IMDb > The Great Escape (1963)
The Great Escape
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The Great Escape (1963) More at IMDbPro »

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The Great Escape (1963) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)
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Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 9% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Sturges
Writers:
Paul Brickhill (book)
James Clavell (screenplay) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Great Escape on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 July 1963 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Adventure | Drama | History | Thriller | War more
Tagline:
put a fence in front of these men...and they'll climb it... more
Plot:
Allied POWs plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(45 articles)
Machan is streets ahead of any Hollywood product
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 19 November 2009, 9:23 AM, PST)
Poor start for Pamela Anderson series
 (From digitalspy. 3 November 2009, 2:41 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Love the movie as my dad was number 68 thro the tunnel more (244 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Steve McQueen ... Capt. Hilts "The Cooler King"

James Garner ... Flight Lt. Hendley "The Scrounger"

Richard Attenborough ... Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett "Big X"
James Donald ... Group Capt. Ramsey "The SBO"

Charles Bronson ... Flight Lt. Danny Velinski "The Tunnel King"

Donald Pleasence ... Flight Lt. Colin Blythe "The Forger"

James Coburn ... Flying Officer Louis Sedgwick "The Manufacturer"
Hannes Messemer ... Kommandant von Luger
David McCallum ... Lt. Cmdr. Eric Ashley-Pitt "Dispersal"
Gordon Jackson ... Flight Lt. Sandy MacDonald "Intelligence"
John Leyton ... Flight Lt. William Dickes "The Tunneler"
Angus Lennie ... Flying Officer Archibald Ives "The Mole"
Nigel Stock ... Flight Lt. Denys Cavendish "The Surveyor"
Robert Graf ... Werner 'The Ferret'
Jud Taylor ... Goff
Hans Reiser ... Herr Kuhn
Harry Riebauer ... Stratwitch
William Russell ... Sorren
Robert Freitag ... Capt. Posen
Ulrich Beiger ... Preissen
George Mikell ... Lt. Dietrich
Lawrence Montaigne ... Haynes ('Diversions')
Robert Desmond ... Griffith 'Tailor'
Til Kiwe ... Frick
Heinz Weiss ... Kramer
Tom Adams ... Dai Nimmo ('Diversions')
Karl-Otto Alberty ... Steinach

Directed by
John Sturges 
 
Writing credits
Paul Brickhill (book)

James Clavell (screenplay) and
W.R. Burnett (screenplay)

Produced by
John Sturges .... producer
James Clavell .... producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Elmer Bernstein 
 
Cinematography by
Daniel L. Fapp (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Ferris Webster 
 
Art Direction by
Fernando Carrere 
 
Set Decoration by
Kurt Ripberger 
 
Makeup Department
Emile LaVigne .... makeup artist (as Emile La Vigne)
Jay Sebring .... hair designer: Steve McQueen, James Garner (uncredited)
 
Production Management
Allen K. Wood .... production supervisor
Hubert Fröhlich .... production manager (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack N. Reddish .... assistant director
John Flynn .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Frank Agnone .... property
 
Sound Department
Wayne Fury .... sound effects editor
 
Special Effects by
A. Paul Pollard .... special effects (as Paul Pollard)
 
Stunts
Bud Ekins .... stunt double: Steve McQueen, motorcycle jump (uncredited)
Tim Gibbs .... stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward .... stunts (uncredited)
Roy Jenson .... stunts (uncredited)
Robert E. Relyea .... stunt pilot (uncredited)
Roy N. Sickner .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bert Henrikson .... wardrobe
 
Editorial Department
Don Tomlinson .... assistant film editor
 
Music Department
Richard Carruth .... music editor
Jack Hayes .... orchestrator (uncredited)
Leo Shuken .... orchestrator (uncredited)
 
Other crew
John Franco .... script supervisor
Robert E. Relyea .... assistant to producer
Wally Floody .... technical advisor (uncredited)
Mike Hyatt .... film restoration (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies

Additional Details

Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
172 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | German | French | Russian
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Iceland:12 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #20399) | USA:Unrated (video release) | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:PG | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG
Filming Locations:
Bavaria Filmstudios, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany more
Company:
Mirisch Corporation, The more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In issue 73 of Your Sinclair magazine in January 1992, the Spectrum stealth game adaptation of this movie was voted the 23rd best game of all time. more
Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the Americans are marching as "The Spirit of '76", they stop before the Senior Barracks Officer. The last fife note is heard after Hilts lowers the fife from his lips. more
Quotes:
Bartlett: One has to ask some very strange things in the job I have. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Peep Show: (#1.3)" (2003) more

FAQ

Are any of these guys still alive?
What is a "mole" escape?
Any recommendations for movies similar to "The Great Escape"?
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
31 out of 39 people found the following comment useful.
Love the movie as my dad was number 68 thro the tunnel, 29 December 2005
Author: noniec from Canada

Hi Amazon

I'm the daughter of the first Canadian P.O.W. Number 68 in The Great Escape. He joined the R.A.F. in 1935 to learn how to fly and the first day of the war, his Armstrong Whitworth Whitely's engine gave out and he and his crew had to bail out over occupied Poland. He eventually ended up in Stalag 17. He was first brought to meet Hermann Goering blindfolded in a big tent in the forest. Hermann was curious why a Canadian would be in the war. He was told by Goering that he liked Canadians and assured dad he'd see the end of the war. This actually saved Dad's life when the Germans went to shoot him after he was caught some 30 miles from the Switzerland border. Dad had no idea they had been murdering the escapees and was devasted to find 50 of his friends had been shot. You can find out more about him on my website www.noniecrete.com. I just watched the Great Escape once again and enjoyed the 24 minutes of extras at the end of the movie. Especially James Garner's performance and wanted to let him know that. I also remember dad heading down to Toronto by special invitation to see the 'Great Escape' in the theatre as a pre-showing back in '63. I was 6 years old and heartbroken that he wouldn't take me. He's gone now since 1985 but still a great hero to me. All the best

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