In real life the commandant was so disgusted by the Gestapo’s murder of the fifty that he gave the prisoners permission to create a memorial in their honor. It’s still there.
One thing that has always made this masterpiece stand out to me is the deliberate under-acting. It's all so casual, so nonchalant, even when these characters are dealing with the grimmest of life and death situations. It stands in such sharp contrast to a lot of modern movies where everything is amped up -- the quick cuts, the dramatic dialogue, the music, the special effects -- all used to artificially increase tension. But in a brilliant film like this one, none of that is necessary.
I agree, of course in the movie many of the prisoners were British and they are known for their 'Stiff upper lib", and many of the actors were British, so it came natural to them to not overact, so to speak. Of course both the characters Steve McQueen and James Garner plays are Americans, both they too act very cool. Steve McQueen was known as the King of Cool, I would say he certainly lives up to it in this movie.
My father was in this camp. He told me there were men of all trades and professions among the prisoners, and one of his fellow internees was the guy who later went on to play "Q" in the James Bond films. R.I.P the fifty.
It's one of the few movies where I get so involved with the characters. I've seen it many times and still forget I'm watching a movie instead of being in it. It's hard to breathe sometimes. Great reaction. Glad you enjoyed it.
My daughter is 17yrs old and she loves this film. When she was 11yrs old her teacher asked the class wether anyone knew what the great escape was. My daughter whistled the theme tune. Mint.
Thanks for watching another classic film! The other great POW movie is about the Japanese, who were much more cruel than the Germans. It's called Bridge on the River Kwai.
Two movies about female civilian prisoners of the Japanese are Three Came Home (1950) which is a true story and A Town Called Alice (1957) from a novel by Neville Shute.
As a collector of WWII docs and films, IMO one of the best WWII dramas is the British TV series Colditz (the 70s version not the later one) The first three eps are before the POWs get to the camp, I would recommend starting at 4 and 5 and then watch the first three. The 50s movie Colditz was excellent as well. Secret Army was another excellent British drama series about the escape line in Belgium.
"I wouldn't do that for my own mother." is one of my favorite lines of any movie and the delivery, with not a split second of pause, is absolute perfection. As far as the shooting of the prisoners, technically every one of them was either out of uniform or in a German uniform, so it actually was completely legal to shoot them as spies.
Maybe more youtubers will watch this movie now. Thanks for choosing this. The music really choreographs this movie well. The 60s had some great movie with phenomenal orchestral music combinations. Spartacus, Guns of Navarone, Gran Prix, The Blue Max, so many. Watch more please.
Steve McQueen tangled up in the barbed wire, was a famous poster after the movie came out. The look on Steve McQueen face as he is tangled up in the wire, is perfect, you can just see all the frustration of being caught. I saw this movie when it first came out, and have always liked it. Great cast James Garner, Steve McQueen others.
There was a TV movie follow up to this movie, The Great Escape II: The Untold Story". This one is set after the war where they were hunting those that carried out the orders to murder the captured. The star not only got them but rescued the woman that saved him during the escape as she had been branded a collaborator. It's been a long time since I saw it.
When Hitler was told of the escape he wanted to kill all 76 but was persuaded to 'only' kill 50. Unlike the film they were killed singularly or in pairs. After the war there was a manhunt to find all those responsible and 17 of those were convicted of war crime with 13 being executed for their crimes. One of the lucky 23 was Dick Churchill who was spared because the Germans thought he might be to Winston Churchill. A monument to the 50 was made in the camp by the remaining prisoners. The three that did escape were Per Bergsland, Norwegian pilot of No. 332 Squadron RAF, escapee #44 Jens Müller, Norwegian pilot of No. 331 Squadron RAF, escapee #43 Bram van der Stok, Dutch pilot of No. 41 Squadron RAF, escapee #18
The music is original. Written by Elmer Bernstein. It is a pretty famous piece. He also wrote the Magnificent Seven, and To Kill a Mockingbird. This music was used at the Olympics by the winning rider in the dressage as her music.
Sooooo many big names in this film. Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Richard Attenborough, Donald Pleasence, Charles Bronson, James Garner, and a lot of other notables in film at the time. One of my favorite films and a great example of how excellent old cinema was, even if it was a bit slower paced.
I'm trying to think if there were any big movies with the star power of this movie before The Great Escape. The Longest Day just came to mind, there must be more but this movie is noted for its stars.
The German commander was a military man, not a Nazi, he tried to conduct himself according to the Geneva convention. Thus he was replaced by Gestapo, they had no qualms about shooting the prisoners.
This is based on real events. The characters are based on real people or are composites of several people. However it is highly Americanized. There were some Americans involved early on but they had been move out long before the escape. The " Americans " in the movie are either fictional or represent Canadian officers.
I'm really glad that you did this one. The scene with Hilts in the cooler playing catch with the baseball is exquisitely framed. I hope you don't mind if I go off on a film related aside here? It was also a big part of the history of how movies were poorly shown on TV back in the day. When many of us grew up (as you know), our TVs were in the 4x3 format, and at the time, movies were exclusively shown in the pan and scan format because it was unthinkable to not fill the whole screen. Many years ago, the US cable TV network, AMC(now known for such hits as Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead), only played only old movies. They started this big push for letterbox during the late 80s, if I remember correctly, and they used this scene as one of the examples. I never saw The Great Escape in the theater, so all I ever saw of the cooler scene was a close up of Steve McQueen's head. One of the ways that they used the scene was in a show about what letterboxing was and why it was better and I remember them going from that closeup and panning out to the the full scene! Mind blown! I never knew about the baseball and what was happening with it! AMC started showing a letterbox movie each Saturday night, and still had to tell their viewers not to worry because they would still air the Pan and Scan version. Crazy, huh? It was a controversial subject back then! They started airing more movies in letterbox, and you would start seeing more movies available for rental in that format at the video store. Of course, there were others fighting for this by then. Eventually, I got what I really had been wanting - my VHS letterbox copies of the Star Wars trilogy! It might be a coincidence, but I've always had a soft spot for AMC. They also did a lot for film restoration back in the day and now they have such great TV shows. Anyway, I thought this might be interesting because someone like you couldn't imagine seeing a movie in any format besides how a filmmaker intended.
