MovieChat Forums > Colditz (1972) Discussion > spotted minor flaw in one of the bests i...

spotted minor flaw in one of the bests if not the best episode


In the episode where they show the escape from the beginning through to the very end where they just walk into switzerland there was a problem. not that it's important really since this was a fantastic episode. when they are crawling through the sewer/tunnel in the castle, they come to an opening with bars, they manage to get some of the bars off, but it's very, very tight. only one skinny guy can barely get through since they only got like one of the bars off. I'm thinking ok fine but they are all carrying huge big luggage bags of stuff they absolutely had to have if they were to make it all the way.how in the hell can they get the bags through? no way, but then they show them suddenly appear outside WITH the bags. they could not have gotten those bags through that narrow space and thus would have been screwed right then and there. But what a great episode as it was nice to see them trying to survive outside the castle. very realistic and well done. imagine the terror of being so close and worrying about being caught at the last second a few feet from the border.

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I can't recall the episode precisely, however in the actual incident that this series and episode is based upon, Pat Reid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Reid and three other men did manage to escape through those bars, even with their luggage. It was an incredibly tight fit for the larger men (who had to strip nearly naked to do it). Reid describes (in his book about Colditz http://www.amazon.com/The-Colditz-Story-P-Reid/dp/0313202451) his agony squeezing through those bars as 'feeling like a tube of toothpaste.' The escaping POWs did bring ersatz (imitation, or false) luggage, and managed to get them through the grate.

Although Mr. Reid was (I believe) a consultant on the series, it sounds like the series forgot to take the true size of the luggage as opposed to the grate into account.

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