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According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, a prisoner of war is any person captured or interned by a belligerent power during war. In the strictest sense, it is applied only to members of regularly organized armed forces, but by broader definition, it has also included guerrillas, civilians who take up arms against an enemy openly, or noncombatants associated with a military force.

Prisoner of War films have consistently been a popular and acclaimed subgenre of war movies. In the 1950s and 1960s, Hollywood prisoner-of-war movies reached the apex of their popularity thanks to films such as Stalag 17, The Bridge on the River Kwai, and The Great Escape. Japanese auteurs such as Masaki Kobayashi and Nagisa Ōshima directed The Human Condition and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, two iconic works within the prisoner-of-war genre. French filmmakers Jean Renoir and Robert Bresson made significant contributions to the prisoner-of-war genre through their films The Grand Illusion...

The 1960s proved to be an incredible time period for cinema, with the decade producing some of the most acclaimed and widely celebrated films ever made, regardless of genre. From seminal spaghetti Western outings in the vein of The Good, The Bad and the Ugly and nerve-jangling horrors like Psycho all the way to mind-bending science fiction offerings such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, the decade played host to a number of iconic and culturally influential movies that have stood the test of time to earn status as undisputed cinematic classics.

War movies were decidedly not exempt from this status quo, an unsurprising state of affairs given the social climate of the 1960s. The decade witnessed the debuts of several wildly successful and influential war films, many of which are widely regarded as some of the best war movies of all time. Producing an immersive snapshot of armed conflict that...

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As the nation that, for over a year, stood alone against Nazi Germany, British cinema made war especially World War II a cornerstone of its film industry. Considering its centuries of conquest, fighting on the European continent, and an era of military supremacy around the world, the country has a rich history to explore in the war genre. This has been proven consistently through film, from medieval battles to recent conflicts.

British war movies stand out among the best in the genre, aided by the UK's extensive history of military campaigns that overshadow the US' relatively young history. Covering politics, covert missions, captivity, and full-scale invasions, some of Britain's contributions to war cinema are considered among the greatest films of all time. Featuring career-best performances, impressive attention to detail, and unmatched immersion, these movies are key chapters in both film and UK history.

The late 1950s and the entirety of the 1960s was the golden age for big, brawny, studio-produced action-adventure epics. Films like "The Bridge on the River Kwai," "The Guns of Navarone," and "The Train" plopped big movie stars in the midst of finely crafted yarns about unflappable heroes pooling their expertise to pull off seemingly impossible tasks. Most of these were next-phase World War II movies that eschewed the reverential tone of the films made in the immediate wake of the conflict's end; they were less about the Axis enemy, and more about the ingenuity of men in high-pressure situations. When done well, they were hailed by critics and ticket-buyers alike.

And with due respect to the many entertaining entries in this subgenre, none of them can match the armrest-shredding suspense and rousing camaraderie of John Sturges "The Great Escape."

Working from a screenplay credited to W.R. Burnett and the...

When it comes to prisoner of war stories, few are as remarkable as "The Great Escape." During World War II, the inmates of Stalag Luft III in modern-day Poland embarked on a grand plan to dig not just one but three tunnels out of the camp. The goal was to bust out over 200 men and cause disruption to the Nazi war effort by tying up as many resources as possible trying to recapture them. It was no easy task, however, as the camp was specially designed to be escape-proof: the huts were raised above the ground to deter digging and built on sandy earth to make any efforts to disperse hundred tons of soil excavated from the tunnels obvious to the guards.

Nevertheless, the team, overseen by "Big X" Roger Bushell and his escape committee, largely made up of British servicemen and others from around the Commonwealth, displayed remarkable ingenuity...

A great moment in a good war movie can stir up emotions up in even the hardest of moviegoers. Think of "The Ride of the Valkyries" in Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now." The ambush of the Acheron in "Master and Commander." The German U-Boat crew singing "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" in "Das Boot." One of the more joyous scenes (before the Nazis regain the upper hand) in the pantheon involves a Triumph motorcycle, barbed wire, and the "King of Cool."

"The Great Escape" might be considered more of a "war is fun" film than a "war is hell" film. John Sturges' 1963 adaptation of Paul Brickhill's 1950 non-fiction book of the same name chronicles prisoners and their efforts to escape the German Pow camp Stalag Luft III in 1942. The cast is stacked, the story influential, and its climactic motorcycle stunt –- much of which is done by star Steve McQueen,...

