The Great Escape

1963 "Put a fence in front of these men... and they'll climb it!"
8.2| 2h53m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 04 July 1963 Released
Producted By: The Mirisch Company
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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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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Director

John Sturges

Production Companies

The Mirisch Company

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The Great Escape Audience Reviews

VividSimon Simply Perfect
Steineded How sad is this?
Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.
adonis98-743-186503 Allied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II. I liked 'The Great Escape' way better when it was called 'Victory' and starred Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine and Man Von Sydow cause this version was just awful and of course i'm kidding by the way but this movie was completely pure garbage and just very and i mean very long and boring to the point where even the great actors that starred to it seemed lost and full of despair but don't worry there's always the better version remember? (0/10)
ptyagi-13755 Based on veracious events, the movie has all elements of being a masterpiece. This could not be called to be a tedious artwork despite a gargantuan running time of almost 3 hours. Instead, the movie captures the imagination of the viewers, perhaps due to the ingenuity being shown by the director in the making of it.
Leofwine_draca THE GREAT ESCAPE is director John Sturges's follow up to THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and if anything it's even more epic than his classic western. Once again we have an all-star cast taking place in an action and suspense-filled story, this time about a jailbreak from a prisoner of war camp in Germany. Despite an incredible running time, this film is enjoyable for every second of screen time; it has humour and heart in spades, and of the huge cast, nobody puts a foot wrong. I think Steve McQueen steals all of his scenes here in a show-stopping role, but others like Richard Attenborough and James Garner are more quietly determined while Donald Pleasence and Charles Bronson are the most sympathetic you'll ever see them. A classic and worthwhile tale is told with the budget to tell it properly and the production values are quite brilliant throughout. It's an unashamed fist-thumping classic and a film I never tire of watching; I love it to bits and can't say a bad thing about it.
Takethispunch EditIn 1943, having expended enormous resources on recapturing escaped Allied prisoners of war (POWs), the Germans move the most determined to a new, high-security prisoner of war camp. The commandant, Luftwaffe Colonel von Luger (Hannes Messemer), tells the senior British officer, Group Captain Ramsey (James Donald), "There will be no escapes from this camp." Von Luger points out the various features of the new camp designed to prevent escape, as well as the advantages that the prisoners will receive as an incentive not to try. After several failed escape attempts on the first day, the POWs settle into life at the prison camp.Meanwhile, Gestapo and SD agents bring RAF Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett (Richard Attenborough) to the camp. Known as "Big X", Bartlett is introduced as the principal organiser of escapes. As Kuhn (Hans Reiser) leaves, he warns Bartlett that if he escapes again, he will be shot. However, locked up with "every escape artist in Germany", Bartlett immediately plans the greatest escape attempted, with tunnels for breaking out 250 prisoners, to the point that as many troops and resources as possible will be wasted on finding POWs instead of being used on the front line.Teams are organised to support the effort. Flight Lieutenant Robert Hendley (James Garner), an American in the RAF, is "the scrounger" who finds needed materials, from a camera to clothes and identity cards. Australian Flying Officer Louis Sedgwick (James Coburn), "the manufacturer," makes necessary tools like picks for digging and bellows for pumping air into the tunnels. Flight Lieutenants Danny Valinski (Charles Bronson) and William "Willie" Dickes (John Leyton) are "the tunnel kings" in charge of digging the tunnels. Flight Lieutenant Andrew MacDonald (Gordon Jackson) acts as intelligence provider and Bartlett's second-in-command. Lieutenant Commander Eric Ashley-Pitt (David McCallum) of the Royal Navy devises a method of spreading soil from the tunnels over the camp, under the guards' noses. Flight Lieutenant Griffith (Robert Desmond) acts as "the tailor", creating civilian outfits from scavenged cloth. Forgery is handled by Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe (Donald Pleasence), who becomes nearly blind due to progressive myopia caused by intricate work by candlelight; Hendley takes it upon himself to be Blythe's guide in the escape. The prisoners work on three tunnels simultaneously, calling them "Tom", "Dick", and "Harry".