@@eliemoses Billy Wilder might be my favorite director...a string of '50s hits, with three of them making the AFI all-time top 100...Sunset Boulevard, a noirish look at Hollywood; Some Like It Hot, AFI all-time #1 comedy with a gorgeous Marilyn Monroe; and The Apartment, perhaps the best rom-com of all time. Then there's pretty much the entire filmography of Hitchcock, Kubrick and more recently the Coen bros... The IMdB 250 has recency and popularity biases IMO...The AFI list has more to teach a film student about cinema history and how we got to where we are now. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years...100_Movies_(10th_Anniversary_Edition)
So many great ones ! Two great Hitchcock ones are Rebecca and Notorious. Also you may want to check out All about Eve. You would love it. Dialogue is amazing.
@@eliemoses I've seen a couple of reactors react to what has been called the greatest Hollywood film, The Best Years of Our Lives. IMO, it could be loosely described as a love story for guys. I don't think I've seen a movie where almost every scene is a kick in the nads. I don't know how getting and giving bank loans can be emotional but William Wyler figured out how to do it. If you're a guy and don't bawl when watching this alone you might want to seek help. Also contains in my estimation one of the greatest shots in Hollywood history, where Homer wakes up in the plane and ponders his future. But then again the cinematographer was Gregg Toland and he was the GOAT. For years, this film was ranked in the top ten.
Great reaction video the actor Donald Pleasance the forger was actually shot down in WW2 and was imprisoned in a real luftstalag prison camp. Btw Bridge Over the River Kwai is a true classic that you should react to. Cheers
Eddie Izzard did a great monologue about the Great Escape He was an English boy and said he wanted to be a go to hell all-action American like Steve McQueen. He bemoaned all the careful, highly skilled work of the English which didn't end well...
One of the actual guys, Wally Floody, one of the tunelets, was on the set every day with technical advice with what actually happened, and what things looked like.... So it's really close! They named the tunnels, so they could talk 'about' them in the compound - without actually saying which "tunnel" and giving them away.........
POW's meant (in this case) that pilots and other trained/experienced air crew were kept from causing more damage through flying again. In Western Europe, the Allies (UK and US, mostly) were usually treated well by the Germans and in reciprocal, the Allies treated their German POW's decently. The East was an entirely different thing, as the Soviets and Germans both starved and beat, worked to death (and executed) POW's
After THE GREAT ESCAPE, the other 'Must See' WW II P.O.W. films are THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (Columbia Pictures, 1957), STALAG 17 (Paramount Pictures, 1953), and KING RAT (Columbia Pictures, 1965). "Kwai" was also based on a real place and true events, and took home SEVEN OSCARS. The appeal of POW films to us guys; it's usually a Caper wrapped up in an Underdog War Adventure. Some of the supporting cast and extras in King Rat were actual survivors of Changi prison, as well James Clavell who wrote the novel upon which it's based. As an Aussie, you should be familiar with Kwai and Rat, for your Regional/Historical edification.
The Great Escape is truly special and a logical pick for a place among the all time greatest. It's sort of a tradition in the UK to air the film every Boxing Day. It reminds me of the most happy and complete days of my life, with the ones I loved the most. I can say that for no other film
I just checked IMDb and the 1962 film is The Password Is Courage and based on the memoirs of Sergeant Major Charles Coward. Part of the reason for its obscurity may lie in the fact that Coward was a free spirit who downplayed his heroics (especially in his saving several hundred Polish Jews) in favor of the comedic ironies he saw in his wartime experiences. Yet The Password Is Courage beat The Great Escape to screens by at least a year. The only difference I ever saw was that HIS Great Escape was from Luft-Stalag VIII-B and the 63 film was set in Luft-Stalag III. "VICTIM" was the name of the 1961 film about a closeted London lawyer who helps the cops breakup of the blackmail ring. And just a word about another British actor. Richard Todd was one of the many stars of The Longest Day. He played the head of glider assault troops who took a key bridge in the pre-dawn hours of 6/6/44 and held it until relieved by commandos under the leadership of Lord Lovett. One of Todd's glider troops was .... wait for it...a young private by the name of Richard Todd. Yes, Richard Todd was indeed one of the real life glider assault troops who took that bridge and held it. The producer even asked Todd if he would like to play himself in the movie. His reply? "At this point in my career I don't think a star like me should accept a role so microscopic as that of my own WW2 experiences, which would bore viewers to tears and perhaps drive them from the theaters for showing a young man who really did nothing except what he was told to do by real heroes, like the head of our assault unit." Todd also starred in one of the most stirring British WW2 films, The Dam Busters, about the real life attempts to blow up German dams in a particular region and flood the valleys. The dam(s) were ringed by AA guns and made overhead bombing impossible. So the British were forced to develop a bomb which they could release hundreds of yards away and would bounce along the water until it hit the dam. Several were needed to cause enough damage to bust open the dams, as they were nearly bomb-proof due to their heavily reinforced construction by the Germans. That they succeeded at all was a miracle. I have heard talk of a remake but it would involve renaming Todd's character's beloved dog, whose name really was N----r. Finally, no matter how Sgt. Major Charles Coward liked to downplay his own heroics, his "We are still soldiers of the King no matter where we are! A POW camp is not a vacation from war but another front from which to fight! Anyone who feels differently needs to take off his uniform and report to the Commandant right this moment!" was real, heartfelt, and needed to be said. It needs to be said in EVERY Prisoner Of War film. A POW camp is not a ticket to ride out the war in peace and relative comfort, while collecting pay from the Royal Army and the Royal Air Force. As Coward told his fellow reluctant prisoners, "yes, many of us may get killed, but many British soldiers WERE killed in the battles in which we were taken prisoner. Should EVERYONE HAVE SURRENDERED?" Were the British troops who were killed fools for not giving up at the sound of a German rifle?" Pardon me while I now get off my high horse but it (Coward's angry outburst) needed repeating. It also needs to be carved in stone somewhere, right beside Lord Nelson's "England expects every man to do his duty."
