A slew of WWII POWs arrive at the newly minted Nazi prison, Stalag Luft III. An British captain named Ramsey (James Donald) is brought in by caravan as the new captives are directed to their quarters. Ramsey is called to Colonel Von Luger’s (Hannes Messemer), who explains to the “guest” that Luft III has had a few breakout, but the men have always been found and brought right back. To this, Ramsey urges the colonel that it is an inmate’s “duty” to find a way to break out, and that his men’s efforts of getting free will not stop. Von Luger explicates his immediate plan to keep all the “rotten eggs in one basket,” or separate the re-captured in one area and heavily monitor the bunkers.
One of these so called “villains” is ‘The Cooler King’ Captain Hilts (Steve McQueen), a crafty POW that has racked up 18 escape attempts and begins to re-case the joint as soon as he steps off the transport. Conjunctive-ly, two other inmates, ‘Tunnel King’ Danny (Charles Bronson) and ‘The Manufacturer’ Sedgewick (James Coburn) come up with an “on the spot” escape attempt by posing as members of a “landscaping” crew brought in to clear land for expansion. This plan is foiled at the gate by a watchful SS, and finds ‘The Mole’ Ives (Angus Lennie) stow-ing away underneath a brush pile on the back of a truck. After the stunt, “smart” remarks are dealt out by Hilts and Ives, which books them a trip to solitary. The two begin talking “across the wall” about their respective pasts. Of course, idle chat takes a quick back seat to them devising a new “flight” plan. Another key prisoner, ‘Big X’ Bartlett (Richard Attenborough) has a meeting with Ramsey. They have a lively discussion about how Luft III’s sterling track record is poised to be throttled by the incredible group of POWs that just so happen to be within the walls at the same time. And Bartlett believes that with this group of heavyweights, a mass escape can be done. This gets the ball rolling full tilt on a classic war flick featuring a “who’s who” of acting pedigree and utilizes strong performances to tell a story for the ages.
“Old” war films are kind of like old westerns in the way that they can either be really interesting, and deep, and rewarding, or they can be more on the dry and boring side. The Great Escape avoids the latter, and keeps things ramped up for most of the (roughly) three hours. Director John Sturges gets the message across that everything the players do is something related to busting out. Don’t expect any side plots or sub stories that may be meant to act as a “filler.” Every scene, interaction, line, ect. has a distinct purpose. But this film was done in the ’60s, so don’t expect much “experimentation” when it comes to the production elements. “Vanilla” editing and standard shooting practices are implemented. To interject emotion from scene to scene, a forcefully driven music score from Elmer Bernstein offers constant excitement and suspense. Events can be easily discerned according to the beautiful accompaniment. Sturges and co. understood nothing should cut in on what’s being told, and the way each moment depends on the last. The script is one of surprisingly crisp dialogue and noteworthy reverb. The writing team of James Clavell and W.R. Burnett were able to assemble lines that draws the audience in to even the smallest of details about “the plan.” It also gives plenty of ammo to the great ensemble cast.
While the enveloping plot is really good and could stand up on it’s own with little assistance, the real joy of Escape is the acting. This film seems to implore an interesting, but effective strategy. Because of the prowess at hand, there are a couple of central “groups” to which the cast is divvied up. Some were put in place for the “mastermind” portion of the narrative. Those that did more careful planning and oversight than “getting their hands dirty.” Richard Attenborough is the perfect example. His role as ‘Big X’ placed emphasis on his manipulation of the talent around him, and being able to orate everyone when it matters most. A little more into the proceedings, James Garner and Donald Pleasence also pick up this billing. Their “intellectual advantages” and connections to the outside make them invaluable when things are just beginning to gel. The other side of the coin is the “brawn.” A spry Charles Bronson and action hero Steve McQueen are at the forefront. Now, I don’t mean to say they’re “lame brains.” But it’s clear their purpose is to handle the “heavy lifting” and do “what needs to be done” if the situation calls for it. It takes some time to really appreciate this end, but it becomes the late stage kick in the pants as Escape reaches its eventuality.
The presentation is really good considering the age of the film. The decoding process for the DTS-HD Master track had to be quite the undertaking. But the conversion team on this Blu-ray put together a swell listening environment, with balance a constant and instances of “power” when the action ramps up. The visual quality is stellar, again, when considering the source. BD conversion is something that has definitely come along, and it shows here. Not only are the resolution components (lighting, tone, color, what have you) awesome, but so is the frame rate. From time to time, older pictures have a haze-y shutter to them on digital formats. Not the case with Escape. Things moved fluidly with no sign of “lag.” A pleasant surprise, to say the least.
The Special Features are a collection of multi-length features (some narrated by Burt Reynolds) that do much to “fill in” the truths behind the mass exodus of Stalag Luft III.
–“The Great Escape: Bringing Fact to Fiction”: Details the liberties taken by “Hollywood” from the actual happenings to ensure a worthwhile viewing experience for 1963 audiences.
-“The Great Escape: Preparations for Freedom”: Features comments from actual POWs that were involved in the documented attempt about what made the camp tough and the ways they found to use the “cracks” to their advantage.
-“The Great Escape: The Flight to Freedom”: Goes in-depth about the night of the escape and the ways the film drew inspiration from reality.
-“The Great Escape: A Standing Ovation”: Spends time explaining the fandom and critical acclaim Escape was able to attain and how it helped launch the careers of some of the actors.
-“The Great Escape: The Untold Story”: An hour long feature that explains the lengths taken to find the Gestapo members responsible for the autrocity against those of the Luft III breakout.
-“The Great Escape: The Untold Story – Additional Interviews”: Adds more details to the above extra by those with first hand knowledge of the subject.
-“The Real Virgil Hilts: A Man Called Jones”: A back story piece about David Jones, the real life counterpart for McQueen’s character.
-“Return to The Great Escape”: Explains more of the “real connections” that were intertwined into the screenplay and the strides made to mark a sense of authenticity.
There is also commentary with John Stuges, “cast & crew” and a theatrical trailer.