When John Sturges embarked on a mission to adapt Paul Brickhill's 1950 memoir detailing a mass prisoner getaway from a German Pow camp, it was a challenge from the jump. What would become one of the most beloved American war movies, and one of the great prison escape movies, ended with few successfully making it to freedom. "The Great Escape" was a high-grossing movie upon its 1963 release, edging out Alfred Hitchcock's creature feature "The Birds" with an 11.7 million box office return. Before all that, though, "Bad Day at Black Rock" director Sturges endured multiple hurdles, which would begin with an exhaustive casting process.

The story of "The Great Escape" follows a core group of Allied POWs in 1944 as they plot the escape of over 250 prisoners from the high-security German prison Stalag Luft III. It was a great opportunity for an ensemble cast, something Sturges had experience with, most famously...

For many of us Brits, just the mere mention of "The Great Escape" provokes an urge to tuck into a large plate of turkey sandwiches. When I was growing up, John Sturges' rousing prisoner-of-war thriller seemed like it was on telly every Boxing Day, and it is still regarded as a festive favorite in many U.K. households. At three hours long, it was perfect holiday viewing, ideal for killing off an afternoon drifting in that post-Christmas funk, with the grown-ups grazing steadily in front of the TV while the kids played with their new toys.

In his list of 10 great prisoner-of-war films for the BFI, critic Samuel Wrigley described it as the "epitome of war-is-fun" action films. From an era well before films like "Saving Private Ryan" showed us that war was hell in harrowing detail, "The Great Escape" is an upbeat war adventure for the whole family, playing...

I must have at least 7 home video releases of John Sturges’ classic, starting from VHS, but they’ve come up with a good reason to return: a 4K transfer with color and contrast grading that to me better represents the movie. The thrilling, not-too-violent escapades of Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, James Garner, David McCallum, James Coburn, Charles Bronson & James Donald are no longer timed so that everything looks like a washed-out high noon: both the 4th of July and much of the mad-dash escape scramble are meant to take place near the crack of dawn. In this case ‘Much darker’ is much richer; faces don’t get blown out. And I do see more detail in the enhanced image. So here we go again, happily.

The Great Escape 4K

4K Ultra HD

Kl Studio Classics

1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 172 min. / Street Date January 11, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95

Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner,...

Images from this picture were burned into our Boomer childhood brains … we actually sat still for almost three hours to watch it. John Sturges’ epic show is like a fine-tuned watch — its unbreakable story is populated by ideal characters that become instant heroes, just for acting like normal men that want free of confinement. It’s really about freedom — after two hours in the Pow compound, the fugitives set loose in the wide, green beauty of Germany might as well be escaping into a wonderland of light and space. In its own way this show made our parents’ wartime experience come alive — it’s The picture to interest kids in events of the past.

The Great Escape

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 1027

1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 172 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 12, 2020 / 39.95

Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, Hannes Messemer,...

Top twenty. Now we start to see the more widely recognizable films that people have some emotional attachment to. World War II gets a few mentions in this portion of the list, but this is one of the more diverse sections, overall. We get a mention of the Boer War, the Algerian War, and the Korean War, as well as the only movie about the American Civil War on this list.

20. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

Directed by: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Conflict: Boer War, World War I, World War II

The only film on the list that spans multiple wars is also probably the least battle-focused film on the list. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is told through an extended flashback, following Major-General Clive Wynne-Candy (Roger Livesey) as he rises through the ranks of the British military from war to war. The flashback is...

David McCallum with event host Bruce Crawford. (Photo: Steve Gray)

By Jon Heitland

On any list of the best films based on World War II, The Great Escape, directed by John Sturges and based on the novel by Paul Brickhill, will always rank near the top. The compelling story of a group of British and American prisoners of war and how they outwitted their Nazi captors observes its 50th anniversary this year, and actor David McCallum, who plays Ashley-Pitt in the film, travelled to Omaha, Nebraska on November 9, 2013, to help celebrate the classic film. Proceeds went to the Nebraska Kidney Foundation, which was why McCallum took time from his busy television schedule to make an appearance. The evening event centered around a showing of the film at the large, concert-style theater at the prestigious Joslyn Museum, to an enthusiastic, full house crowd of 1000.