Elie my man how come it has taken you so long watch this classic 60s War Film, cannot believe you never seen this one until now. Perhaps one of the most stellar casts ever assembled. It's a great ride from start to finish, stand out scenes for me are when the French Resitence tip off James Coburn before the ambush, and when Gordon Jackson ( who later became Mr Hudson in Upstairs Downstairs one of the most iconic characters of 70s TV) answers the Gestapo agent in English when tricked. Man Steve McQueen loved that cooler.
Great reaction! To read more I can recommend the 'Australian's (actually Dutchman Bob Vanderstok's) book, Paul Brickhill's book, and Simon Pearson's fairly recent biography of Roger 'Big X' Bushell, 'The great escaper'. All are available as audiobooks.
Yes that German guy with the briefcase was rehearsing for hours on bringing in that paperwork ! Those character actors know they will only be on for a few seconds so they try n make it a very unique appearance so somewhere down the road a director or ? might remember that guy just for is snappy briefcase 😁👍
Steve McQueen did most of the motorcycle stunts in the latter portion of the film, including as one of the Germans chasing himself (Hiltz) on a motorcycle.
That was the part of the movie that made the real guys who were there gag. Most of McQueen's stuff in the movie including this (at his insistence) was bullshit
@@jethro1963 I think it's also BS that any Americans were involved but if you want the box-office to fund a movie like this some artistic license is helpful. Besides the motorcycle stunt work make for some highly entertaining scenes particularly for back in the day, kind of ground breaking and done by McQueen himself because no one else could do it.
Late to the party but I've never seen someone react to The Great Escape and it's genuinely one of my favourite movies. My introduction to it was a bit odd though - I watched it in my year 8 English class as a comparison with the animated movie Chicken Run 😅 It sounds crazy, but literally the whole intro to Chicken Run and some of the scenes/music throughout it are straight out of The Great Escape.
You asked "why even bother with prisoners if they're only going to cost resources and manpower?" and well the reason is simple, obviously killing POWs is a bad look both amongst the international community and amongst the locals, the average German, and the average Wehrmacht soldier for that matter, weren't bloodthirsty fanatics like the majority of the SS (yes even amongst the SS there were some good people, like SS officer Kurt-Siegfried Schrader who defected and joined the Austrian resistance after becoming disillusioned), even since ancient times killing prisoners has been frowned upon by most. You also pointed out that the POW camp wasn't as horrible as one would think a camp would be, this is mainly because it's run by the Luftwaffe, the German air force. Since WW1 pilots have been regarded as the "modern day knights" and therefore pilots were treated with much more honor and respect, this has somewhat continued to this day but after WW2 the whole image of pilots as "knights" has become muddied and you'd likely look at a fighter pilot as if he's just some regular soldier today, ironically the marines (aka the braindead crayon eaters) are looked at more favorably despite not being nearly as impressive as a pilot. The POW camps run by the Wehrmacht were worse since infantry were far more common than airmen, but not nearly as bad as the camps run by the SS, I'm not sure how how nice the Kriegsmarine POW camps were but I imagine they were on the same level as the Luftwaffe's camps. One thing I really like about this movie is that they don't show all the Germans as evil Nazis, some of them are nice even though they're talking to their enemies, like Werner or Von Luger (the commandant). Werner's obviously a nice guy in the wrong occupation, and Von Luger is shown to not be particularly fond of Hitler's cult of personality such as when they're in his office and the officers do the salute, he's the last one to do it and with a serious lack of enthusiasm, as if he's thinking "oh, right, heil Hitler". Then there also the scene when he gives the list of the dead, he's obviously quite disturbed by the murder of 50 POWs. And this one is often overlooked by most but he also allows the POWs to celebrate the 4th of July, with contraband alcohol no less! It's also hinted that he let Hilts and Ives out of the cooler earlier than their set date, as shown by Hilt's shocked expression when he's let out. I think these are all neat details as the guy Von Luger is based off, Friedrich Wilhelm von Lindeiner-Wildau the real commander of Stalag Luft III (the camp in this movie), was quite a nice guy and well-liked by the prisoners, which goes to show that not every enemy is evil, he's likely just some guy like you who got mixed up in everything.
I think the theme was used in chicken run & it was used in the Simpsons when marge was in a street car named desire & Maggie was in the day care. They even did the kids doing the signals & escaping & Maggie getting tossed in the cooler with the ball. I watched this so many times as a kid. I love it. The POW camps in Germany where way better than Japan. & the Germans did treat the captors with respect. That’s why they salute. Although they were still malnourished. But in the behind the scenes the guy they brought in to make sure everything was done right. Said your doing it perfectly, cause he’s starting to get anxious. U need to watch Jason and the argonauts another great film from the 60s. Lol the one u call Malfoy is “Ashley pit” he’s played by David McCallum he is NCIS show.
A heavily fictionalised account of the escape but based on the main facts bar several major additions. No Americans were involved, and certainly no motorcycle or attempted airborne escape featured. Added for extra effect to keep the US public interested! The fifty officers executed were killed in small numbers while supposedly being escorted back to the camp by the Gestapo in cars. Shot in the back while taking toilet breaks. There were Americans initially involved in the plan, but they were 'Southern Canadians' as they were jokingly termed. Americans serving with the RAF or Canadian airforce prior to the US entry into the war. They were moved to another compound within the overall camp complex once large numbers of US airforce personnel started arriving. The theme was written for the movie, and there was nothing funny about being an inmate in a Nazi POW camp! Donald Pleasance, who played the elderly forger, had served as an RAF aircraft wireless operator and was shot down in 1944 and held in another POW camp. Richard Attenborough was also RAF Aircrew during the war for a time.
It is worth noting, however, that those Americans who were in the camp continued to help in the preparations (tunnelling, etc.) even after they knew that they were going to be moved and would not be able to join in the escape.
One thing the Germans never cottoned on to, they sang Christmas carols year round as a diversion. It was never questioned why they would be singing Christmas songs in July.
when i look back i think wouldn't it have been easier for hilts to climb over the last border after crossing the first one on his bike, like straight after he cross put the bike down and pull right through and take some cuts along the way, small sacrifice but he could have been over that border perhaps?
