Spotlight
Spotlight Date: 15-June-03
Spoiler Rating: High
The Great Escape (1963)
"The Great Escape" is a fictionalized account of actual events that took place during WWII, when a group of British officers, along with a couple of Americans, broke out of a German camp built especially to house higher echelon Allied prisoners noted for their previous attempts at escape. Considering the outcome of the officers' flight, it's arguable whether "great" is the appropriate adjective for their scheme; and considering its lack of focus and excessive length, one could say the movie doesn't merit the designation either. Still, "The Great Escape" is built upon a remarkable story of ingenuity and determination that's worth consideration, even in the form of a film whose mix of comedy, drama, tribute, and action doesn't completely gel.
The story begins on a humorous note as the prisoners arrive at their new lodging (not a bad place to be, as far as incarceration and the Nazis go) and immediately begin to attempt escape. The first one to get sent to the detention "cooler" is Captain Hilts, a cocky American flyboy played with grinning, naughty abandon by Steve McQueen. This character was apparently culled from a number of real-life figures, and he's clearly meant to offset (and upstage) all of his staid British comrades for US audiences --- the guy is so American he walks around with a baseball and glove, for Chrissake. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much to do besides act alternately comic and cool, so he's not quite the electrifying presence the filmmakers intended, despite McQueen's undeniable sex appeal. Hilts' hijinks are highlighted by a boot campy soundtrack by Elmer Bernstein (emphasis on the campy) which crops up now and then to alert viewers that the story has hit a light spot.
But the light spots become more and more infrequent after the first half hour, as the drama and action start to take over. This mainly occurs after the arrival of Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett (Richard Attenborough), a man of notorious repute among the Luftwaffe and Gestapo for attempting almost 20 escapes during his imprisonment, and for being suspected, rightly, of instigating and organizing every one of them. Like everyone else, Bartlett wastes no time in plotting to get out of the camp, but his methods are systematic, deliberate, and inspirational instead of headlong. Bartlett is a polite, unassuming man firmly devoted to waging war against the Nazis at all times, which means, during his tenure in prison, assigning every man a specific job aimed at getting them all --- or at least a huge number of them --- out on the road to freedom.
The large-scale preparation for the breakout which Bartlett masterminds is the strong point of "The Great Escape," for this is where you really feel like you're gaining access to an unusual slice of history. In addition to the obvious role of the tunnelers (led by Charles Bronson as a Polish émigré), the scheme requires a tailor (so the escapees won't be conspicuous while fleeing), a forger (so they'll have the right papers if stopped), a surveyor (to assess how far they need to tunnel), a security chief (to set up a careful system of watches and signals against detection), and an engineer (to rig up a machine to pump air into the tunnels), among others. The size and precision of the escape are what make it "great," and it's fascinating to watch the large cast engage in activities at which they are fearlessly brilliant.
Once the time comes for the men actually to escape, however, the focus shifts again to more standard war movie and action fare, with lesser impact. Just in time for people to start getting shot, a few pairs of buddies are brought to the fore, most notably James Garner as the "scrounger" (the guy who gets whatever someone needs by bribing or blackmailing the guards) and his nerdy British bunkmate, played by Donald Pleasance. As an astonishing 76 prisoners manage to break out and fan out over the German countryside, we are offered a few tense chase scenes involving trains, planes, and --- most famously --- a motorcycle ridden by McQueen. But, sadly, few of the men make it to the safety of friendly nations, and the rest are either brought back to camp or shamefully murdered in cold blood. This sets up the philosophical aspect of "The Great Escape," which asks whether Bartlett and the goal of continuous Nazi harassment which he espoused were worth the great losses they incurred. The movie ends with a dedication to the 50 men who died during the adventure.
Humor, bravery, hard work, camaraderie, and death --- "The Great Escape" encompasses them all, but it feels as if director John Sturges is not entirely sure which story he wants to tell, which men he wants to glorify, and why. But the bare facts of what really happened speak for themselves, and if you have a long night ahead of you, this may be one of the better action comedy wartime historical dramas you can find.
Copyright © 2003 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.
