I recently read "Yeager" the autobiography of test pilot Chuck Yeager. In it he relates his experience after being shot down over France during WWII and how the French resistance helped him get to Spain. As your video suggests, escaping to Spain wasn't easy. Vague directions, no clearly marked roads or trails, harsh weather across the mountains, and finally getting arrested by Spanish authorities for entering the country illegally. He was eventually released from jail and interred in a low class hotel while American diplomats made arrangements for him to return to his unit in the U.K.
If memory serves didn’t he have to appeal to Ike or another senior commander for permission to fly in combat over Europe again? This being due to a rule that escapers were banned from flying over Europe in case they were shot down again and gave away information on the resistance? I read the same book back in the 90s after watching the right stuff and wanting to know more about the late great Chuck Yeager.
@@nigeh5326 That is correct. The concern was that escapees, if captured a second time, could compromise resistance cells that helped them. Had Yeager not appealed to Eisenhower directly, he'd have been sent back to the States to train new pilots. But he was so proficient a combat pilot and the war was going well enough that Ike personally signed off on Yeager's return to action. They met again years later when Ike was President and Yeager was breaking flight records and according to Yeager, shared a laugh.
This is one of three films that get put on whenever we want to do a WW2 movie marathon, the others being Kelly's Heroes and the Dirty Dozen. There are other good flicks from that era, but my circle of friends all agree that those three are ones that we could watch any time.
Great overview of a brilliant film -- thanks. You should definitely watch it at the cinema if you ever get the chance. We should also never forget the murders of 50 of the escapees by the Gestapo on Hitler's orders (these occurred individually or in small numbers rather than the mass shooting in the film). The RAF Police brought the perpetrators to justice after the war. Of course, the Germans' defence was that they were just following orders...
My Dad would take me out of school when I was a kid in the seventies when this movie was on. I've seen it a few dozen times. Absolutely one of the greats. Thanks for the retrospective. Very wryly funny as well.
I had no idea Attenburough was a director (and a skilled one too). Very versatile. This is a great movie that had it come out much earlier or much later wouldn't have had the same magic. If they do remake I can unfortunately see McQueen's part being styles on Ryan Reynolds or Chris Pratt's style of none-stop "look, I'm the funny guy" one-liners. Great in Deadpool types where thats the character, but actually tiring elsewhere. McQueen really knew how to pace it.
Missed a golden opportunity to use some of Eddie Izzard's pearlers on this movie lol also...all those Dr Who reviews and no mention of Ian Chesterton?? for shame 🤣 loved it though...keep 'em coming!
I love how you bet on the outcome of the film too. I do the same thing, at every watching I'm rooting for Gordon Jackson not to answer the German officer in English😅
We used to sit down during school holidays and watch it when they would play it on Sunday afternoons on channel 7 every year. I must have watched the DVD about 20 times as well. Amazing movie! You can't help but cheer for the heroes!!! Great review!
This film was co-written by James Clavell, author of The Asian Saga, who was himself a prisoner of war. His books are some of the greatest historical fiction books ever written IMO. Especially Shogun, Tai Pan, and Nobel House.
Bought it for my mom years ago on DVD and it’s one of the few I kept when she passed away. It is one of the best pow escape films ever made imo. Steve McQueen really establishes himself as the king of cool in this movie
Absolutely love this movie. A few additional facts: They actually purposely omitted facts so as not to endanger future POWs who may need to use similar methods. Donald Pleasance was an actual WWII POW. His first attempts to correct some inaccuracies were rejected by the director, who wasn't aware of that fact. Once it was revealed, his input was welcomed. James Garner actually was the "scrounger" during his time in the military. It's pretty much the role he played in Maverick, The Rockford Files, and Support Your Local Sheriff, the hero who uses charm and wit rather than fists and guns (although he can if needed). Doctor Who fans will recognize William Russell as Sorren, the man in charge of security. His character is one left behind when the escape is discovered early.
Thanks for this as always a great look at a classic film with a witty script that imparts information while putting a smile on the viewers face. I look forward to the next one. Happy New Year Stan Fine 👍😊 Ps any chance you Aussies could let us have just 1 test win in the series? Yeah you’ve won the Ashes but have pity we have Boris as PM we need a little cheer in England 😊
Great film , but I prefer stalag 17. That scene at the end where William Holden lights the match off the guys face and gives the "go f%%# yourselves" speech was cooler than anything Steve Mcqueen did here.