Thanks for doing this one ! It was the best film I’d ever seen when it came out during my childhood. I want to also take this opportunity to plug a series called “ A French Village”( about the French Resistance). It’s the best WW2 era film or series I’ve ever seen !
Way too much to compliment this Great film, and especially since it was based on a real story and included cast members who experienced what it was like; and the author and consultant who were a part of it in that particular camp. I'd like to suggest one of my favorite movies from the 60's, "WHERE EAGLES DARE" starring Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton. It was shot on location in Austria: real castle, real snow, real stunts, real explosions, great score, beautiful scenery. At one point the cast and crew were stranded in the valley due to snow storms and that there really was only one road in or out. Clever story with plenty of suspense, intrique, twists, and action - the original impossible mission. It is based on an Alistair MacLean novel(and he wrote the screenplay as well) as was "The Guns Of Navarone" and "Ice Station Zebra". Clint Eastwood as Lt. Shaffer: "Major, right now you got me about as confused as I ever hope to be." Richard Burton as Major Smith: “and what a disguise” (about operative Heidi played by Ingrid Pitt). The stunts were incredible including an amazing real jump that the stuntman lost teeth upon landing. I won't spoil which scene it is - you'll have to see it to believe it.
The part of the movie that pisses me off was that Canadians (who played a major role in the escape) including getting shot were not represented, except for that tiny line in the beginning. The Americans were transferred from the camp before the time of the escape. The author of the book Paul Brickhill was supposed to be the on set consultant but he couldn't do it so he recommended Canadian Wally Floody. Floody was the real life Tunnel King.
on D-Day, RIP Squadron Leader Roger Joyce Bushell (30 August 1910 - 29 March 1944) SQUADRON LEADER OF SOUTH AFRICA PILOT ROYAL AIR FORCE AUXILIARY AIR FORCE 29TH MARCH 1944 AGE 33 A LEADER OF MEN HE ACHIEVED MUCH SERVED TO THE END
the musical theme is very reminiscent of most themes of movies about wwll. even the "hogan's heros" tv show theme sounds like it. you need to watch "the bridge on the river kwai" (1957) starring alec guiness and william holden. its about british prisoners of war held by the japanese during wwll. ITS EVEN BETTER THAN THIS!
The Germans treated the western allied POW especially the officers very well, there is an account from bill bellemy where the German had a POW that had won the Victoria cross in Africa and they had held an award ceremony to give it to the British POW
Uh... no, they did not. POWs held by the Nazis in Europe during WWII were sometimes treated as badly as they treated WWI prisoners. They could be subjected to conditions almost as vile as civilians were in prison work camps. Deaths from malnutrition, disease, hard labour were relatively common, and somewhat dependent on the ethnicity of the prisoner and the location of the camp. A lifetime of PTSD was ahead for some surviving POWs. We like to think the Nazis observed the components of the Geneva Convention already established after WWI, but clearly, given the way they treated civilians, they did not.
@@charmingjinx9379 It should be noted who was holding the prisoners the SS or the Luftwaffe, you got better treatment with the latter. Many of the old school Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe hated the SS
1. everyone watching this for the first time should "hazard a gues how many actually make it" after they reveal how many they want to break out 2. the shots you praise are perhaps a consequence of CAMERA LIMITATIONS, which is why they HAD TO THINK about HOW TO PUSH THE LIMITS 3. the germans were NOT "Nazi soldiers", they were regular soldiers ... unless they have a black uniform
Watch “The Real Great Escape - Codename Tom, Dick & Harry” uploaded by Element 18 and “The Untold Story Of the Great Great | Our History” uploaded by Our History.
You said such a dumb thing about recapturing PoWs I can't believe the Australian education system has gone downhill so fast so quick Think of the idea of re-capturing any escapee - is it worth it? Yes of course. If you don't have a meaningful prison system you might as well have none at all. I give this review a thumbs down
THIS CAMP IS SITUATED IN POLAND , NEXT TO SMALL TOWN ŻAGAŃ . There is a commemorative stone with a sentence in Polish: - "TO ALLIED AIRMEN, PRISONERS OF STALAG LUFT III , PARTICIPANTS OF THE GREAT ESCAPE " pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_Luft_III ( Translate form polish to any language please ) . th-cam.com/video/EEMW2svLTF8/w-d-xo.html
In real life the commandant was so disgusted by the Gestapo’s murder of the fifty that he gave the prisoners permission to create a memorial in their honor. It’s still there.
One thing that has always made this masterpiece stand out to me is the deliberate under-acting. It's all so casual, so nonchalant, even when these characters are dealing with the grimmest of life and death situations. It stands in such sharp contrast to a lot of modern movies where everything is amped up -- the quick cuts, the dramatic dialogue, the music, the special effects -- all used to artificially increase tension. But in a brilliant film like this one, none of that is necessary.
I agree, of course in the movie many of the prisoners were British and they are known for their 'Stiff upper lib", and many of the actors were British, so it came natural to them to not overact, so to speak. Of course both the characters Steve McQueen and James Garner plays are Americans, both they too act very cool. Steve McQueen was known as the King of Cool, I would say he certainly lives up to it in this movie.
@@hannejeppesen1809 Well, he was the Cooler King in this film. Probably where he got the name.
That is David Lean's signature.
My father was in this camp. He told me there were men of all trades and professions among the prisoners, and one of his fellow internees was the guy who later went on to play "Q" in the James Bond films. R.I.P the fifty.
God bless your dad!
It's one of the few movies where I get so involved with the characters. I've seen it many times and still forget I'm watching a movie instead of being in it. It's hard to breathe sometimes. Great reaction. Glad you enjoyed it.
My daughter is 17yrs old and she loves this film. When she was 11yrs old her teacher asked the class wether anyone knew what the great escape was. My daughter whistled the theme tune. Mint.
As an additional note: This film's success inspired and paved the way for CBS to make the classic comedy series "Hogan's Heroes" two years later.
Thanks for watching another classic film! The other great POW movie is about the Japanese, who were much more cruel than the Germans. It's called Bridge on the River Kwai.
