More points for effort than result in what ought to be a dandy fact-based WWII story of the only German Prisoner-of-War to escape and make it back to Berlin to fly & fight again after being held in Britain & Canada. Prolific director Roy Ward Baker keeps things simple on a tight budget, getting the most out of an excellent cast, including Alec McCowen in a sharp early turn as a not too gullible British officer, and a perfectly cast Hardy Krüger as the downed Nazi pilot. Determined & playfully arrogant, he trusts British love of routine & fair play to help him finagle his way past obstacles on land & sea, a slow-thinking army and any sharp-eyed locals. Change the uniform and he might be a precursor to Steve McQueen in THE GREAT ESCAPE/’63. Of course, rooting for Nazi flyers a bit of a leap, even more so in 1957, which is partly why we skip the last act of the story (possibly the most interesting part) where our adventurer returns to a hero’s welcome in Berlin before starting more bombing runs for the Third Reich. No doubt, the budget couldn’t make a go of it, but it’s something of a missed dramatic opportunity and a moral cop-out. Another chance for irony & suspense the filmmakers left on the table.
DOUBLE-BILL: Perhaps a splashier Hollywood remake could have dealt with some of the more uncomfortable elements, just as modest British P.O.W. pics like THE COLDITZ STORY/’55 and THE PASSWORD IS COURAGE/’62 expanded into THE GREAT ESCAPE.
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