[64], In a 2006 poll in the United Kingdom, regarding the family film that television viewers would most want to see on Christmas Day, The Great Escape came in third, and was first among the choices of male viewers. [69] The film is not a true sequel, as it dramatizes the escape itself just as the original film does, although mostly using the real names of the individuals involved (whereas the original film fictionalized them and used composite characters). [14][15][16] McQueen has been credited with the most significant performance. The film was made on location in Germany at the Bavaria Film Studio in the Munich suburb of Geiselgasteig in rural Bavaria, where sets for the barrack interiors and tunnels were constructed. [31] Insurance concerns prevented McQueen from performing the film's notable motorcycle leap, which was done by his friend and fellow cycle enthusiast Bud Ekins, who resembled McQueen from a distance. [39], In 2011 Intrada, a company specializing in film soundtracks, released a digitized re-mastered version of the full film score based on the original 1/4" two-track stereo sessions and original 1/2" three-channel stereo masters. [33] The motorcycle was a Triumph TR6 Trophy which was painted to look like a German machine. Hannes Messemer's Commandant, "Colonel von Luger", was based on Oberst Friedrich Wilhelm von Lindeiner-Wildau. He made several escape attempts, dyeing his uniform and carrying forged papers. He won the Knight's Cross before his capture and was the cast member who had actually performed many of the exploits shown in the film. That was Bud Ekins." "'Mutiny' Director Find Make Deals: Bogarde in 'Living Room'; Du Pont Scion Plans Three" Scheuer, Philip K. one of the highest-grossing films of 1963, "Top 10 Memorable Movie Motorcycles – The Great Escape", https://aapos.org/glossary/progressive-high-myopia, https://archive.org/stream/radioageresearch195052newyrich#page/n103/mode/2up, "John D. Lewis, 84, Pilot in 'The Great Escape, "British veterans mark Great Escape anniversary", "The Truth About The Great Escape | Express Yourself | Comment | Daily Express", "Why England's band play the theme from 'The Great Escape' movie", "Ukip's use of Great Escape theme tune grates with composer's sons", "The Truth About The Great Escape | Express Yourself | Comment |", "Veterans of the Great Escape visit old Stalag", "3rd Moscow International Film Festival (1963)", "P.O.W. Kiwe had been a German paratrooper officer who was captured and held prisoner at a POW camp in Colorado. ", "A Word from Our Sponsors... Steve McQueen Drives a Puma", "Exclusive interview with The Pukka Pie England Band", "Official Charts Company – England Supporters' Band", New publication with private photos of the shooting & documents of 2nd unit cameraman Walter Riml, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Great_Escape_(film)&oldid=1014558621, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, In "Escape From Stalag Luft 112B", an episode of, In the first of two Ford commercials in which Steve McQueen's likeness from the film, This page was last edited on 27 March 2021, at 20:00. “A FILM TO REMEMBER” series is of films who’ve reached a milestone anniversary since their origin of release. Hilts steals a motorcycle at a checkpoint, jumping a series of barbed-wire fences at the German-Swiss border to escape from German soldiers; he jumps the speeding cycle over the first fence before soldiers shoot out the bike’s tire, sending him sliding into the wire of the second fence where he is recaptured. [63] The Time magazine reviewer wrote in 1963: "The use of colour photography is unnecessary and jarring, but little else is wrong with this film. [46], Ex-POWs asked film-makers to exclude details about the help they received from their home countries, such as maps, papers, and tools hidden in gift packages, lest it jeopardise future POW escapes. "Bluey" is an affectionate term for a person with red hair, found in Australian slang in the first half of the twentieth century. ... Robert Desmond, Tom Adams, Lawrence Montaigne, Hannes Messemer, Robert Freitag, Karl Otto Alberty Writer(s): W.R. Burnett, James Clavell × Embed Video. [12] The film's screenplay was adapted by James Clavell, W. R. Burnett, and Walter Newman. Buy The Great Escape movie posters from Movie Poster Shop. Viertel des 20. He was shot down and spent a year in German prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft I. Charles Bronson had been a gunner in the USAAF and had been wounded, but he had not been shot down. Critic Leonard Maltin wrote that "the large, international cast is superb, but the standout is McQueen; it's easy to see why