By: Joe Suszczynski
Whenever I write this column about a classic movie I usually choose a theme, which is usually a genre of film or a specific person—something of that nature. One theme I have yet to touch on is personal favorites. It just so happens that my personal favorite movie of all time is also a classic movie, called “The Great Escape,” which was released in 1963 and directed by John Sturges.
The movie takes place during World War II in Germany at a Prisoner of War, POW, camp where allied pilots are brought in and held. The Commandant of the camp, Colonel Von Luger (Hannes Messemer), is tasked with overseeing the camp, which attempts to house prisoners who are known escape artists. After trying to make quick escapes that end up failing, the allied flyers settle in, until Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett (Richard Attenborough) of the Royal Air Force, RAF, is brought into the camp. Bartlett is known as “Big X”. He starts to make plans to have three tunnels dug, the intention being to set free 250 prisoners with the help of many other officers in the camp, most of whom are British, with the exception of three American officers, (Steve McQueen, James Gardner, and Jud Taylor).
One great aspect of the movie is the acting and the fact that there is an all-star cast is fantastic. Steve McQueen steals the show as Captain Virgil Hilts, whose quick quips and frequent escape attempts land him in the “cooler”, eventually dubbing him the “Cooler King.” As much as McQueen steals the show, my favorite character is Hendley, played by James Gardner. He is known as “The Scrounger”, who steals items for the other officers; Gardner’s role is an extension of himself when he had served in Korea and was considered to be a scrounger. Every other actor in this movie did an excellent job—the roles just fit every actor like a glove.
John Sturges did a great job in directing the movie. He doesn’t try to make the movie a high-action film, filled with explosions and excessive gunfire, but takes a route utilizing a slow, but well-paced drama that contains the proper amount of action. It should also be noted that McQueen did most of his stunts in the movie in regards to his character driving a motorcycle, as McQueen is a known motorcyclist, which were brilliantly shot scenes.
The writing was also well done. The film was based on a true story where allied flyers attempted to break out of the German prison camp Stalag Luft III. The characters are well developed and the story flows nicely. There’s even humor injected in the story; along with being engrossed in the story you can have some comedic relief as well.
I love this movie because the acting is well done, directed brilliantly and well written. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes war related movies or any famous actor who’s in the movie. And for that it needs to be respected.