The Great Escape 50 year retrospective was another...

As of last month, The Great Escape is now fifty years old. First released in 1963, John Sturges’ World War II epic depicted the escape of seventy six airmen from the Stalag Luft III prisoner of war camp in 1944.

Based loosely on Paul Brickhill’s book, which chronicled the actual happenings at the camp, the film garnered significant critical acclaim and earned three times its budget at the box office, and has since become the quintessential film in the prisoner-of-war genre (which includes other greats such as Stalag 17 and (for part of it at least) The Bridge on the River Kwai).

As the BBC gears up to produce a television dramatisation of the escape, let us have a nostalgic look back at several key elements of the film (which happens to be a favourite of mine, as well as Quentin Tarantino) over the next few pages. Be wary of spoilers,...

The BBC is developing a TV series based on iconic Steve McQueen film The Great Escape.

The broadcaster is in the early stages of the project, which is being developed as a serial, after striking a deal with Gk-tv and Open Circle.

The latter is a Us indie set up by former Lionsgate exec Craig Cegielski, who acquired the rights to The Great Escape.

The agreement is understood to be part of the BBC’s deal with Cegielski to remake Anne Holt’s detective novels. BBC1 is currently developing the novel 1222 from the book series, in which wheelchair-bound female detective Hanne Wilhelmsen investigates the deaths of survivors from a train crash in the Norwegian mountains. All3Media’s Company Pictures will produce the project.

Cegielski set up Open Circle after he left Gk-tv, the television arm of Graham King’s film firm, earlier this year. He has subsequently joined Fremantle Media North America as executive vicepresident, scripted...

The Great Escape is to be remade for television by the BBC.

The 1963 Steve McQueen film classic is based on the book by Paul Brickhill, which will form the basis of a new TV drama, Broadcast reports.

Brickhill's original novel - loosely adapted for the big-screen - was a non-fiction account of a mass escape from a prison in Nazi Germany.

The new serial is being developed by the BBC alongside Gk-tv and Open Circle - the latter currently owning the rights to The Great Escape.

The 1963 Us movie charted an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German Pow camp during World War II and starred Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough.

The film made back almost three times its budget upon original release and has since become a staple of Christmas television on UK television channels.

> Paul Bettany's Legion to be adapted for TV by...

The Great Escape is to be remade for television by the BBC.

The 1963 Steve McQueen film classic is based on the book by Paul Brickhill, which will form the basis of a new TV drama, Broadcast reports.

Brickhill's original novel - loosely adapted for the big-screen - was a non-fiction account of a mass escape from a prison in Nazi Germany.

The new serial is being developed by the BBC alongside Gk-tv and Open Circle - the latter currently owning the rights to The Great Escape.

The 1963 Us movie charted an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German Pow camp during World War II and starred Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough.

The film made back almost three times its budget upon original release and has since become a staple of Christmas television on UK television channels.

> Paul Bettany's Legion to be adapted for TV by...

I’m not sure we’ll get every story of heroism, bravery, and ingenuity that made World War II so endlessly fascinating, but by now we seem to have gotten the best of them. The war had a scope involving millions of people on a global scale never seen before so the stories of the atrocities and acts of mercy continue to be uncovered and justly celebrated. And yet, one of the most enduring tales was not about a battle. Instead, the true story of the massive escape from Germany’s Stalag Luft III demonstrates a never-say-die attitude that demoralized the enemy. Thinking themselves clever, the Nazis collected their most troublesome prisoners and placed them in one facility, thinking they would be able to keep a better eye on them. They were all officers and treated a such, with the expectation that they would not cause trouble.

What the Germans...

This year, The Great Escape celebrates its golden anniversary. To honor the 50th anniversary of that film’s release, we’ve compiled 50 interesting facts about the film, actors, the true story, the novel and more, and we’re giving two lucky North American readers the chance to win the anniversary blu-ray of the film.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment are proud to announce that The Great Escape will arrive on Blu-ray for the first time on May 7, 2013. Based on a true story, The Great Escape is “a motion picture that entertains, captivates, thrills and stirs” (Variety). In 1943, the Germans opened a maximum-security prison-of-war camp, designed to hold even the craftiest escape artists. By doing so, they unwittingly assembled the finest escape team in military history – brilliantly portrayed by Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn – who worked on what became the largest prison breakout ever attempted.