this cemented his status as a superstar". Search popularity. [59] It became one of the highest-grossing films of 1963, despite heavy competition. Richard Attenborough's Sqn Ldr Roger Bartlett RAF, "Big X", was based on Roger Bushell, the South African-born British POW who was the mastermind of the real Great Escape. [23] He had been a POW in Russia during World War II and had escaped by walking hundreds of miles to the German border. After hoarding potatoes, Hilts, Hendley and Goff, the only other American in the camp, concoct moonshine from a homemade still and celebrate the 4th of July with the entire camp. [29] The castle Hendley and Blythe fly by while attempting to escape is Neuschwanstein Castle. He did the stunt riding himself (except for the final jump, done by Bud Ekins).[48]. Submit your review for this film: Like his Italian-French counterpart Lino Ventura, who had been a wrestler before becoming an actor, Berlin-born Karl-Otto Alberty was an amateur boxer before he turned to acting, making his debut in a Konstanz theater in 1959. It emerged as one of the highest-grossing films of the year, winning McQueen the award for Best Actor at the Moscow International Film Festival,[3] and is now considered a classic. There was a screening of the film at London's Eventim Hammersmith Apollo, hosted by Dan Snow. The work noise is covered by the prisoner choir led by Flt. Timeline. It depicts the search for the culprits responsible for the murder of the 50 Allied officers. After Willie promises his support, Danny agrees to try the tunnel again. [24] He was wounded by Russian fire, but was not captured by the Russians. Overview. Stalag 17 is a very close second, and King Rat & Bridge on the River Kwai were also good. # TheSonsOfHistory # TheGreatEscape We’re your movie poster source for new releases and vintage movie posters. He holds a German nationality and belongs to the Caucasian ethnicity. The Great Escape quotes: the most famous and inspiring quotes from The Great Escape. [49][50][51][52][53][54][45], In addition, the film depicts the three prisoners who escape to freedom as British, Polish, and Australian; in reality, they were Norwegian (Jens Müller and Per Bergsland) and Dutch (Bram van der Stok).[55]. [66], On 24 March 2014, the 70th anniversary of the escape, the RAF staged a commemoration of the escape attempt, with 50 serving personnel each carrying a photograph of one of the shot men. Allied prisoners plan for 250 of their number to escape from a high-security prison camp during World War II. The great escape / MGM/UA Communications Co. ; Mirisch Company presents ; screen play by James Clavell and W.R. Burnett ; produced and directed by John Sturges. He volunteered to fly with the Film Unit and after further training (where he sustained permanent ear damage) he qualified as a sergeant. Willie discovers Danny intent on breaking out through the fence and Danny reveals he is claustrophobic and unable to return to the tunnel. The film has kept the memory of the 50 executed airmen alive for decades and has made their story known worldwide, if in a distorted form. In reality, there was no requirement in the King's Regulations, or in any form of international convention. Karl-Otto Alberty: | |Karl-Otto Alberty| (also |Karl Otto Alberty|, born 13 November 1933 in |Berlin|) is... World Heritage Encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive collection ever assembled. Untersturmführer Steinach was an officer in the SD. Works. [32] When Johnny Carson later tried to congratulate McQueen for the jump during a broadcast of The Tonight Show, McQueen said, "It wasn't me. Yes, Karl-Otto Alberty is still alive Last check: 1 year ago . Flight Lieutenant Andy MacDonald, Bartlett's second-in-command, gathers and provides intelligence. The camp was built in a clearing of the Perlacher Forst (Perlacher Forest) near the studio. 1. The film is based on Paul Brickhill's 1950 non-fiction book of the same name, a firsthand account of the mass escape by British Commonwealth prisoners of war from German POW camp Stalag Luft III in Sagan (now Żagań, Poland), in the province of Lower Silesia, Nazi Germany. into one German camp. He made his first appearance in English language films as an SD officer (who captures Richard Attenborough) in The Great Escape (1963). The film had its Royal World Premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in London's West End on 20 June 1963. up!" 35 relations. However, they were moved away seven months before the escape, which ended their involvement. Following the escape of prisoners from the camp, Steinach was the officer who arrested Bartlett. Work. The majority of the POWs