MAN MOVIES: THE GREAT ESCAPE

It seems like the majority of “man movies” were made in the sixties for some reason. I’m still trying to figure out why and have found some made later on but for some reason this seems to have been THE decade for them. So on with the next one. Another amalgamation of stars to fill the screen and inspire a generation. It even inspired a popular poster in the seventies of Steve McQueen riding his motorcycle between barbed wire. The movie is THE GREAT ESCAPE.

Based on the true story of a group of P.O.W.s (Prisoners Of War) in Germany it tells the tale of how they escaped from their concentration camp in an attempt to get back home. These prisoners take the war seriously and decide that they could do some damage to the Nazis if they escape. Not only will the word leak out about what happened do propaganda damage but perhaps they could do some physical damage along the way as well.

The film opens with Capt. Hilts (Steve McQueen) dropped back into “the cooler” after having attempted an unsuccessful escape. With a baseball and mitt, he passes the time until he gets out and will try again. In the meantime other prisoners are planning a more organized escape of their own.

Running the operation is Squadron leader Roger Bartlett (Richard Attenborough). He devises the original plan and along with the rest of the group puts it into action. Their first objective is to tunnel under the camp without being noticed. They use the slats in their bunks to build supports in the tunnel and take the dirt out a bit at a time, using bags strapped to their legs that they empty onto the camp grounds while walking. A major portion of the film depicts the tunneling they do and the danger they face there.

While the tunnel is dug, they also need to make sure that they aren’t stopped along the way once they get out. While some soldiers are digging the others are making preparations for their escape creating maps, clothing and documents that should allow them free reign once they’re on the outside.

Once everything is in place, the break happens. A number of the POWs escape but not all. Once free, they scatter like the wind in the hopes of making it back home, making it to freedom.

The movie plays along at a much slower pace than today’s films. But that’s all a part of the story. It unfolds and shows how the process wouldn’t be something that was done overnight but would take time. And through it all we witness something that seems to be common with the “man movies” so far. A bonding between males in the films. Not a romance, but a bond of brotherhood that shows they stand for something together as opposed to going solo. Even later movies in this category that depict a single hero or anti-hero somewhere along the line have them in need of connecting with another human being. And that is evident here as this group of heroic men attempt to win freedom.

The cast was another stellar example of a group that was either top of the line or on their way up. Included were Charles Bronson (who was in both earlier “man movies” THE DIRTY DOZEN and THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN), James Coburn (who was in THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN), James Garner, Donald Pleasance and David McCallum.

Parts comedy, part adventure and all true story, this tale is one that needs to be told again for a new generation that forgets what WWII was all about, what their grandfathers and great grandfathers suffered through. It’s a tale of heroism on a grand scale. It’s another forgotten film that needs rediscovered by all.