Great Escape: Special Edition (2 Disc Set)
- Released
- 28/03/2003
- Film and TV Genre
- War
- Video Format
- PAL
- DVD Region
- 2 (will only play on Region 2 and Multi-Region DVD players)
Description
Arguably the best World War II adventure film ever made, John Sturges's dramatisation of the true story of a group of British, American, and Canadian POWs who executed a massive escape from Stalag Luft III in Upper Silesia in March 1944, stars Steve McQueen as the rebellious Virgil Hilts. The German high command has filtered out all the most talented escape artists of the Allies' and placed them in a POW camp specifically designed to foil any unwanted departures. Of course, as soon as they arrive, the prisoners begin work on a series of tunnels under the direction of Roger "Big X" Bartlett (Richard Attenborough). He assigns the POWs to jobs according to their specialties: Bob "Scrounger" Hendley (James Garner) steals necessary items, Eric "Dispersal" Ashley-Pitt (David McCallum) hides the soil being dug from the tunnels, and Danny "the Tunnel King" Willinski (Charles Bronson) and Colin "the Forger" Blythe (Donald Pleasence) have self-explanatory handles. For more than a year, 600 prisoners, most of whom won't be leaving, work toward an escape that will temporarily disrupt the operations of the German army. The host of big-name stars meshes beautifully in this meticulous re-creation of the legendary escape. Although this is a film about courage, Sturges wisely takes a low-key approach, leavened with humour, rather than allowing the cast to indulge in macho antics. However, McQueen's memorable motorcycle stunts could be said to fit in that category. THE GREAT ESCAPE, based on the book by Paul Brickhill, is quite simply one of the grandest war films ever made, featuring many key scenes (McQueen's motorcycle chase, McQueen tossing the baseball against the cell wall, Bronson sliding on his chest in the tunnel) that are unforgettable.
Plot Synopsis
Action and tension are equally balanced in this story of one of the most remarkable incidents of World War Two, in which a group of Allied POW's in a German camp plan and execute a breakout.
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Product Details
- Actors
- Director
- John Sturges
- Audio Format
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, French
- English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital
- Stereo Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 English
- Subtitle Language
- Croatian,
- Czech,
- Danish,
- English,
- Finnish,
- Greek,
- Hebrew,
- Hungarian,
- Norwegian,
- Polish,
- Portuguese,
- Slovenian,
- Swedish,
- Turkish
- Media Format
- DVD-Video
- Year of release
- 1963
- Number of Discs
- 2
- Aspect Ratio
- 2.35:1
- 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
- 2.35 Wide Screen
- Film Format
- Anamorphic
- Disc Features
- Featurette
- Interactive Menus
- Making Of
- Scene Selection
- An American Icon Documentary
- Audio Commentary By Cast And Crew
- more »
- Film Rating (Australia)
- PG
- Photos and storyboards
- Yes
- Film Rating (UK)
- PG
- Run Time (minutes)
- 172
- Tags
- Subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- English
- Cast & Crew
- Daniel Fapp (Cinematographer)
- Elmer Bernstein (Composer)
- Ferris Webster (Editor)
- John Sturges (Producer)
- Fernando Carrere (Production Designer)
- James Clavell (Screenwriter)
- W.R. Burnett (Screenwriter)
- W. R. Burnett (Screenwriter)
Additional Information
- Threedocumentaries,interviewsandcollectablebooklet