The Japanese did not sign anything like the Geneva Convention, and acted without any restraint. King Rat is another great Japanese POW film.
Stalag 17 was an excellent Pow camp movie as well.
Two movies about female civilian prisoners of the Japanese are Three Came Home (1950) which is a true story and A Town Called Alice (1957) from a novel by Neville Shute.
Technically a WWII movie, The Best Years of Our Lives
As a collector of WWII docs and films, IMO one of the best WWII dramas is the British TV series Colditz (the 70s version not the later one) The first three eps are before the POWs get to the camp, I would recommend starting at 4 and 5 and then watch the first three. The 50s movie Colditz was excellent as well. Secret Army was another excellent British drama series about the escape line in Belgium.
The Tarantino logic was solid... and correct. An essential WWll film and much loved by all who love the genre.
I'm really glad that people of the younger generations still enjoy this film.
"I wouldn't do that for my own mother." is one of my favorite lines of any movie and the delivery, with not a split second of pause, is absolute perfection. As far as the shooting of the prisoners, technically every one of them was either out of uniform or in a German uniform, so it actually was completely legal to shoot them as spies.
Maybe more youtubers will watch this movie now. Thanks for choosing this. The music really choreographs this movie well. The 60s had some great movie with phenomenal orchestral music combinations. Spartacus, Guns of Navarone, Gran Prix, The Blue Max, so many. Watch more please.
Elmer Bernstein scored a ton of movies including a bunch of 80s comedies ie Airplane!
Steve McQueen tangled up in the barbed wire, was a famous poster after the movie came out. The look on Steve McQueen face as he is tangled up in the wire, is perfect, you can just see all the frustration of being caught. I saw this movie when it first came out, and have always liked it. Great cast James Garner, Steve McQueen others.
There was a TV movie follow up to this movie, The Great Escape II: The Untold Story". This one is set after the war where they were hunting those that carried out the orders to murder the captured. The star not only got them but rescued the woman that saved him during the escape as she had been branded a collaborator. It's been a long time since I saw it.
When Hitler was told of the escape he wanted to kill all 76 but was persuaded to 'only' kill 50. Unlike the film they were killed singularly or in pairs. After the war there was a manhunt to find all those responsible and 17 of those were convicted of war crime with 13 being executed for their crimes. One of the lucky 23 was Dick Churchill who was spared because the Germans thought he might be to Winston Churchill. A monument to the 50 was made in the camp by the remaining prisoners.
The three that did escape were
Per Bergsland, Norwegian pilot of No. 332 Squadron RAF, escapee #44
Jens Müller, Norwegian pilot of No. 331 Squadron RAF, escapee #43
Bram van der Stok, Dutch pilot of No. 41 Squadron RAF, escapee #18
Many of those spared were family men and were not chosen because of that, a tiny bit of compassion
The music is original. Written by Elmer Bernstein. It is a pretty famous piece. He also wrote the Magnificent Seven, and To Kill a Mockingbird. This music was used at the Olympics by the winning rider in the dressage as her music.
Sooooo many big names in this film. Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Richard Attenborough, Donald Pleasence, Charles Bronson, James Garner, and a lot of other notables in film at the time. One of my favorite films and a great example of how excellent old cinema was, even if it was a bit slower paced.
I'm trying to think if there were any big movies with the star power of this movie before The Great Escape. The Longest Day just came to mind, there must be more but this movie is noted for its stars.
The German commander was a military man, not a Nazi, he tried to conduct himself according to the Geneva convention. Thus he was replaced by Gestapo, they had no qualms about shooting the prisoners.
This is a great movie as is "Stalog 17" and Bridge on the River Kwai" spelling may be wrong but the movies a re must seea
4:38 The Great Escape theme song was used in The Simpsons when Maggie led an escape from the Ayn Rand Preschool in Springfield.
This is based on real events. The characters are based on real people or are composites of several people. However it is highly Americanized. There were some Americans involved early on but they had been move out long before the escape. The " Americans " in the movie are either fictional or represent Canadian officers.
I'm really glad that you did this one. The scene with Hilts in the cooler playing catch with the baseball is exquisitely framed. I hope you don't mind if I go off on a film related aside here? It was also a big part of the history of how movies were poorly shown on TV back in the day. When many of us grew up (as you know), our TVs were in the 4x3 format, and at the time, movies were exclusively shown in the pan and scan format because it was unthinkable to not fill the whole screen.
Many years ago, the US cable TV network, AMC(now known for such hits as Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead), only played only old movies. They started this big push for letterbox during the late 80s, if I remember correctly, and they used this scene as one of the examples. I never saw The Great Escape in the theater, so all I ever saw of the cooler scene was a close up of Steve McQueen's head. One of the ways that they used the scene was in a show about what letterboxing was and why it was better and I remember them going from that closeup and panning out to the the full scene! Mind blown! I never knew about the baseball and what was happening with it! AMC started showing a letterbox movie each Saturday night, and still had to tell their viewers not to worry because they would still air the Pan and Scan version. Crazy, huh? It was a controversial subject back then! They started airing more movies in letterbox, and you would start seeing more movies available for rental in that format at the video store. Of course, there were others fighting for this by then. Eventually, I got what I really had been wanting - my VHS letterbox copies of the Star Wars trilogy!
It might be a coincidence, but I've always had a soft spot for AMC. They also did a lot for film restoration back in the day and now they have such great TV shows. Anyway, I thought this might be interesting because someone like you couldn't imagine seeing a movie in any format besides how a filmmaker intended.
It's also a lengthy movie for TV. When I was a kid, the American Revolution scene was often cut.
Love when you watch classic films ! Please watch more ❤
Recommend!!
@@eliemoses Billy Wilder might be my favorite director...a string of '50s hits, with three of them making the AFI all-time top 100...Sunset Boulevard, a noirish look at Hollywood; Some Like It Hot, AFI all-time #1 comedy with a gorgeous Marilyn Monroe; and The Apartment, perhaps the best rom-com of all time. Then there's pretty much the entire filmography of Hitchcock, Kubrick and more recently the Coen bros... The IMdB 250 has recency and popularity biases IMO...The AFI list has more to teach a film student about cinema history and how we got to where we are now. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years...100_Movies_(10th_Anniversary_Edition)
So many great ones ! Two great Hitchcock ones are Rebecca and Notorious. Also you may want to check out All about Eve. You would love it. Dialogue is amazing.