were killed by pistol shots taken by Gestapo officers; however, at least ten of them were killed in a manner redolent of the film's depiction, Humphreys, Dutchy Swain, Chaz Hall, Brian Evans, Wally Valenta, George McGill, Pat Langford, Edgar Humphreys, Adam Kolanowski, Bob Stewart and "Hank" Henry Birkland. All. [36] Critics have said the film score succeeds because it uses rousing militaristic motifs with interludes of warmer softer themes that humanizes the prisoners and endears them to audiences; the music also captures the bravery and defiance of the POWs. The Great Escape is simply great escapism". He flew on several missions over Europe, filming from the rear gunner's position to record the outcome of Bomber Command sorties. Seventy-six prisoners get away, aided by an air-raid blackout. Tilman 'Til Kiwe' Kiver played the German guard "Frick", who discovers the escape. He identifies his problem as "progressive myopia", suggesting that he has not only heard of the condition but has also been diagnosed. In late 1942, having expended enormous resources on recapturing escaped Allied POWs, the Nazi German armed forces move the most determined to a new, high-security prisoner-of-war camp supervised by Luftwaffe Colonel von Luger. Compare. James Garner had been a soldier in the Korean War and was twice wounded. The escape is discovered when Griffith impatiently exits the tunnel in view of a guard. The movie shows three truckloads of recaptured POWs splitting off in three directions. It’s loaded with the film’s plot outline, trivia, trailer, photos & more. Massey walked with a limp, and in the movie Ramsey walks with a cane. He accompanied Hauptsturmführer Dietrich and Gestapo agents Preissen and Kuhn when they brought Roger Bartlett to Stalag Luft III. He made his first appearance in English-language films as an SD officer in The Great Escape. Wally Floody, an RCAF pilot and mining engineer who was the real-life "tunnel king", was engaged as a technical advisor for the film. He then began to take supporting roles in films. The restored machine is currently on display at Triumph's factory at Hinckley, England. Karl-Otto Alberty (also Karl Otto Alberty, born 13 November 1933 in Berlin) is a German actor. The film suggests that the forgers were able to make near-exact replicas of just about any pass that was used in Nazi Germany. [35] Its enduring popularity helped Bernstein live off the score's royalties for the rest of his life. Flt Lt Colin Blythe RAF, "The Forger", was based on Tim Walenn and played by Donald Pleasence. Karl-Otto Alberty (also Karl Otto Alberty, born 13 November 1933 in Berlin) is a German actor. His experience allowed him to offer sound advice to the X-Organisation. He spent most of his childhood days in his hometown Berlin along with his family. ... Nigel Stock, Jud Taylor, Hans Reiser, Robert Freitag, Karl Otto Alberty, Angus Lennie, Robert Graf, Harry Riebauer: What's New? The Great Escape movie information and showtimes in Edmonton. Co-starring Karl-Otto Alberty (Kelly's Heroes, The Great Escape). He then began to take supporting roles in films. Bartlett asks Hilts to help in the escape, by getting out through the barbed wire, scouting the area immediately surrounding the camp and allow himself to be recaptured; Hilts refuses, though he does aid in the digging. [2] The Great Escape is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. Some P.O.W are under stress, some are calculating how to get out. It was filmed in Panavision. Take a look ahead at all the major movie releases coming to theaters and streaming this season. Karl-Otto Alberty (also Karl Otto Alberty, born 13 November 1933 in Berlin) is a German actor. Angus Lennie's Flying Officer Archibald Ives, "The Mole", was based on Jimmy Kiddel, who was shot dead while trying to scale the fence.[25]. [27] Many scenes were filmed in and around the town of Füssen in Bavaria, including its railway station. the death of Ives, who tries to scale the fence, and the actual digging of the tunnels. (Richard Harris was originally announced for the role.)