The Great Escape

"It is the duty of a British officer to escape, and to help his fellow prisoners escape." This defiant line sets the stage for one of cinema's best classics, the always-entertaining THE GREAT ESCAPE. Based (ever so loosely) on a true story about an en masse prison break from the German maximum security POW prison Stalag Luft North, this film should not be encountered while channel surfing; inevitably, some three hours later (and no telling how late the ungodly hour), you'll find yourself still watching this tribute to the indomitable human spirit. What makes this movie work so well is its exceptional ensemble cast. James Garner. Charles Bronson. Richard Attenborough. Donald Pleasance. James Coburn (with a bogus Aussie accent). David McCallum. And a guy by the name of Steve McQueen; his role as an American loner obsessed with "tunneling out" skyrocketed him to superstar status. At three hours some patience is required as the story--the plot to dig not one, but three, escape... Read more

The past seven decades have seen the release of innumerable WWII films. A relative handful of these are truly great movies, the majority are products of wretched hackery, and too many of the latter are unconscionable fictions that have been unfairly venerated. "The Great Escape" is among the former - the film has firmly stood the test of time by the merits of John Sturges' meticulous direction, a lavish production and an array of flawless performances by a distinguished cast. The most important aspect of this DVD edition is its beautiful, vibrant picture, finally presented in the proper 2.35:1 aspect ratio after decades of claustrophobic pan & scan editions on VHS. The Dolby 2.0 sound is fine, if unexceptional; "Escape's" high budget afforded it a 4-Track Stereo sound mix instead of the usual mono - a lavish rarity in 1963 - so I can only imagine that fans and audiophiles alike are waiting for a 5.1 mix on future releases. As this is one of MGM's earlier discs (1998), the menus a... Read more

As with all of my other purchases on amazon, I received my shipment early, and got exactly what I paid for. I would recommend this service to anyone.

It took this 2-disc "Collector's Set" - which finally offered a good DVD transfer - to renew my interest in this classic film. Over the years, it seems the film had gotten slower and slower and didn't have the hold on me it once did. I guess I had become used to today's faster-moving war films. However, the excellent transfer has me "back," but it still should be noted it takes almost two hours before the "great escape" finally takes place.....and that may be too long for today's audiences. I loved the last 50 minutes. That, still, was fascinating as much as it ever was, and I liked the earlier character studies of men played by Charles Bronson and Steve McQueen. With stars like McQueen, Bronson, James Garner, James Coburn, Richard Attenborough, Donald Pleasance and James Donald you will get some characters you'll remember for a long time. Regardless of the pace, this will always be considered on the best of the World War II movies. Now, we wait for a stunning Blu-Ray ve... Read more

This movie is so good, all around, that you can't praise it enough. The talent both before and behind the camera is phenomenal, and elevate the film to the top rank of film classics. When you think of '60s films, certain titles pop into your head. Things like "The Magnificent Seven,""Breakfast at Tiffany's," the Bond films, "The Longest Day," "Lawrence of Arabia," "Doctor Zhivago," the Pink Panthers, "Bullitt," "Planet of the Apes," "Easy Rider," etc., etc. Films that kind of sum up the mood of the decade. Particularly for the early, pre-Beatles sixties, "The Great Escape" holds a high position. Everything about it is just so right, and so good, that you can't stop watching it. It's one of those films that you can catch while channel surfing, and you tell yourself you'll just watch it for a few minutes, and suddenly, it's three hours later. My experience, anyway. Much has been said about the film, about the actors, and about what it did for their careers. I guess it boosted ... Read more