The motorcycle scene was all due to Steve McQueen's passion for them. He did most of his riding, although not the jump attempt. Hiltz's backstory of how he earned money racing motorcycles came from McQueen's own life. Since he was more skilled than the available stunt riders, there's a scene where he's playing a German rider chasing himself as Hiltz. It's a movie like this that shows that you don't need to make supporting characters into cardboard cutouts. Sure it's long, but nearly every speaking role gets a chance to shine.
Great review of a great film, but how could you not mention Chicken Run? Aardman’s all fowl based remake? I had a friend that went to see Chicken Run in the theater and she couldn’t understand why I was constantly giggling throughout the movie at the homages
Top film but funny thing is when you see a picture of the original real camp, its very wide and deep with huge space between the huts and guard towers. The "set" is shrunk to the point in the opening shot looks amazing but then you look at the guard towers and they are so close, they could talk or pass items between them!! haha
Well picked up that the US stars characters mostly survive and the British characters mostly cop it. As I understand it in real life very few if not no US prisoners of war were involved in the escape. Could be wrong
Quite a lot of USAAF guys involved in the start of the tunnel digging. It was the information that the Yanks were going to be moved to another camp which lead to a maximum effort to get the Tom Tunnel finished as quickly as possible and led to the tunnel being discovered by the Germans (one of the guards noted the different coloured soil in the ground near the hut where the tunnel entrance was). No US personnel involved in the actual escape, but pretty much one guy from every other Allied nation got out through the tunnel. Two Norwegians and a Dutch Bloke made it back to the UK.
In the real life events the escape unfolded in winter and the snow greatly impeded the escapees. Also, my only fault on this amazingly great film that I love is that, as an Australian myself, James Coburn’s “Aussie” accent is terrible.
How about "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence"? If you get a chance to do that one, it would be fun. David Bowie's best performance, even better than Jared, and that's saying something.
Great video, Slammy. And likely the last one for 2021. Thanks for a great year of reviews, including the Bond ones. There's a suite of WWII films from the 1960's that are personal favourites of mine. This one, The Guns of Navarone and The Night of the Generals.
I recently read "Yeager" the autobiography of test pilot Chuck Yeager. In it he relates his experience after being shot down over France during WWII and how the French resistance helped him get to Spain. As your video suggests, escaping to Spain wasn't easy. Vague directions, no clearly marked roads or trails, harsh weather across the mountains, and finally getting arrested by Spanish authorities for entering the country illegally. He was eventually released from jail and interred in a low class hotel while American diplomats made arrangements for him to return to his unit in the U.K.
If memory serves didn’t he have to appeal to Ike or another senior commander for permission to fly in combat over Europe again?
This being due to a rule that escapers were banned from flying over Europe in case they were shot down again and gave away information on the resistance?
I read the same book back in the 90s after watching the right stuff and wanting to know more about the late great Chuck Yeager.
@@nigeh5326 That is correct. The concern was that escapees, if captured a second time, could compromise resistance cells that helped them. Had Yeager not appealed to Eisenhower directly, he'd have been sent back to the States to train new pilots. But he was so proficient a combat pilot and the war was going well enough that Ike personally signed off on Yeager's return to action. They met again years later when Ike was President and Yeager was breaking flight records and according to Yeager, shared a laugh.
Read the story of the real SS killings of the recaptured prisoners in 1944.
This is one of three films that get put on whenever we want to do a WW2 movie marathon, the others being Kelly's Heroes and the Dirty Dozen. There are other good flicks from that era, but my circle of friends all agree that those three are ones that we could watch any time.
You forgot Were Eagles Dare and Patton.
@@johnashley327 The Guns of Navarone is no slouch, either.
@@ChrisMaxfieldActs --- CORRECT! | . . . and, when least expected, Anthony Quinn steals the show when he pretends to be a frightened Greek fisherman.
@@johnashley327 --- Thanks, for saving him from the blasphemy of forgetting "Where Eagles Dare" (1968).
No Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade or Raiders of the Lost Arc? What an incomplete list.
My father's favorite movie and one of my favorite movies of the 60s.
