The Great Escape

the very best “world war movie” ever .. no ifs ands or buts

It does not get much better than THE GREAT ESCAPE. It's truly an American classic that seems as fresh now as it did 40 years ago. Steve McQueen's daring motorcyle escape is a screen legend. It is amazing to know that THE GREAT ESCAPE is based on a real life escape from a POW camp. It is an incredible story of bravery and ingenuity. Director John Sturges strived for complete authenticity and accuracy. The POW camp was built with painstaking detail outside of German studio. Although some characters were composites of several men, an effort was made to tell the real story using actual former prisoners and escapees as consultants. I highly recommend the 2 disc Special Edition that is loaded with featurettes about the filming of the movie and of the desire for authenticity. Cast and crew give their recollections as do the former POW. THE GREAT ESCAPE is stunning in its beauty. The international cast is a testament to great filmmaking. Ironically, the Americans were transferred to another camp before the actual escape, so in real life no Americans made the escape. They did participate in the planning. Steve McQueen and James Garner were important to the filmmakers to make the film more bankable with leading American actors. McQueen was promised a chance to show off his motorcycle riding skills and the script was changed so that the famous motorcyle seen was added. McQueen did most of the riding but was not allowed, for insurance reasons, to do the actual dangerous jump. It is also mentioned in the features that not only is he being chased, he also played the part of the German chasing him. The featurettes are so full of fascinating facts that you can't miss them.

This would be the ideal double-bill with The Magnificent Seven, because it reunites director John Sturges with composer Elmer Bernstein and co-stars Charles Bronson, James Coburn and Steve McQueen. It's also a richer and more interesting story. Based on the book by Paul Brickhill, it is the dramatization of a real event: the biggest prison break of World War II. In 1944 the Germans had moved several hundred Allied prisoners of war deemed incorrigible to a special high-security camp near Zagan, Poland, where they were supposed to be contained. But the German high command badly underestimated the determination and resourcefulness of those prisoners, who planned, literally, the Great Escape. It is a sprawling, thrilling, engrossing movie, with a centerpiece motorcycle chase involving McQueen that remains unsurpassed to this day, because he did nearly the whole thing himself and for real - though the incident itself is fictional. His expression at the end of the chase remains a quintessential example of the glorious wiseacre nature of the American military during the war. Shot entirely on location in Germany, the movie represents nearly a decade of effort by Sturges to find a studio that would back the project. With Richard Attenborough as "Big X," the effort's mastermind; James Garner as Hendley, "The Scrounger;" Donald Pleasance as Blythe, "The Forger," and Angus Lennie as Ives, "The Mole," who at 5-feet 4-inches provides much of the story's heart and tragic soul. Yes, it is definitely a Hollywood production, but it stands as a fitting tribute to the courage and daring of the men it portrays. Phil's Favorite 500: Loves of a Moviegoing Lifetime (2014 edition)

Seller was great. Arrow 4k UHD release is the best one on the market.

The Great Escape (1963) Adventure, Drama, History, 172 minutes Directed by John Sturges Starring Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough The Great Escape runs almost three hours, but it's never boring. Don't think of it as a traditional war film as there are no battle scenes of any kind. This looks at how people dealt with captivity in a German POW camp. Although it's based on true events, there is far too much humor for us to take the story completely seriously. It's meant as pure entertainment and features one of the strongest ensemble casts in movie history, featuring the likes of Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, David McCallum, Nigel Stock and Gordon Jackson. It's the duty of every officer to attempt to escape or force the enemy to deploy a ridiculous amount of resources to prevent escapes. The Allied airmen perform that task to their best of their abilities. We see seven people attempt escape in the opening 20 minutes, but these are clumsy efforts meant to test the enemy. Once that is over, the commanding officers devise a more serious plan. This is a fascinating segment in which we are shown how every man has a part to play, according to his expertise. The group decides to begin three escape tunnels and has several men experienced in that area. While that sounds easy, it's a logistical nightmare. Wood is needed to prevent tunnels from collapsing, so the group takes planks from every possible source. The dirt has to be disposed of and presents another problem. If the escape succeeds, the prisoners will need clothes and documentation to evade capture. They will need to be able to pass as German or French. We are shown how the group comes together and acquires all the necessary materials. Despite setbacks, a number of prisoners eventually escape. This presents another problem because they can't all use the same escape route. Some travel by train, some by river, and others by cycle, plane or motorcycle. The most appealing thing about The Great Escape is the sense of camaraderie and seeing how well the group functions as a unit. The Allied commander and the German Kommandant treat each other with respect. It's accepted that the prisoners will try to escape, but there's a sense of honor between the two sides. The Germans would likely attempt similar escapes if the roles were reversed. Although the humor does take away from the serious nature of the situation, I don't think any disrespect is intended. The movie is dedicated to those who lost their lives. The story works because of the charisma of the cast and the pacing of the events as they unfold. I'm not a fan of war films focusing on battles and glory, but I do appreciate a look behind the scenes at the psychological aspects and group dynamics. That's where The Great Escape shines. June 5, 2013 Edit: The Blu-ray presentation is extremely weak and disappointing. The colors are generally drab and washed out, and fine detail is rarely seen, even in close-ups. I would normally urge anyone to upgrade to Blu-ray if they like the movie, but I have to wonder whether a better version will be released in a few years. Some scenes look just as bad as the DVD. I see this as a wasted opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film. MGM needs to remaster it as soon as possible, and offer free upgrades to anyone who owns this initial Blu-ray release. The special features should be on a separate disc to maximize the quality of a film which runs almost three hours. Even though Amazon is charging just $9.99 at the time of writing, I can't recommend this poor presentation.

È sempre un piacere rivedere questo film anni 60

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Bonjour, Ayant déjà le film en dvd cette version est bien meilleure au niveau des bonus. Déjà les sous titresont présents (ce qui a permis à mon fils de le regarder aussi). La qualité audio et de l'image est bonne. La boite est en métal et est de qualité. Quant au film je l'ai aussi regardé la qualité est bien supérieure en Blu ray que la version DVD Je recommande ce produit.

Excellent movie made from a real incident

この映画やっぱりいいな。ワイドスクリーンなので大画面で是非！ ウルトラワイドモニターがあるんだからウルトラワイドテレビがあっても良いと思うけど。テレビの上下切れるの嫌だから是非販売してほしいな。