The Great Escape

"Put a fence in front of these men... and they'll climb it!"

Jul 4 1963 Approved 2h 52m
Adventure, Drama, History

The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners plan one of the most ambitious escape attempts of World War II. Based on a true story.

Plot

Based on a true story, a group of allied escape artist-type prisoners-of-war are all put in an "escape proof" camp. Their leader decides to try to take out several hundred all at once. The first half of the movie is played for comedy, as the prisoners mostly outwit their jailers to dig the escape tunnel. The second half is high adventure as they use planes, trains, and boats to get out of occupied Europe.

Written by

Paul Brickhill, James Clavell, W.R. Burnett

Directed by

John Sturges

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

United Artists, The Mirisch Company

Languages

Français, Deutsch, English

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 3 wins & 12 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
266,387
Average Rating
8.2 out of 10
Metascore
86
Popularity
NA