[19]. The Great Escape is a 1963 American epic war film starring Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough, and featuring James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn and Hannes Messemer. Soon, Bartlett orders "Dick" and "Harry" sealed off, as "Tom" is closest to completion. The information he brings back is used to create maps to guide the escapees. Karl-Otto Alberty zodiac sign is scorpio. However, Walters points out that an historical account says that one of the two men said "yes" in English in response to a Kripo man's questions without any mention of "good luck" and notes that as Scheidhauser was French, and Bushell's first language was English, it seems likely that if a slip did take place, it was made by Bushell himself, and says the "good luck" scene should be regarded as fiction, and furthermore, a slur upon the Frenchman. Karl-Otto Alberty (also Karl Otto Alberty, born in Berlin) is a German actor. There is no sermonizing, no soul probing, no sex. Karl-Otto Alberty als Steinach: The Great Escape ass en US-amerikanesche Film vum John Sturges aus dem Joer 1963 no engem Buch vum Paul Brickhill. The film was simulcast with other cinemas throughout the UK. [45], The film shows the tunnel codenamed Tom with its entrance under a stove and Harry's in a drain sump in a washroom. The Great Escape ★★★½ 1963During WWII, troublesome allied POWs are thrown by the Nazis into an escape-proof camp, where they join forces in a single mass break for freedom. There would be no escape for him, but as Senior British Officer he had to know what was going on. One truck contains 20 of the prisoners who are invited to stretch their legs in a field, whereupon they are all machine gunned in a single massacre, with the implication that the other two have the same manner; in reality, the POWs were shot individually or in pairs. [61] In 1963, The New York Times critic Bosley Crowther wrote: "But for much longer than is artful or essential, The Great Escape grinds out its tormenting story without a peek beneath the surface of any man, without a real sense of human involvement. [60], Critical and public response has mostly been enthusiastic, with a "Certified Fresh" 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Steve McQueen's Virgil Hilts, "The Cooler King", was based on at least three pilots, David M. Jones, John Dortch Lewis,[13] and William Ash. Australian Flying Officer Sedgwick, "the manufacturer", makes tools like picks and bellows for pumping air into the tunnels. Hendley and ten others are returned to the camp. The nearby district of Pfronten,[28] with its distinctive St. Nikolaus Church and scenic background, also appears often in the film. ; American Flight Lieutenant Bob Hendley is "the scrounger" and blackmailer, who finds anything from a camera to identity cards. ... Tom Adams as Dai Nimmo ('Diversions'), Karl-Otto Alberty as S.S. He started out as an amateur boxer before discovering a talent for acting, making his début at the City Theatre in Konstanz in 1959. [44], When Ramsey first meets Von Luger, Luger warns him that although the newly arriving prisoners are well-known for wreaking havoc throughout the Reich with their constant camp breakouts, they will have no success at the new camp. When informed of the dead, Hendley wonders if the cost was worth it, and Ramsey tells him it depends on his point of view. Flight Lieutenants Danny Velinski and William "Willie" Dickes are "the tunnel kings" in charge of digging. Von Luger is relieved of command as Hilts returns and goes to the cooler where he optimistically plans another escape, as he has done before. Group Captain Ramsey RAF, "the SBO", was based on Group Captain Herbert Massey, a WWI veteran who had volunteered in WWII. It's a strictly mechanical adventure with make-believe men. Blythe is shot and mortally wounded and Hendley is recaptured. One of the great war movies, with a superb ensemble cast and lots of excitement. All 76 POWs flee through various parts of the Third Reich, but only 3 successfully escape to freedom; Danny and Willie steal a rowboat and proceed downstream to a port, where they board a Swedish merchant ship. [20] Another officer who is likely to have inspired the character of Ramsey was Wing Commander Harry Day. No German personnel were killed or injured by the escapers. Karl-Otto Alberty is a German actor. [11] The live broadcast was praised for engineering an ingenious set design for the live broadcast, including creating the illusion of tunnels. He was captured in the St. Louis train station during one escape attempt. "Your German is good. He then began to take supporting roles in films. And I hear also your French. Many details of the actual escape attempt were changed for the film, including the roles of American personnel in both the planning and the escape. Motion picture adaptation of (work): Great escape. Aided by MacKenzie (John Colicos, Phobia), one of the surviving commandos, Foster whips the ragtag band of POWs into a fighting force—only to stumble into an unexpected meeting with the infamous Desert Fox, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (Wolfgang Preiss, The Train). The film depicts the escape taking place in idealistic weather conditions, whereas at the time