Blu-ray Release Date: May 7, 2013

Price: Blu-ray $19.99

Studio: MGM/20th Century Fox

Classic action film The Great Escape was remastered for this Blu-ray release, its high-definition debut in honor of the movie’s 50th anniversary.

The 1963 adventure film, based on the book by Paul Brickhill, tells the story of a group of allied POWs in a World War II camp who plan the escape of several hundred of their fellow prisoners.

The acclaimed cast includes Steve McQueen (Le Mans), James Garner (The Notebook), Richard Attenborough (Jurassic Park), Charles Bronson (Once Upon a Time in the West), Donald Pleasence (Escape From New York) and James Coburn (The Man From Elysian Fields).

Inspired by a true story, The Great Escape was nominated for an Oscar for its editing and is one of the American Film Institute’s 100 Most Thrilling American Films.

The Blu-ray contains these special features:

audio commentary by director John Sturges...

Article by Dan Clark of Movie Revolt

Well it’s that time again, time for another installment of Streaming for Your Pleasure. With Memorial Day weekend upon us America is about to officially start the summer. Barbeques, beers, and beaches will surely take up much of our time this weekend, however let us not forget the purpose behind this day as we celebrate the glory that is a three day weekend. In all seriousness it is a time to honor our Veterans and current soldiers for the remarkable sacrifices they make. No matter what political stance you may take I feel that is one thing we can all get behind. With that in mind I dedicated this installment to all things military as I look at military centric films currently available on Netflix Streaming.

The Longest Day

Directed By: Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki, and Darryl F. Zanuck

Written...

Chris Columbus really deserves some credit. Despite being a terribly unimaginative filmmaker, he’s managed to forge a successful career for over twenty years, with Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter movies likely to thank for that. His production company 1492 (I hope that name doesn’t have to be explained) is also part of this strange occurrence, which produces his own films as well as hits like the Night at the Museum movies.

Now, Deadline reports that 1942 will be taking on the adaptation of Michael Koryta‘s novel The Cypress House. Columbus will pen the script and he’ll also be producing with 1492 partners Michael Barnathan and Mark Radcliffe.

Here’s a synopsis of the book’s plot, thanks to Amazon:

“Battle-hardened Wwi veteran Arlen Wagner can foretell others’ deaths. With the Great Depression crippling the country, he works in the Civilian Conservation Corps and keeps his demons...

Chris Columbus has added another new possible project to his slate via his 1492 production company, buying up the rights to Michael Koryta’s chiller novel The Cypress House.While Columbus hasn’t committed to direct the eventual film yet, he will adapt the script himself and produce the story of Arlen Wagner, a World War One veteran who lives during the Great Depression. He’s constantly troubled by visions that let him foretell the deaths of those around him, and battles his personal demons with whiskey. He spends most of his time in the Civilian Conservation Corps and, on a journey to the organisation’s new camp in Florida, he receives one of his Final Destination-style flashes, then hops off a train with pal Paul Brickhill and ends up at the titular house, which happens to be the focal point for local corruption. Suffice to say, his day does not improve…...

What's this? Another book-to-screen adaptation? It most certainly is, and in this case it's Chris Columbus and 1492 Pictures who have acquired the rights to The Cypress House, a Michael Koryta novel that Columbus will write the script for and produce with 1492 partners Michael Barnathan and Mark Radcliffe.

Deadline broke the news on this acquisition, and while the jury's out as to whether it's more "supernatural thriller" or pure horror, we've provided the book's synopsis so you can weigh in with your thoughts.

Synopsis:

Battle-hardened Wwi veteran Arlen Wagner can foretell others’ deaths. With the Great Depression crippling the country, he works in the Civilian Conservation Corps and keeps his demons at bay with hard work and a flask full of whiskey. He and young friend Paul Brickhill are traveling by train to a new Ccc camp in the Florida Keys when Arlen’s supernatural sense tells him they have to...

Chris Columbus and 1492 Pictures have bought the rights to th Michael Koryta novel, The Cypress House. Deadline reports that Columbus will write the script and produce with 1492 partners Michael Barnathan and Mark Radcliffe. The story takes place "along an isolated stretch of the Florida Gulf Coast during the devastating 1935 hurricane. The protagonist is a Wwi veteran who's plagued by premonitions of death for his traveling companions."