Great overview of a brilliant film -- thanks. You should definitely watch it at the cinema if you ever get the chance. We should also never forget the murders of 50 of the escapees by the Gestapo on Hitler's orders (these occurred individually or in small numbers rather than the mass shooting in the film). The RAF Police brought the perpetrators to justice after the war. Of course, the Germans' defence was that they were just following orders...
Unfortunately that defense never gets old.
Unfortunately far too many war criminals did get away with their crimes after the war ended due to the Cold War.
My Dad would take me out of school when I was a kid in the seventies when this movie was on. I've seen it a few dozen times. Absolutely one of the greats. Thanks for the retrospective. Very wryly funny as well.
I had no idea Attenburough was a director (and a skilled one too). Very versatile. This is a great movie that had it come out much earlier or much later wouldn't have had the same magic. If they do remake I can unfortunately see McQueen's part being styles on Ryan Reynolds or Chris Pratt's style of none-stop "look, I'm the funny guy" one-liners. Great in Deadpool types where thats the character, but actually tiring elsewhere. McQueen really knew how to pace it.
Missed a golden opportunity to use some of Eddie Izzard's pearlers on this movie lol also...all those Dr Who reviews and no mention of Ian Chesterton?? for shame 🤣 loved it though...keep 'em coming!
Came to say the same... William Russell as Security just before he stepped into the TARDIS.
got the 4K on pre-order .... love this flick
I love how you bet on the outcome of the film too. I do the same thing, at every watching I'm rooting for Gordon Jackson not to answer the German officer in English😅
OMG, StamFine is reviewing my favorite movie 🍿🙌
One of the best casts ever and they all knock it out of the park.
Love this movie. Watched it every year growing up
We used to sit down during school holidays and watch it when they would play it on Sunday afternoons on channel 7 every year. I must have watched the DVD about 20 times as well. Amazing movie! You can't help but cheer for the heroes!!! Great review!
This film was co-written by James Clavell, author of The Asian Saga, who was himself a prisoner of war. His books are some of the greatest historical fiction books ever written IMO. Especially Shogun, Tai Pan, and Nobel House.
One of the first DVDs I bought
Bought it for my mom years ago on DVD and it’s one of the few I kept when she passed away. It is one of the best pow escape films ever made imo. Steve McQueen really establishes himself as the king of cool in this movie
This is an excellent review! This is one of my very favorite films. Keep up the great work.
Absolutely love this movie. A few additional facts:
They actually purposely omitted facts so as not to endanger future POWs who may need to use similar methods.
Donald Pleasance was an actual WWII POW. His first attempts to correct some inaccuracies were rejected by the director, who wasn't aware of that fact. Once it was revealed, his input was welcomed.
James Garner actually was the "scrounger" during his time in the military. It's pretty much the role he played in Maverick, The Rockford Files, and Support Your Local Sheriff, the hero who uses charm and wit rather than fists and guns (although he can if needed).
Doctor Who fans will recognize William Russell as Sorren, the man in charge of security. His character is one left behind when the escape is discovered early.
Also, The Simpsons did a great homage.
Yes, apparently escape kit stuff was smuggled in via the Red Cross deliveries.
The film does not reveal how all the resources they use are sourced.
This is Spielberg's favorite movie.
Possibly the greatest "heist" film ever made. Suspenseful & exhilarating every time. An essential movie that lives beyond criticism.
That guy at 7:13 is a two time Star Trek veteran. "Amok Time" and "Balance of Terror." His name is Lawrence Montaigne.
Maybe the greatest cast ever. Score is awesome too.
finished rewatching this masterpiece a few hours ago on TCM :)
Thanks for this as always a great look at a classic film with a witty script that imparts information while putting a smile on the viewers face.
I look forward to the next one.
Happy New Year Stan Fine 👍😊
Ps any chance you Aussies could let us have just 1 test win in the series?
Yeah you’ve won the Ashes but have pity we have Boris as PM we need a little cheer in England 😊
Great film , but I prefer stalag 17. That scene at the end where William Holden lights the match off the guys face and gives the "go f%%# yourselves" speech was cooler than anything Steve Mcqueen did here.
Honestly Loving these movie reviews!!!