much was done in freezing temperatures, and snow lay thick on the ground. In the years since its release, its audience has broadened, cementing its status as a cinema classic. Like his character, Danny Valinski, he suffered from claustrophobia because of his childhood work in a mine. The last part of the tunnel is completed on the scheduled night, but it proves to be twenty feet (about 6 m) short of the woods due to faulty surveying. [45] In fact, no one in the film says that Colin Blythe's blindness is the result of eyestrain. The best movie quotes, movie lines and film phrases by Movie Quotes .com . The prisoners switch their efforts to "Harry", and Hilts agrees to provide reconnaissance from outside the camp. The remaining 73 are recaptured; Cavendish hitchhikes a truck but is delivered to the authorities. What is Karl-Otto's zodiac sign? The Great Escape was made by The Mirisch Company, ... Karl-Otto Alberty as SD Untersturmführer Steinach: one of the SS officers who had Bartlett as a prisoner. Massey had suffered severe wounds to the same leg in both wars. [45] In reality there were no escapes by aircraft or motorcycle: McQueen requested the motorcycle sequence, which shows off his skills as a keen motorcyclist. De Film erzielt wéi 76 Krichsgefaangen aus engem däitsche Lager am Zweete Weltkrich ausgebrach sinn. Blythe discovers that he is going blind due to progressive myopia;[9] Hendley takes it upon himself to be Blythe's guide in the escape. ... Alberty, Karl Otto, 1933-(actor.). Lt. Dennis Cavendish, "the surveyor". Have you seen this film? We would love to see your review. “Progressive myopia,” also known as degenerative myopia, is a specific condition that often begins in childhood. Ashley-Pitt is killed at a railway station, and MacDonald and Bartlett are recaptured. Of the 1,800 or so POWs, 600 were involved in preparations: 150 of those were Canadian. In 1963, the Mirisch brothers worked with United Artists to adapt Paul Brickhill's 1950 book The Great Escape. Writers: James Clavell; W. R. Burnett. In the film, while asking for an air pump, Roger refers to Sedgewick as "Bluey". [27] Many scenes involving the railway were filmed near Deisenhofen station and on the Großhesselohe – Holzkirchen line. He is played by James Donald. This Great Escape inspired the 1963 movie starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, Lord Richard Attenborough (as Big X), Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, James Donald and Karl-Otto Alberty. During the Second World War, Attenborough served in the Royal Air Force. [30], The motorcycle chase scenes with the barbed wire fences were shot on meadows outside Füssen, and the "barbed wire" that Hilts crashes into before being recaptured was simulated by strips of rubber tied around barbless wire, constructed by the cast and crew in their spare time. Timeline. Forgery is handled by Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe, "the forger". The need for such accuracy produced much eyestrain, but unlike in the film, there were no cases of blindness. Sedgwick steals a bicycle, then rides hidden on a train to France, where French Resistance members befriend him and assist him in reaching Spain. [65], In an article for the British Film Institute, “10 great prisoner of war films,” updated in August 2018, Samuel Wigley wrote that watching films like The Great Escape and the 1955 British film The Colditz Story, “for all their moments of terror and tragedy, is to delight in captivity in times of war as a wonderful game for boys, an endless Houdini challenge to slip through the enemy’s fingers. Follow us on. Donald Pleasence appears in a supporting role as a member of the SS.[70]. Officer Steinach). In reality, the forgers received a great deal of assistance from Germans who lived many hundreds of miles away on the other side of the country. [67], On 24 March 2019, the RAF held another event for the 75th anniversary of the escape. The Great Escape is a 1963 American epic adventure suspense war film starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough and featuring James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, John Leyton, David McCallum and Hannes Messemer. The men organise into teams, working on three tunnels simultaneously, "Tom", "Dick", and "Harry". The film portrays a heavily fictionalised version of the escape, with numerous compromises for its commercial appeal, such as focusing more on American involvement in the escape. While the men celebrate, the guards discover "Tom". With accurate casting, a swift screenplay, and authentic German settings, Producer-Director John Sturges has created classic cinema of action.