@@eliemoses I've seen a couple of reactors react to what has been called the greatest Hollywood film, The Best Years of Our Lives. IMO, it could be loosely described as a love story for guys. I don't think I've seen a movie where almost every scene is a kick in the nads. I don't know how getting and giving bank loans can be emotional but William Wyler figured out how to do it. If you're a guy and don't bawl when watching this alone you might want to seek help. Also contains in my estimation one of the greatest shots in Hollywood history, where Homer wakes up in the plane and ponders his future. But then again the cinematographer was Gregg Toland and he was the GOAT. For years, this film was ranked in the top ten.
Great reaction video the actor Donald Pleasance the forger was actually shot down in WW2 and was imprisoned in a real luftstalag prison camp. Btw Bridge Over the River Kwai is a true classic that you should react to. Cheers
Eddie Izzard did a great monologue about the Great Escape He was an English boy and said he wanted to be a go to hell all-action American like Steve McQueen. He bemoaned all the careful, highly skilled work of the English which didn't end well...
One of the actual guys, Wally Floody, one of the tunelets, was on the set every day with technical advice with what actually happened, and what things looked like.... So it's really close!
They named the tunnels, so they could talk 'about' them in the compound - without actually saying which "tunnel" and giving them away.........
Chicken Run, uses the theme too. Probably need to watch that movie too.
POW's meant (in this case) that pilots and other trained/experienced air crew were kept from causing more damage through flying again. In Western Europe, the Allies (UK and US, mostly) were usually treated well by the Germans and in reciprocal, the Allies treated their German POW's decently. The East was an entirely different thing, as the Soviets and Germans both starved and beat, worked to death (and executed) POW's
After THE GREAT ESCAPE, the other 'Must See' WW II P.O.W. films are THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (Columbia Pictures, 1957), STALAG 17 (Paramount Pictures, 1953), and KING RAT (Columbia Pictures, 1965). "Kwai" was also based on a real place and true events, and took home SEVEN OSCARS. The appeal of POW films to us guys; it's usually a Caper wrapped up in an Underdog War Adventure. Some of the supporting cast and extras in King Rat were actual survivors of Changi prison, as well James Clavell who wrote the novel upon which it's based. As an Aussie, you should be familiar with Kwai and Rat, for your Regional/Historical edification.
And Clavell wrote the screenplay for this
We're not all film students; we don't look for all this, we just want to be entertained.
The Great Escape is truly special and a logical pick for a place among the all time greatest. It's sort of a tradition in the UK to air the film every Boxing Day. It reminds me of the most happy and complete days of my life, with the ones I loved the most. I can say that for no other film
I know about that tradition and wonder why it would be played around Christmas
I just checked IMDb and the 1962 film is The Password Is Courage and based on the memoirs of Sergeant Major Charles Coward. Part of the reason for its obscurity may lie in the fact that Coward was a free spirit who downplayed his heroics (especially in his saving several hundred Polish Jews) in favor of the comedic ironies he saw in his wartime experiences. Yet The Password Is Courage beat The Great Escape to screens by at least a year. The only difference I ever saw was that HIS Great Escape was from Luft-Stalag VIII-B and the 63 film was set in Luft-Stalag III.
"VICTIM" was the name of the 1961 film about a closeted London lawyer who helps the cops breakup of the blackmail ring.
And just a word about another British actor. Richard Todd was one of the many stars of The Longest Day. He played the head of glider assault troops who took a key bridge in the pre-dawn hours of 6/6/44 and held it until relieved by commandos under the leadership of Lord Lovett. One of Todd's glider troops was .... wait for it...a young private by the name of Richard Todd. Yes, Richard Todd was indeed one of the real life glider assault troops who took that bridge and held it. The producer even asked Todd if he would like to play himself in the movie. His reply? "At this point in my career I don't think a star like me should accept a role so microscopic as that of my own WW2 experiences, which would bore viewers to tears and perhaps drive them from the theaters for showing a young man who really did nothing except what he was told to do by real heroes, like the head of our assault unit."
Todd also starred in one of the most stirring British WW2 films, The Dam Busters, about the real life attempts to blow up German dams in a particular region and flood the valleys. The dam(s) were ringed by AA guns and made overhead bombing impossible. So the British were forced to develop a bomb which they could release hundreds of yards away and would bounce along the water until it hit the dam. Several were needed to cause enough damage to bust open the dams, as they were nearly bomb-proof due to their heavily reinforced construction by the Germans. That they succeeded at all was a miracle. I have heard talk of a remake but it would involve renaming Todd's character's beloved dog, whose name really was N----r.
Finally, no matter how Sgt. Major Charles Coward liked to downplay his own heroics, his "We are still soldiers of the King no matter where we are!
A POW camp is not a vacation from war but another front from which to fight! Anyone who feels differently needs to take off his uniform and report to the Commandant right this moment!" was real, heartfelt, and needed to be said. It needs to be said in EVERY Prisoner Of War film. A POW camp is not a ticket to ride out the war in peace and relative comfort, while collecting pay from the Royal Army and the Royal Air Force. As Coward told his fellow reluctant prisoners, "yes, many of us may get killed, but many British soldiers WERE killed in the battles in which we were taken prisoner. Should EVERYONE HAVE SURRENDERED?"
Were the British troops who were killed fools for not giving up at the sound of a German rifle?"
Pardon me while I now get off my high horse but it (Coward's angry outburst) needed repeating. It also needs to be carved in stone somewhere, right beside Lord Nelson's "England expects every man to do his duty."
Elie my man how come it has taken you so long watch this classic 60s War Film, cannot believe you never seen this one until now. Perhaps one of the most stellar casts ever assembled. It's a great ride from start to finish, stand out scenes for me are when the French Resitence tip off James Coburn before the ambush, and when Gordon Jackson ( who later became Mr Hudson in Upstairs Downstairs one of the most iconic characters of 70s TV) answers the Gestapo agent in English when tricked. Man Steve McQueen loved that cooler.
