Konmundun Network

Overview

Best Buy Great Escape [VHS] High quality
The Great Escape image of Steve McQueen (as “The Cooler King”) astride his motorcycle has entered silver-screen iconography, alongside Brando on his bike from The Wild One. Based on a true story about a group of POWs who mount a daring breakout from a supposedly inescapable Nazi prison camp, this rousing and suspenseful WWII epic features an all-star cast, including James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, and David McCallum. –Jim Emerson

Great Escape [VHS]

Comment with Great Escape [VHS]
I can’t imagine anyone has not seen this great film. I saw it as a kid in 1963 and have loved it ever since. It is director John Sturges’ triumph, coming three years after his other legendary film “The Magnificent 7.” The plot in quite simple. The Germans stupidly put hundreds of allied prisoners with histories of escaping from other camps in one “escape-proof” prison camp. It isn’t. This is based on a true story. However the original escape was by basically all British prisoners. In order to heighten box-office, a few American prisoners were added to the film, namely Steve McQueen and James Garner.
When one thinks of “The Great Escape,” one thinks Of McQueen on his motorcycle being chased by dozens of German soldiers. (No, despite what a lot of people think, McQueen did not do the motorcycle jump over the high German barbed-wire fence near the end. That was done by a buddy of his, professional motorcycle racer and stuntman Bud Elkins.) McQueen was a star before this film, he was a superstar afterward. Yet as we learn on one of the retrospectives included in this set, McQueen was unhappy with his role, thinking it did not give him enough to do. His co-stars, James Garner and James Coburn, had to go meet with him personally at his hotel to convince him to return to the film and stop creating so many problems during the filming. Despite what McQueen thought, his role as Hilts, the “cooler-king” is the star role in the film. Garner is as good as Hendley, the “scrounger,” the type of good-natured con-man that Garner played in “Maverick” and turned into an art-form 11 years later with “The Rockford Files.” Richard Attenborough also stars as “Big X,” the British prisoner in charge of the operation of constructing three tunnels to get 250 prisoners out of the camp (75 did get out.) Charles Bronson is terrific as Willy, the Polish prisoner in charge of digging the tunnels and James Coburn as the Austrailian who invents many of the gadgets needed for the escape. (This film reunited McQueen, Bronson, Coburn and director Sturges after their previous triumph “The Magnificent 7.”. Before “Magnificent 7,” McQueen was terrific in a supporting role in another Sturges’ WW II film: “Never So Few.” McQueen co-starred with Frank Sinatra in this exciting film.) Donald Pleasence brought a sense of reality as the British prisoner in charge of forging documents since Pleasence was a real German P.O.W. in WW II. Finally there was a little known British actor named David McCallum in a nice role as “Ashley-Pitt,” the British Lieutenant who figures out a way of dispersing the soil dug up in the digging of the tunnel. The next year, McCallum would become “Illya Kuryakin” on “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and the rest is history. He is currently “Ducky” on “NCIS.”
This film is nearly 3 hours long. I have watched it many, many times and I never tire of it (except for one scene which still makes me cringe. I won’t say what that is.) The great music is by Elmer Bernstein, who also scored “The Magnificent 7″ with its classic theme. The theme music from this film makes one forget the “Colonel Bogey March,” from the great P.O.W. film before this one: “The Bridge on the River Kwai.” (I have always preferred this film.)
There are several retrospectives included on the escape itself and the making of this legendary film.
As stated at the beginning, if you love war films, P.O.W. films or great classic films in general, I can’t imagine you have not seen this one. However, if you have not, you should grab this DVD right away. You will love it. (Like so many other great films, I look forward to its arrival on blu-ray.)