Happy New Year if we survive :)
"Hiltz..cooler!" James Coburn's dreadful accent lol. Still wince when they are getting on the bus and he says "thank you!"
Can't forget William Russell as the guy in charge of getting people into the tunnel.
Superb revue of an all time classic. Thank you….and…..’Good luck’….
One of the greatest movie s ever made ..its one my all time favorites
Correct: a complete masterpiece: A+
The motorcycle scene was all due to Steve McQueen's passion for them. He did most of his riding, although not the jump attempt. Hiltz's backstory of how he earned money racing motorcycles came from McQueen's own life. Since he was more skilled than the available stunt riders, there's a scene where he's playing a German rider chasing himself as Hiltz.
It's a movie like this that shows that you don't need to make supporting characters into cardboard cutouts. Sure it's long, but nearly every speaking role gets a chance to shine.
Excellent, very funny review. Loved the 'coolest simpleton' gag!
Paul Brickhill's book is highly recommended. Very readable, it also has many pictures... you will be amazed at what these guys did !
A very enjoyable review & interesting.
Review Papillon. Steve McQ's other great escape movie.
Great review of a great film, but how could you not mention Chicken Run? Aardman’s all fowl based remake? I had a friend that went to see Chicken Run in the theater and she couldn’t understand why I was constantly giggling throughout the movie at the homages
I do like this movie--a lot.
Walter Mirisch is still alive! He just turned 100 a couple of months ago.
British viewers of yours would have expected this review to debut on Boxing Day. Also, I hope you will review 'Von Ryan's Express' at some stage.
Top film but funny thing is when you see a picture of the original real camp, its very wide and deep with huge space between the huts and guard towers. The "set" is shrunk to the point in the opening shot looks amazing but then you look at the guard towers and they are so close, they could talk or pass items between them!! haha
the real story behind this film is far more tragic and worth looking up but is not a happy read/watch
Are you going to review Blakes 7?
now you need to talk about hogan's heros
Love your work Mr. Fine!
Are you going to do Monty Python's Flying Circus, IT Crowd, Black Books, or the hidden gem: Coupling,?
Well picked up that the US stars characters mostly survive and the British characters mostly cop it.
As I understand it in real life very few if not no US prisoners of war were involved in the escape. Could be wrong
Quite a lot of USAAF guys involved in the start of the tunnel digging. It was the information that the Yanks were going to be moved to another camp which lead to a maximum effort to get the Tom Tunnel finished as quickly as possible and led to the tunnel being discovered by the Germans (one of the guards noted the different coloured soil in the ground near the hut where the tunnel entrance was). No US personnel involved in the actual escape, but pretty much one guy from every other Allied nation got out through the tunnel. Two Norwegians and a Dutch Bloke made it back to the UK.
No one:
Ian Chesterton: 8:41 😑
Yes that’s William Russell himself, he’s also one of like five actors who are still alive from this film
A UK Easter terrestrial TV regular alongside Magnificent 7 and the hunted rabbits film...
Stan, when are you going to review "The Guns of Navarone?"
In the real life events the escape unfolded in winter and the snow greatly impeded the escapees.
Also, my only fault on this amazingly great film that I love is that, as an Australian myself, James Coburn’s “Aussie” accent is terrible.
Any love for Escape to Victory?
Also Harrison Ford's first film, he went on to be a supporting character actor in films such as Force 10 From Navarone, Working Girl, and Sabrina
You forgot to mention that Rick Dalton got replaced by Steve McQueen.
荒野の七人組のマック、コバーン、ブロンソンの3人はまた直接会話するシーンはなかった。
How about "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence"? If you get a chance to do that one, it would be fun. David Bowie's best performance, even better than Jared, and that's saying something.
This gives me Chicken Run vibes.
Classic Sunday afternoon fare. Brave Brits and Yanks vs the horrid Huns. Yay!
Only two Americans escape, The third never gets a chance, And both of them end up back in camp.
The amount of make up the actors have on in some scenes always bothered me about this film.
A war movie full of the authenticity of men who fought in war; a categorical difference from the postmodern waifs of the present.
Great video, Slammy. And likely the last one for 2021. Thanks for a great year of reviews, including the Bond ones. There's a suite of WWII films from the 1960's that are personal favourites of mine. This one, The Guns of Navarone and The Night of the Generals.