The Great Escape (1963) Full Length Reaction
Added 2025-01-24 04:15:22 +0000 UTC**I watched the version with runtime: 2:52:28
Wow this one is so good! That 3 hour runtime just flew by because I was on the edge of my seat to see if they could pull it off. I can't believe the talent and ingenuity of these men and what they were able to do while imprisoned. It's a very inspiring story
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Another great Steve McQueen movie with one of his best performances is The Sand Pebbles which also has Richard Attenborough, Candice Bergen and Mako in key roles directed by Robert Wise with a great score by Jerry Goldsmith.
Erik Aleksander Moe
2025-02-08 14:54:09 +0000 UTCI've been in the mood to give this movie a rewatch, and your full length reaction gave me the perfect excuse. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and look forward to see other great classics you decide to give a go. With regard to the mostly decent treatment of the prisoners, and how the camp leader seemed to feel bad about how things ended up, some folks have difficulty accepting that the "regular army" Germans were just soldiers with a job to do like anyone else. And many of them weren't happy about it. Here's a story about an act of chivalry by two German fighter pilots. https://youtu.be/WV4K3RULobM?si=NjitF6yNS29i6d9e
Rob Nichols
2025-02-08 08:08:47 +0000 UTCCannot recommend Cool Hand Luke enough. Probably the Dadest of all Dad movies that ever existed. I almost guarantee you it's one of your own fathers favorite movies, for sure.
Astraeos
2025-01-30 05:44:21 +0000 UTCPapillon is another very good escape movie starring Steve McQueen again. Also need to check out Cool Hand Luke with Paul Newman and Escape from Alcatraz with Clint Eastwood.
Lee R.
2025-01-27 01:53:47 +0000 UTCWhere Eagles Dare and both Navarone movies were the best. I'd never miss them whenever they aired way back in the day!
Lee R.
2025-01-26 23:26:22 +0000 UTCYou should watch Victory (1981) Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine It's the Great Escape meets FIFA It's pretty entertaining as a prison war movie/sports movie and there are several elements in that movie that was taken from The Great Escape Also, an older movie, Stalag 17 (1953)
Rod I
2025-01-26 21:01:45 +0000 UTCYou should check out The Americanization of Emily with Julie Andrews and 2 of the escapees from this movie James Garner and James Coburn. It is also set during WW2 but it is a romantic comedy.
Haile Smith
2025-01-26 16:34:44 +0000 UTCI wish Jen would react to that one too!! I'll add it to the request site! 😁
Carlos Perez
2025-01-25 22:45:55 +0000 UTCLOL, i began the watch along thinking this was the one with the football (soccer) match at the end, but that's Escape to Victory. I enjoyed this one anyway.
Alexis Vorian
2025-01-25 21:01:50 +0000 UTCNice job, Jen! Some high-level historical notes... The Geneva Convention basically says that POWs are not criminals, and they should be housed, fed, treated, and shown respect similar to your own personnel. Trying to escape was expected, and recaptures could be punished and disciplined, but not shot. That is, IF they were captured in their uniforms and wearing their dog tags. Spies or sabateurs were often executed. Germany honored the GC with the western allies, as shown here in the camp. The wesrern allies treated Axis POWs according to the GC in return. Germany and USSR did NOT honor the GC with each other, and their POWs were harshly treated with many being killed in captivity. Japan believed warriors who surrended versus died in battle had NO honor, were basically subhuman, and treated them as such. An excellent film (best picture winner) of those conditions is Bridge on the River Kwai starring Alec Guinnes (Obi Wan Kenobi) and James Donald (Group Captain Ramsey here.) I have been to several former POW camps here in the states. Conditions there were much like shown here. I even got to stay for a week in one of their former "huts." It was easy to pack Axis POWs onto the empty troop ships returning to the USA which had the space and resources to look after them. Many worked on farms as POWs, made friends, and came to love America and Americans so they stayed here after the war. If you escaped in Getmany there were several neutral countries nearby, plus many occupied countries had resistance movements. Conversely, if you are a German or Italian prisoner that escaped from a POW camp in Northern California (as an example), where do you go? How could you even begin to think of crossing an Ocean to get back to Europe?
John DiGiantomasso
2025-01-25 05:34:53 +0000 UTCCharles Bronson speaking with an accent is something you don't see very often.
