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) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
The Great Escape (1963) -- Virgin.net Movies - Trailer (WMP)
The Great Escape (1963) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
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Up 4% 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
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:
(44 articles)
Poor start for Pamela Anderson series
 (From digitalspy. 3 November 2009, 2:41 AM, PST)

How Iron Man & Thor Can Play Together In The Avengers
 (From Screen Rant. 27 October 2009, 7:47 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
What a movie! 10/10 more (244 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Runtime:
172 min
Country:
USA
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Paul Brickhill, who wrote the book from which the film is based, was piloting a Spitfire aircraft that was shot down over Tunisia in March 1943. He was taken to Stalag Luft III in Germany, where he assisted in the escape preparations. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Hendley's stolen plane crashes the wings are clearly ripped completely off the fuselage. When the plane is next seen on fire the wings are still attached. more
Quotes:
[gathering wood to shore up the tunnels, Hilts removes the wooden slats from bunk beds in the sleeping area of the prisoner barracks, holding a stack of them, and walks carefully out into the hallway]
Flight Lt. Denys Cavendish "The Surveyor": [passes Hilts in the hallway on his way to his bunk bed] Five gold rings. Four calling birds - bloody singing, I've never worked so hard in all my life. Hi, Hilts!
Hilts: [turns and tries to warn him] Say, Cavendish...
Flight Lt. Denys Cavendish "The Surveyor": Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtledoves, and a partridge in a pear - Alley-oop!
[Cavendish climbs to the top bunk, and vaults onto the unsupported mattress, which collapses under his weight through the bed frame, as well as the two beneath it. Hilts approaches the doorway and sees Cavendish on the floor]
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Chicken Run (2000) more

FAQ

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
How many escaped alive?
Is this a true story?
more
43 out of 65 people found the following comment useful.
What a movie! 10/10, 16 March 2002
10/10
Author: The_Wood from slc

The Great Escape should be a movie every one has seen. It's the definitive P.O.W. movie -- and all other films in the genre fail to compare. It should be noted that this isn't just a Steve McQueen movie (although he is bound to be everyone's favorite character), but this is an ensemble piece with great performances by Richard Attenborough, James Garner, James Coburn, Donald Pleasence, and Charles Bronson. Wonderful build-up, great middle, and a terrific ending. This film is classic.

One of the best scores of all time.

Was the above comment useful to you?
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