The Great Escape (1963)

Directed by

John Sturges

Genre

drama film, adventure film, war film, thriller film, historical film

Country

United States

Runtime

2h 45m

Rated

NR

Rating

7.9 of 10 from 2,872 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Allied prisoners of war in a German camp plan and execute a massive escape attempt. The story follows several men as they dig tunnels and prepare forged documents in hopes of getting away.

tenseupbeatinventivebriskdeterminedspiritedsuspenseful

What happens

The Great Escape is a 1963 American epic war adventure film starring Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough and featuring James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, Hannes Messemer, David McCallum, Gordon Jackson, John Leyton and Angus Lennie. It was filmed in Panavision, and its musical score was composed by Elmer Bernstein. Adapted from Paul Brickhill's 1950 non-fiction book of the same name, the film depicts a heavily fictionalized version of the mass escape by British Commonwealth prisoners of war from German POW camp Stalag Luft III in World War II. The film made numerous compromises for its commercial appeal, including its portrayal of American involvement in the escape. The Great Escape was made by The Mirisch Company, released by United Artists, and produced and directed by John Sturges. The film had its Royal World Premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in London's West End on 20 June 1963. The Great Escape received critical acclaim and emerged as one of the highest-grossing films of the year, winning McQueen the award for Best Actor at the Moscow International Film Festival, and in later years has gained a cult following. The film is also noted for its motorcycle chase and jump scene, which is considered one of the best stunts ever performed. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• The Quick and the Dead (1963)
• The Young and The Brave (1963)
• The Last Escape (1970)
• Stalag 17 (1953)
• The Ceremony (1963)
• Von Ryan's Express (1965)
• The Cross of Lorraine (1943)
• Captured! (1933)