Here is a description of the book from Amazon:

Battle-hardened Wwi veteran Arlen Wagner can foretell others’ deaths. With the Great Depression crippling the country, he works in the Civilian Conservation Corps and keeps his demons at bay with hard work and a flask full of whiskey. He and young friend Paul Brickhill are traveling by train to a new Ccc camp in the Florida Keys when Arlen’s supernatural sense tells him they have to get off the train if they want to stay alive.

Chris Columbus has picked up the rights and will adapt "The Cypress House," a novel by Michael Koryta. He'll produce the project through 1492 Pictures. Here's a publisher's synopsis for the book culled from a recent reprinting: In this one, battle-hardened Wwi veteran Arlen Wagner can foretell others. deaths. With the Great Depression crippling the country, he works in the Civilian Conservation Corps and keeps his demons at bay with hard work and a flask full of whiskey. He and young friend Paul Brickhill are traveling by train to a new Ccc camp in the Florida Keys when Arlen.s supernatural sense tells him they have to get off the train if they want to stay alive. They find themselves at Cypress House, a strangely empty fishing resort on the Gulf Coast run by...

Peter Jackson is producing "Dambusters", a World War II aerial adventure that will mark the directorial debut of Christian Rivers, Jackson's animation director on "King Kong". Universal Pictures and StudioCanal are co-financing the movie, with Universal handling worldwide rights excluding France and the U.K., where StudioCanal will distribute. "Dambusters" is inspired by actual events as well as based on the book "The Dam Busters", by Paul Brickhill, and the 1954 Associated British Picture Corp. motion picture. The movie will chronicle the story of Operation Chastise, a top-secret Royal Air Force bombing mission that took place in 1943, when a group of airmen were assembled to fly Lancaster bombers deep within well-armed Germany at treetop level and, using special "bouncing bombs," destroy three dams essential to the Nazi steel industry.

Peter Jackson is producing "Dambusters", a World War II aerial adventure that will mark the directorial debut of Christian Rivers, Jackson's animation director on "King Kong". Universal Pictures and StudioCanal are co-financing the movie, with Universal handling worldwide rights excluding France and the U.K., where StudioCanal will distribute. "Dambusters" is inspired by actual events as well as based on the book "The Dam Busters", by Paul Brickhill, and the 1954 Associated British Picture Corp. motion picture. The movie will chronicle the story of Operation Chastise, a top-secret Royal Air Force bombing mission that took place in 1943, when a group of airmen were assembled to fly Lancaster bombers deep within well-armed Germany at treetop level and, using special "bouncing bombs," destroy three dams essential to the Nazi steel industry.

Peter Jackson is producing "Dambusters", a World War II aerial adventure that will mark the directorial debut of Christian Rivers, Jackson's animation director on "King Kong". Universal Pictures and StudioCanal are co-financing the movie, with Universal handling worldwide rights excluding France and the U.K., where StudioCanal will distribute. "Dambusters" is inspired by actual events as well as based on the book "The Dam Busters", by Paul Brickhill, and the 1954 Associated British Picture Corp. motion picture. The movie will chronicle the story of Operation Chastise, a top-secret Royal Air Force bombing mission that took place in 1943, when a group of airmen were assembled to fly Lancaster bombers deep within well-armed Germany at treetop level and, using special "bouncing bombs," destroy three dams essential to the Nazi steel industry.

Peter Jackson is producing "Dambusters", a World War II aerial adventure that will mark the directorial debut of Christian Rivers, Jackson's animation director on "King Kong". Universal Pictures and StudioCanal are co-financing the movie, with Universal handling worldwide rights excluding France and the U.K., where StudioCanal will distribute. "Dambusters" is inspired by actual events as well as based on the book "The Dam Busters", by Paul Brickhill, and the 1954 Associated British Picture Corp. motion picture. The movie will chronicle the story of Operation Chastise, a top-secret Royal Air Force bombing mission that took place in 1943, when a group of airmen were assembled to fly Lancaster bombers deep within well-armed Germany at treetop level and, using special "bouncing bombs," destroy three dams essential to the Nazi steel industry.