The Great Escape1963
The Great Escape (1963)
The Great Escape Photos
Movie Info
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Cast
as Virgil Hilts
as Hendley
as Bartlett
as Senior Officer Ramsey
as Danny Velinski
as Blythe
as Sedgwick
as Ashley-Pitt
as MacDonald
as Willie
as "The Mole" Ives
as Cavendish
as Goff
as Sorren
as "The Tailor" Griffith
as Nimmo
as Haynes
as Von Luger
as Werner
as Strachwitz
as Kuhn
as Posen
as Kramer
as Frick
as Preissen
as Dietrich
as Steinach
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Critic Reviews for The Great Escape
All Critics (49) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (3) | DVD (15)
For all its missteps, when it comes to escapism, intrigue, and indulgence, you could do a whole lot worse than The Great Escape. Just watch it with an open eye.
This is a Boys' Own Tale, and, as boys, we wanted it, cleansed of horrors, for ourselves.
The Great Escape is simply great escapism.
An exceptional story about teamwork.
Producer-director John Sturges has fashioned a motion picture that entertains, captivates, thrills and stirs.
Way too flabby at 168 minutes, but once this 1963 feature gets going it's good, solid stuff.
Audience Reviews for The Great Escape
The Bank holiday classic. Didn't watch it for ages but once I did I found it was a pretty good story loosely based on a true story of P.O.W.s escaping from their prison camp during the second world war.
Super Reviewer
There's some WW2 movies that go for the point of view of 1) some important job that HAS to be done, and/or (it could be both) there's the ones that go for 2) the horror of war. And then there's what I call the "I remember World War 2" films wherein the war is seen through the subtle patina of nostalgia. "Those were the good old days!" This film is solidly in the second camp, as if two hours into the 20 year high school reunion some slightly inebriated few begin to wax teary-eyed about the day of the big game oh those many years ago. One very nearly roots for the bad guys.
Super Reviewer
By investing good part of its narrative in the many particulars of the great escape planning, this outstanding prison break movie increases our connection with a large gallery of memorable characters, making us deeply care about its consequences in a tense, breathtaking final act.
Super Reviewer
The Great Escape Quotes
| "Cooler King" Hilts: | What do they call a mole in Scotland? |
| "The Mole" Ives: | A mole. |
| Senior Officer Ramsey: | Up the rebels. |
| Goff: | Down the British. |
| "Cooler King" Hilts: | What do they call a mole in Scotland? |
| "The Mole" Ives: | A mole. |
| Kuhn: | We have reason to believe this prisoner is the mastermind behind numerous criminal escape attempts. |
| Von Lugar "The Kommandant": | [sarcastically] Squadron Leader Bartlett has been three months in your care! And the Gestapo has only "reason to believe"! |
| Von Lugar "The Kommandant": | [sarcastically] Squadron Leader Bartlett has been three months in your care! And the Gestapo has only 'reason to believe'! |