Great reaction! To read more I can recommend the 'Australian's (actually Dutchman Bob Vanderstok's) book, Paul Brickhill's book, and Simon Pearson's fairly recent biography of Roger 'Big X' Bushell, 'The great escaper'. All are available as audiobooks.
Yes that German guy with the briefcase was rehearsing for hours on bringing in that paperwork !
Those character actors know they will only be on for a few seconds so they try n make it a very unique appearance so somewhere down the road a director or ? might remember that guy just for is snappy briefcase 😁👍
There is a good documentary on TH-cam on the real escape. They even locate one of the tunnels. worth a watch
Absolutely incredible film. Great reaction.
Thank youuuu
Mr. Elie, you should see _The Dirty Dozen_ (1967)!
Steve McQueen did most of the motorcycle stunts in the latter portion of the film, including as one of the Germans chasing himself (Hiltz) on a motorcycle.
That was the part of the movie that made the real guys who were there gag. Most of McQueen's stuff in the movie including this (at his insistence) was bullshit
@@jethro1963 I think it's also BS that any Americans were involved but if you want the box-office to fund a movie like this some artistic license is helpful. Besides the motorcycle stunt work make for some highly entertaining scenes particularly for back in the day, kind of ground breaking and done by McQueen himself because no one else could do it.
England fans often play the Great Escape theme at football games. You might have heard it there lol
It nearly drove me mental once hearing it on TV at the World Cup. The guy kept playing it over and over without stopping. (trumpet?)
If you've ever seen the animated film Chicken Run, it's inspired heavily by this movie, including the soundtrack.
It was also used in The Simpsons when Maggie crawled out of her crib.
Late to the party but I've never seen someone react to The Great Escape and it's genuinely one of my favourite movies. My introduction to it was a bit odd though - I watched it in my year 8 English class as a comparison with the animated movie Chicken Run 😅 It sounds crazy, but literally the whole intro to Chicken Run and some of the scenes/music throughout it are straight out of The Great Escape.
You asked "why even bother with prisoners if they're only going to cost resources and manpower?" and well the reason is simple, obviously killing POWs is a bad look both amongst the international community and amongst the locals, the average German, and the average Wehrmacht soldier for that matter, weren't bloodthirsty fanatics like the majority of the SS (yes even amongst the SS there were some good people, like SS officer Kurt-Siegfried Schrader who defected and joined the Austrian resistance after becoming disillusioned), even since ancient times killing prisoners has been frowned upon by most.
You also pointed out that the POW camp wasn't as horrible as one would think a camp would be, this is mainly because it's run by the Luftwaffe, the German air force. Since WW1 pilots have been regarded as the "modern day knights" and therefore pilots were treated with much more honor and respect, this has somewhat continued to this day but after WW2 the whole image of pilots as "knights" has become muddied and you'd likely look at a fighter pilot as if he's just some regular soldier today, ironically the marines (aka the braindead crayon eaters) are looked at more favorably despite not being nearly as impressive as a pilot. The POW camps run by the Wehrmacht were worse since infantry were far more common than airmen, but not nearly as bad as the camps run by the SS, I'm not sure how how nice the Kriegsmarine POW camps were but I imagine they were on the same level as the Luftwaffe's camps.
One thing I really like about this movie is that they don't show all the Germans as evil Nazis, some of them are nice even though they're talking to their enemies, like Werner or Von Luger (the commandant). Werner's obviously a nice guy in the wrong occupation, and Von Luger is shown to not be particularly fond of Hitler's cult of personality such as when they're in his office and the officers do the salute, he's the last one to do it and with a serious lack of enthusiasm, as if he's thinking "oh, right, heil Hitler". Then there also the scene when he gives the list of the dead, he's obviously quite disturbed by the murder of 50 POWs. And this one is often overlooked by most but he also allows the POWs to celebrate the 4th of July, with contraband alcohol no less! It's also hinted that he let Hilts and Ives out of the cooler earlier than their set date, as shown by Hilt's shocked expression when he's let out. I think these are all neat details as the guy Von Luger is based off, Friedrich Wilhelm von Lindeiner-Wildau the real commander of Stalag Luft III (the camp in this movie), was quite a nice guy and well-liked by the prisoners, which goes to show that not every enemy is evil, he's likely just some guy like you who got mixed up in everything.
I think the theme was used in chicken run & it was used in the Simpsons when marge was in a street car named desire & Maggie was in the day care. They even did the kids doing the signals & escaping & Maggie getting tossed in the cooler with the ball.
I watched this so many times as a kid. I love it.
The POW camps in Germany where way better than Japan.
& the Germans did treat the captors with respect. That’s why they salute. Although they were still malnourished. But in the behind the scenes the guy they brought in to make sure everything was done right. Said your doing it perfectly, cause he’s starting to get anxious.
U need to watch Jason and the argonauts another great film from the 60s.
Lol the one u call Malfoy is “Ashley pit” he’s played by David McCallum he is NCIS show.
It was on the set of The Great Escape, where David McCallum lost his wife Jill Ireland to Chuck Bronson.
This is one of the greatest films ever made
it was a ride for sure. What a journey!
A heavily fictionalised account of the escape but based on the main facts bar several major additions. No Americans were involved, and certainly no motorcycle or attempted airborne escape featured. Added for extra effect to keep the US public interested! The fifty officers executed were killed in small numbers while supposedly being escorted back to the camp by the Gestapo in cars. Shot in the back while taking toilet breaks. There were Americans initially involved in the plan, but they were 'Southern Canadians' as they were jokingly termed. Americans serving with the RAF or Canadian airforce prior to the US entry into the war. They were moved to another compound within the overall camp complex once large numbers of US airforce personnel started arriving. The theme was written for the movie, and there was nothing funny about being an inmate in a Nazi POW camp! Donald Pleasance, who played the elderly forger, had served as an RAF aircraft wireless operator and was shot down in 1944 and held in another POW camp. Richard Attenborough was also RAF Aircrew during the war for a time.