Chris Biebel
2025-01-25 01:24:30 +0000 UTCIt's pretty close, a lot of small details changed as necessary to make it work for film. One big difference is the germans broke up nationalities so luft III had multiple compounds, American airmen would have been held separately. The camp being in far east Germany (area that's poland now) ultimately made escape nearly impossible which is why so few got away. Initially Hitler wanted all recapture to be executed but some of his top leadership included göring were worried about reprisals agaist captured German POWs advised against it but Hitler still wanted more than half killed for the event. Hendleys escape was based on Bob Hoover who escaped from stalag luft I stealing an FW190 fighter and flying to Netherlands. McQueens motorcycle attempt was a bit of fiction made to basically appease McQueen who was reportedly hard to work with.
Bubba Fett
2025-01-25 00:15:18 +0000 UTCKelly's Heroes (1970) was mentioned a couple of times below, I'll add that one to the list of recommended WWII movies. It has a very different tone though, much more comedic. The actor that plays the SS officer (Karl-Otto Alberty) that arrested Bartlett has a slightly larger part in Kelly's Heroes as a German tank commander. Did I mention that it's a heist movie?
Scaredy-cat
2025-01-24 23:59:25 +0000 UTCGreat reaction to this eternal classic! Glad you enjoyed it. 😃 Been one of my favorites from youth... you know, back in the Stone Age. Yes, that’s Donald Pleasence who played Ernst Blofeld in You Only Live Twice (1967) and the psychiatrist in John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) as well as many other renowned roles. Quite a versatile actor. As others have pointed out, that's Sir Richard Attenborough as Bartlett who also played John Hammond the founder of Jurassic Park. He looks so young in this picture! RIP, Sir Richard. +1 for those who have suggested other war movies from that era like The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Where Eagles Dare (1968) and The Guns of Navarone (1961). All great ones. On the lighter side, I’d also like to offer another picture from the same period. You could try The Great Race (1965), an irreverent, off-kilter comedy from director Blake Edwards starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood and Peter Falk. You might just like it.
Major Peril
2025-01-24 23:00:37 +0000 UTCBright Angel, being an older man now 80, I enjoy your views of older films and how you understand the importance of the music and how it makes you feel. Thank you
Clifton Owens
2025-01-24 20:31:46 +0000 UTCOne of the all time great war movies and a great ensemble cast with James Garner . Richard Attenborough , Charles Bronson and of course The King of Cool Steve McQueen it is one of my childhood favs it features such great suspense drama and action even after countless re watches i still find myself fully drawn into it ! my evening is set now !
Harvey Lee
2025-01-24 19:05:19 +0000 UTCSteve McQueen,the king of cool. 😎
Celeste McAllister
2025-01-24 17:13:30 +0000 UTCI've been to Stalag Luft 3 outside Żagań, Poland and seen the memorial with the names of the 50 laid out along the ground above the tunnel they used. There is a small museum a short distance from the site itself.
SnabbKassa
2025-01-24 16:56:15 +0000 UTCOne of my daughters is a huge NCIS fan, and whenever we watch this one, we have to point out "Baby Ducky", who played Ashley-Pitt, the one who gets shot distracting them from Bartlett near the end. Played by David McCallum, he also played Donald "Ducky" Mallard in NCIS. Not to mention Illya Kuryakin in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. I personally love James Garner in this film - Hendley the Scrounger. He was the OG gambler Brett Maverick, played in the Rockford Files and was the sherrif in Support your Local Sherrif - and a whole mess of other stuff as well. And the theme is just a banger. Can something be triumphant and sad at the same time? Yeah, I think it can. People serving in our armed forces around the world put themselves and their lives on the line every day, and while it is sad when they pay the ultimate price, they put their mission and their country above everything else. I think there is a certain bit of triumph in that. Thanks for doing this one. It is a family favorite.
Damon Corrigan
2025-01-24 16:00:02 +0000 UTCThis is almost a Christmas film for me, just because I think almost every year on UK TV it's played around the festive period since as long as I can remember. Such a good cast too. I think James Garner and Donald Pleasence were always my favourites.
