bo
Read the whole review on TMDB - GenerationofSwineon TMDB · Jan 202310/10
I can't watch this any more. It's a fun movie, one that my dad made me watch as a kid. One that I loved... .... and then Eddie Izzard killed it for me. Now whenever I try to watch it all I do is think about his stand-up bit. I think it was from his "Dressed to Kill," maybe "Circle," but whichever it was, that is how you know you're hysterical, when you forever utterly ruin a classic movie because your routine surpasses the film you're making fun of. Anyway, Izzard had a point, so it's fair I can't not think of him whenever I watch it. He turned Steve McQueen's character into a joke and I love him for it. But, if you haven't seen the stand-up, it's a fun movie. It's not as good as Stalag 13, but it's more of an action film and one that, well, Izzard had a point but it's still a fun movie.
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Cast
- Steve McQueenHilts 'The Cooler King'
- James GarnerHendley 'The Scrounger'
- Richard AttenboroughBartlett 'Big X'
- James DonaldRamsey 'The SBO'
- Charles BronsonDanny 'Tunnel King'
- Donald PleasenceBlythe 'The Forger'
- James CoburnSedgwick 'Manufacturer'
- Hannes MessemerVon Luger 'The Kommandant'
- David McCallumAshley-Pitt 'Dispersal'
- Gordon JacksonMacDonald 'Intelligence'
Crew
- John SturgesDirector
- James ClavellScreenplay
- W.R. BurnettScreenplay
- Paul BrickhillNovel
- Daniel L. FappDirector of Photography
- Elmer BernsteinOriginal Music Composer
- Ferris WebsterEditor
- John SturgesProducer
- James ClavellProducer
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
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The Dirty Dozen 196781% alikeBoth classical in form, resolved.
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Versailles 201580% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, earnest, epic.
Often watched with
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