MovieChat Forums > The Colditz Story (1955) Discussion > Excellent POW Movie

Excellent POW Movie

posted 19 years ago by caledoniancraig-1
10 replies | jump to latest

The Colditz Story is an excellent movie featuring the awesome famous castle with POW's faced with an almost impossible task of escaping.The film concentrates on the British attempts mainly with Sir John Mills,Lionel Jeffries and Ian Carmichael excelling.It also has room for light hearted moments like the stage show put on by the prisoners for the Germans with some corny jokes and singing in the show as an escape attempt is underway.

Great end to the film when the prisoners are callewd out for a night Appel roll call and frustrate the Germans by breaking out into raucous singing whilst the Germans order them to stop singing.

Watch this film and I am sure you will enjoy it.Maybe not quite as good as The Great Escape but up there as one of the best ever POW movies.

[–] James_Bond_007_218 19 years ago

When I saw this the other night, I couldn't help but think that this was very similar to The Great Escape. Great film, good acting. Classic war film.

[–] ashton127 18 years ago

I disagree, James Bond. I feel it was very different to The Great Escape. The Great Escape is more comic and "Americanized." The Colditz story is pure Brit. :)

[–] casper145 17 years ago

Well put ahston, you can only get that excellent sort of movie from the Brits. Although I havn't actually been able to see the Great Escape, I really want to, because I have discovered a massive liking for the POW Escape movies, like the Wooden Horse (another classic), and to be a good type of that movie it really does have to be made pre 1960...why is it British black and white films seem so good? One of lifes mysteries I suppose

[–] jkholman 17 years ago

Of the two, I prefer the Colditz Story. It has more depth than the Great Escape, although the novel by Paul Brickhill is very exciting and one of the best accounts to come out of WWII. For a charismatic character, Steve McQueen's role is hard to beat.

- JKHolman

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] TorontoJediMaster 14 years ago

The film works better in black and white. It gives the Castle a stark gloom that adds to the atmosphere.

[–] icaptainchaos 14 years ago

This is going to age me terribly, but I remember Colditz (can't remember if it was a film or an episode) where a British officer pretended to go insane so he could escape, but actually went insane for real.

There was one part where he had a toy airplane (in his 'insane for real' part), dropped it and a German soldier picked it up & gave it back to him. Made me fall apart, for some reason ...

Does anyone know what it was called & if it's available on DVD?

[–] John-367 14 years ago

This sounds like an episode from the BBC series. It's just become available on DVD in the UK and is being currently screened on the "Yesterday" channel.

[–] RbSnedlap 11 years ago

Yes, its from the TV series but the story is based on something that did happen in Colditz and was mentioned in Pat Reid`s books.

"Any plan that involves losing your hat is a BAD plan.""

[–] spookyrat1 10 years ago

It was quite interesting given that it was, I gather a relatively factual account. The earlier escapee who was away for 14 days gives an account of all the difficulties on the outside, and I guess I wanted to know how the two home runners overcame those obstacles and we didn't get that. That's what I found appealing about The Great Escape; you got the two sides of the story...in and out of prison.