Poorly constructed
Added 8/12/2009
The Bottom Line:
Films set in prisons are inherently compelling but the shoddy production, lack of characterization, and dearth of notable scenes render this film distinctly mediocre; the subject matter itself may be interesting but The Colditz Story, while not truly bad, is not worth your time.
2.5/4
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British pluck, resourcefulness and courage, exemplified, as always, by John Mills
Added 2/5/2009
The Colditz Story was one of a number of movies the British made during the Fifties which relived the victories and bravery of their armed services during WWII. Often these movies starred John Mills. The Colditz Story is based on fact. Colditz Castle in Germany was used to imprison the most incorrigible prisoners-of-war, those who persistently made escape attempts. British, French, Polish and Dutch officers were sent there. Unfortunately for the Germans, they wound up trying to keep inside men dedicated to escaping, and who had skills they now could share. The result was that more prisoners of war escaped from Colditz than from any other prisoner of war camp in either the First or Second World Wars.
The movie is based on the memoirs of Pat Reid (John Mills), who served as an escape officer at Colditz and then was one of the first to break out and make it back to England. While the movie is a bit dated, it also is a dramatic and efficient telling of escape attempts, ruses played against the German captors and, of course, of the unfailing courage and good spirits of the British officers. Take the film for what it is, a demonstration for British audiences of the pluck and courage of their military during a horrendously threatening war which they won, and you won't be disappointed.
If you're fond of old British movies, you'll recognize, among others, Eric Portman, Lionel Jeffries, Bryan Forbes and Ian Carmichael. The DVD has a picture and audio in very good shape considering the age of the movie, and is one more good reason to buy an all-region DVD player.
1 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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A great story but not a great movie.
Added 11/6/2006
"The Colditz story" is a true story. I have read the book of the same title, written by Patrick Reid, a British escapee. It really is an amazing story, and I have been always partial to movies about prison breaks. The movie claims that more people escaped from this "escape proof" POW camp than in all the other POW camps combined (I don't think that is realistic, but an impressive claim nonetheless).
George Roy Hill the director of "The Sting" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" once said "The Audiences love how-to". It's true. People watching movies like to see how things are done; all the details. I think that was one of the key elements that this film was missing. The escapes are amazing but we don't get to see much about them. The POWs sneak out at night dressed like German guards but where did they get the materials for the uniforms? How long did it take to make the uniforms? Did they make them at all or did they steal them? Its such a great story you just feel a little in the dark when you aren't given any details. One of the most famous escapes involved sneaking into the German quarters through a hole in the theater floor which led into the ceiling of a dentist office. From there they dressed up like German soldiers and just marched out the front door. The plan was ingenious, but it is filmed in such a way that the viewers don't know that. The movie takes all the details for granted, thinking perhaps that they aren't important or that the audience wouldn't be interested. In doing this, you rob the story of all the suspense and drama. Instead of thinking "oh no are they going to get caught?" as they are stealing materials to make German uniforms, we cut straight to the POWs dressed as Germans trying to get out the gate; all suspense that could have been is successfully eliminated with this technique. That is really what set "The Great Escape" apart from this movie (besides a stellar cast and an amazing director). It showed the escape attempts in all their gritty details and it is a much more compelling film because of that.
The characters could be confused quite easily, and about 1/3 of the dialog was foreign but not subtitled. Other than that I suppose this was a fine movie, but I couldn't get past the seeming laziness of the storytelling.
My rating: 3 out of 5
Side note: one of the escape attempts that was not covered in the movie involved building a glider and flying out of Colditz from the chapel roof. I am not making that up; they actually built one but the war ended before the glider was completely finished; its sad they never got to use it. Its just too awesome an idea not to mention in this review.
5 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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Entertaining but one sided
Added 1/21/2006
This is classic British cinema, plenty of stiff upper lip, correctness and solid acting on display. Remembering that the production year is 1955 explains the only down side to the story which is a one sided, and often unrealistic bias toward the POW characters. The Germans are played as either likeable, or totally inept, a fairly unlikely scenario considering the pedigree of Colditz as a top notch prison, and the stringent practices of the Wehrmacht during WWII. That said, this is a "feel good" flick to a degree, showing the quiet determination of the inmates against their irascible hosts. John Mills heads up a pretty A list cast for the year, not least Eric Portman who is central to the entire movie, and plays his character Colonel Richmond with a sagacious flair. You're not going to see much action, or brutal prison scenes (once again it's 1955 remember) but there are several moments of suspense interlaced through the relatively thin plot. The picture tends to allude to, but then completely side steps the horrors of POW camps, unlike the far more polished "The Great Escape" which came some 8 years later, but the Black & White production gives a nice antiquated feel to the set design, and the 94 minute running time is about right for the material on display. There have been many books written about the events that took place at Colditz castle, not least the memoirs of Pat Reid (the real life POW portrayed by John Mills on screen) and many will bemoan the fact that there is a lot missing from the story. However, if we compare more contemporary cinema that boasts "based on true events" taglines, they invariably delve even further into the realm of poetic license, than seen here. Overall 3 stars may seem a little mean, as this is a good WWII movie, being fairly typical of the period and the plodding script however, prevents it from climbing much above average. Enjoy
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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A terrific film, with a great story and acting. Eric Portman is particulary good, but the whole cast shines.
5 out of 8 people found this helpful.
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