The Great Escape (1963)
When I finally got around to watching this classic, I remember jokingly rolling my eyes at my mom. “How can this movie be exciting?” I asked. “Obviously, they get away with it, otherwise the movie would have been called The Great Failure.” And, clocking in at nearly three hours, I thought I’d be bored to tears. The last laugh’s on me, since it turned out to be a very exciting three hours.
What is perhaps the most charming aspect of the film (even more so than Elmer Bernstein’s American version of “Colonel Bogey March”) is the screenplay’s connection to the actors. Charles Bronson’s character was Russian, worked in a coalmine as a child, and suffered from claustrophobia; all taken from his own background. Donald Pleasance was captured, tortured, and held in a German prison camp during WWII. In the Korean War, James Garner was a “scrounger” and found hard-to-get items for a price; his character in the film was built around his real-life experience. Screenwriters James Clavell and W.R. Burnett added in realism that built on the tension in the plot and the camaraderie between the actors.
As entertaining, thrilling, and interesting as the film’s journey was, I did have one little criticism. My criticism of the movie was the lack of time period authenticity. The hairstyles and fashions belonged in 1963, not in the mid-1940s. There was also a healthy dose of Stalag 17 injected into this movie, glamorizing enemy war camps. Everyone’s hair looked clean, no one had to grow a mangy beard, become malnourished, or suffer from drinking contaminated water. At times, it seemed like Richard Attenborough orchestrated an escape plan simply for entertainment, rather than because the prisoners were treated intolerably.
However, it seems like a small price to pay for such a classic movie. There’s a terrific cast, and everyone looks like they’re having a blast during filming. It truly is one of the best pictures of the year.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Ric Vani" for posting!
More James Garner movies here!
What is perhaps the most charming aspect of the film (even more so than Elmer Bernstein’s American version of “Colonel Bogey March”) is the screenplay’s connection to the actors. Charles Bronson’s character was Russian, worked in a coalmine as a child, and suffered from claustrophobia; all taken from his own background. Donald Pleasance was captured, tortured, and held in a German prison camp during WWII. In the Korean War, James Garner was a “scrounger” and found hard-to-get items for a price; his character in the film was built around his real-life experience. Screenwriters James Clavell and W.R. Burnett added in realism that built on the tension in the plot and the camaraderie between the actors.
As entertaining, thrilling, and interesting as the film’s journey was, I did have one little criticism. My criticism of the movie was the lack of time period authenticity. The hairstyles and fashions belonged in 1963, not in the mid-1940s. There was also a healthy dose of Stalag 17 injected into this movie, glamorizing enemy war camps. Everyone’s hair looked clean, no one had to grow a mangy beard, become malnourished, or suffer from drinking contaminated water. At times, it seemed like Richard Attenborough orchestrated an escape plan simply for entertainment, rather than because the prisoners were treated intolerably.
However, it seems like a small price to pay for such a classic movie. There’s a terrific cast, and everyone looks like they’re having a blast during filming. It truly is one of the best pictures of the year.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Ric Vani" for posting!
More James Garner movies here!
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Director of 1963
Best Supporting Actor: Charles Bronson
Best Dramatic Screenplay
Best Musical Score: Elmer Bernstein