Patrick
2025-01-24 14:40:34 +0000 UTCHaha Aussie 🇦🇺 vs Canadian 🇨🇦 let’s go Jen
Brett Whittaker
2025-01-24 11:38:45 +0000 UTCJen Murray as “The Morale Queen”
Julian San
2025-01-24 11:02:46 +0000 UTCThe one who's playing roger . Is the old man from jurassic park. He also played.Santa claus in the remake of, a miracle on 34th street.
David Diesbourg
2025-01-24 10:58:27 +0000 UTCOn the topic of prison films I highly recommend a new film called "Sing Sing" just got nominated for 3 academy awards is a true story about prisoners that do theater plays in the prison
Matt
2025-01-24 08:44:19 +0000 UTCDefinitely agree, one of my all time favorites
Matt
2025-01-24 08:35:11 +0000 UTCMy second favourite war movie, right behind Kelly's Heroes. Did you recognise the owner of Jurassic Park.
Joeking
2025-01-24 08:22:42 +0000 UTCI've been looking forward to this one since I saw it pull ahead in the poll. Even without the constraint of the poll-options, this is the 60s movie I'd pick. I can't wait to re-watch it with you Jen!
Scaredy-cat
2025-01-24 07:08:38 +0000 UTCYou gotta watch 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'.
David Brown
2025-01-24 06:18:14 +0000 UTCNever seen this one, really looking forward to checking it out with your reaction, Thanks Jen 🤙
Matt
2025-01-24 05:23:51 +0000 UTCusing jdownloader, it errors out
J M
2025-01-24 04:55:59 +0000 UTCYeah, their ingenuity and resourcefulness is truly remarkable. While the film did take creative liberties, it is generally a fairly accurate portrayal of the actual events. One significant difference was in the location. The movie was filmed in the picturesque German countryside, but the real Stalag Luft III was situated in what is now western Poland, near the German border. So reaching neutral Switzerland, or the French/Dutch resistance meant traveling through the whole of Nazi Germany. Another notable discrepancy is the composition of the prisoners. In reality, this compound did not house any American POWs. They were held in separate compounds within the camp. The inclusion of Steve McQueen's character was a narrative decision to appeal to the American audience. Also, I believe they have taken liberties with the other characters shown on screen. But most of what is depicted about the actual tunneling, their ingenuity how they solved the technical and other challenges and how they prepared for the escape was true to the actual events. I believe you can visit the site of the compound nowadays. PS: a documentary found in my YT history: https://youtu.be/EEMW2svLTF8
Gábor Árki
2025-01-24 04:55:58 +0000 UTCI'm curious to see your reaction😌 Since it's 05.30 in Switzerland, I'll have to go to work and wait till evening first..😉 But this classic is quite something for sure.. One small note.. Donald Pleasence - Lt. Blythe (Yep, he played Blofeld in 'You only live twice' and Dr. Loomis in Halloween..) was - like many other actors of his time, incl. James Steward, James Doohan (Scotty!!) a WW II veteran. He also was imprisoned in a camp till the end of the war and drew from these experiences.. Historically of course, some things and circumstances were different. As far as I know, no US military members were among the escaped ones. Also, no German personnel was killed during the escape, as seen in the third act. It also took place in March, still winter, and not summer as depicted in the film.. But nearly all parts were shot in Germany, resp. Bavaria Studios.. 'Where Eagles Dare' (1968) is a must!🙏🏻 Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton.. Another true classic. And one of the very first modern 'action thrillers' that defined the genre..
Marco Borromeo
2025-01-24 04:39:09 +0000 UTCAnd not to forget Kelly's Heroes, which I believe would be especially well received by Jen.
Gábor Árki
2025-01-24 04:36:22 +0000 UTCQ.T. 😎
Jason Scade
2025-01-24 04:32:10 +0000 UTC"This cat is like Charles Bronson in "The Great Escape", he's digging tunnels" 😆
Carlos Perez
2025-01-24 04:27:59 +0000 UTCFinally, the wait is over. After three long years of championing this film, we got the reaction! Can’t wait to see this after I get off work!
Julian San
2025-01-24 04:18:51 +0000 UTCNow do The longest day, where eagles dare, the dirty dozen and the guns of the navarrone.
Brett Whittaker
2025-01-24 04:17:38 +0000 UTCCooler Hiltz!!
Brett Whittaker
2025-01-24 04:16:45 +0000 UTC