It is worth noting, however, that those Americans who were in the camp continued to help in the preparations (tunnelling, etc.) even after they knew that they were going to be moved and would not be able to join in the escape.
I've read the main books and seen most of the docs, that was a good summary.
One thing the Germans never cottoned on to, they sang Christmas carols year round as a diversion. It was never questioned why they would be singing Christmas songs in July.
You'll have heard the theme to this if you've ever watched a football match featuring England
when i look back i think wouldn't it have been easier for hilts to climb over the last border after crossing the first one on his bike, like straight after he cross put the bike down and pull right through and take some cuts along the way, small sacrifice but he could have been over that border perhaps?
Executing prisoners is definitely a war crime. For example the Australian SAS committed many war crimes in Afghanistan executing civilians.
I hope you'll consider reacting to The Great Race (1965), starring Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, and Keenan Wynn.
Thanks for doing this one ! It was the best film I’d ever seen when it came out during my childhood. I want to also take this opportunity to plug a series called “ A French Village”( about the French Resistance). It’s the best WW2 era film or series I’ve ever seen !
🫡
Way too much to compliment this Great film, and especially since it was based on a real story and included cast members who experienced what it was like; and the author and consultant who were a part of it in that particular camp.
I'd like to suggest one of my favorite movies from the 60's, "WHERE EAGLES DARE" starring Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton.
It was shot on location in Austria: real castle, real snow, real stunts, real explosions, great score, beautiful scenery. At one point the cast and crew were stranded in the valley due to snow storms and that there really was only one road in or out.
Clever story with plenty of suspense, intrique, twists, and action - the original impossible mission.
It is based on an Alistair MacLean novel(and he wrote the screenplay as well) as was "The Guns Of Navarone" and "Ice Station Zebra".
Clint Eastwood as Lt. Shaffer: "Major, right now you got me about as confused as I ever hope to be."
Richard Burton as Major Smith: “and what a disguise” (about operative Heidi played by Ingrid Pitt).
The stunts were incredible including an amazing real jump that the stuntman lost teeth upon landing. I won't spoil which scene it is - you'll have to see it to believe it.
The part of the movie that pisses me off was that Canadians (who played a major role in the escape) including getting shot were not represented, except for that tiny line in the beginning. The Americans were transferred from the camp before the time of the escape. The author of the book Paul Brickhill was supposed to be the on set consultant but he couldn't do it so he recommended Canadian Wally Floody. Floody was the real life Tunnel King.
It's not quite vodka, probably what you would call moonshine. Like someone said don't smoke right after you drink it.
on D-Day, RIP
Squadron Leader Roger Joyce Bushell (30 August 1910 - 29 March 1944)
SQUADRON LEADER OF SOUTH AFRICA
PILOT
ROYAL AIR FORCE
AUXILIARY AIR FORCE
29TH MARCH 1944 AGE 33
A LEADER OF MEN
HE ACHIEVED MUCH
SERVED TO THE END
The Austalian is James Coburn, very American.
Dear Elie,
just remember that you LOST TO EMUS ...
Yes the commandant was not as ruthless as the Gestapo, thus he was relieved, probably taken out to be shot or send to the Russian front.
the musical theme is very reminiscent of most themes of movies about wwll. even the "hogan's heros" tv show theme sounds like it.
you need to watch "the bridge on the river kwai" (1957) starring alec guiness and william holden. its about british prisoners of war held by the japanese during wwll. ITS EVEN BETTER THAN THIS!
The Germans treated the western allied POW especially the officers very well, there is an account from bill bellemy where the German had a POW that had won the Victoria cross in Africa and they had held an award ceremony to give it to the British POW
Uh... no, they did not. POWs held by the Nazis in Europe during WWII were sometimes treated as badly as they treated WWI prisoners. They could be subjected to conditions almost as vile as civilians were in prison work camps. Deaths from malnutrition, disease, hard labour were relatively common, and somewhat dependent on the ethnicity of the prisoner and the location of the camp. A lifetime of PTSD was ahead for some surviving POWs. We like to think the Nazis observed the components of the Geneva Convention already established after WWI, but clearly, given the way they treated civilians, they did not.
@@charmingjinx9379 It should be noted who was holding the prisoners the SS or the Luftwaffe, you got better treatment with the latter. Many of the old school Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe hated the SS
Supposedly Steve McQueen did most of the riding on the motorcycle.
1. everyone watching this for the first time should "hazard a gues how many actually make it" after they reveal how many they want to break out
2. the shots you praise are perhaps a consequence of CAMERA LIMITATIONS, which is why they HAD TO THINK about HOW TO PUSH THE LIMITS
3. the germans were NOT "Nazi soldiers", they were regular soldiers ... unless they have a black uniform
Another good POW movie is Stalag 17
You should watch Kelly’s Heroes
Watch “The Real Great Escape - Codename Tom, Dick & Harry” uploaded by Element 18 and “The Untold Story Of the Great Great | Our History” uploaded by Our History.
Like Cinematic try the movie "The Guns of Navarone" .
u guys do know it was a true story right ?? ....not sure by way your talking if u know that ? .....
Minus an airplane, motorcycle, a bunch of Americans, and a machine gun ending.
I vote Dirty Dozen too....
The true story is even more amazing. Read some books.
Not the best WWII movie, but def my favorite.
German POW camps weren't nearly as bad as their concentration camps.
It barely has anything to do with the true story.
You said such a dumb thing about recapturing PoWs I can't believe the Australian education system has gone downhill so fast so quick
Think of the idea of re-capturing any escapee - is it worth it? Yes of course. If you don't have a meaningful prison system you might as well have none at all.
I give this review a thumbs down
I know it's meant to be a reaction video, but you are talking TOO much.
THIS CAMP IS SITUATED IN POLAND , NEXT TO SMALL TOWN ŻAGAŃ .
There is a commemorative stone with a sentence in Polish: - "TO ALLIED AIRMEN, PRISONERS OF STALAG LUFT III , PARTICIPANTS OF THE GREAT ESCAPE "
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_Luft_III ( Translate form polish to any language please ) .
th-cam.com/video/EEMW2svLTF8/w-d-xo.html