Spikeopath
Guy Hamilton directs and co-adapts the screenplay with Ivan Foxwell from the P.R. Reid novel of the same name. A story based on actual facts, it stars John Mills, Lionel Jeffries, Bryan Forbes, Anton Diffring, Richard Wattis, Ian Carmichael and Eric Portman. Music is by Francis Chagrin and cinematography by Gordon Dines. The story essentially follows the repeated escape attempts by allied prisoners held at Colditz Castle. It shows the hard luck stories, the bonds that are formed between the men, the regime and day to day life they lived by, and of course it builds to the historical finale. It's structured with great balance by the makers, who manage to wring out a number of tense sequences whilst also ensuring that humour shines brightly. It gives the pic the requisite feel of stiff upper lippery, imbuing the characters with justifiable heroism in the face of being a POW, which all told plays as inspirational stuff. Acted with aplomb by a notable cast, this delightful pic harks back to a a grand time of British film making, while simultaneously doffing its cap towards the real life allied soldiers who wound up in war prison establishments. 8/10
James Hitchcock
If you ask anyone in Britain to name a German prisoner-of-war camp from World War II, the answer (unless it is "don't know") will almost certainly be Colditz; few, if any, other camps have achieved anything like the same level of fame. Much of the reason for this lies with this film, the book by Pat Reid that it was based on and the 1970s television series "Colditz". The camp, officially known as Oflag IV-C, was regarded by the Germans as a "Sonderlager", or "special camp"; it was also referred to by them as a "Straflager", or "punishment camp". Situated in a mediaeval castle in the heart of the Third Reich, it was used to house prisoners- British, Polish, French, Dutch and Belgian- who were regarded as particularly anti-German or who had escaped from other camps before being recaptured. The Germans were determined to house such men in an especially secure, escape-proof camp where the inmates would always be outnumbered by their guards. The prisoners, naturally, were equally determined to prove the enemy wrong about the camp being escape-proof.The opening credits state that the film is based upon "the novel by Pat Reid", which is incorrect because Reid's book is not a novel but an autobiographical memoir. The film is, however, a good example of how to adapt a work of non-fiction for the screen by rewriting it as though it were a novel. All the incidents shown in the film are described either in Reid's memoir or in his later book, "The Latter Days at Colditz", which describes life in the camp after the author's successful escape to Switzerland in October 1942. In the film, however, the chronological order in which those incidents occur is radically different to their order in real life.The reason this is done is to give the film a traditional narrative structure akin to that of a work of fiction. The prisoners arrive at the camp and almost immediately set about making their plans to escape. The various national groups therefore set up their own "escape committees" to vet all escape plans and to weed out those judged to have no chance of success. Each nationality appoints its own escape officer to ensure closer co-operation. It is discovered that an informer (a Polish officer) is supplying information to the Germans. Even after the man is removed from the camp, however, the Germans are successful in foiling all escape attempts. Morale among the prisoners drops, and in desperation a British officer named McGill makes a foolhardy escape attempt which results in his death. Eventually, however, Reid and another officer, Jimmy Winslow succeed in making their "home run", and morale soars. The film ends with the British prisoners and their allies cheering their success.In reality one British prisoner (named Mike Sinclair rather than McGill- all names other than Reid's have been changed) was indeed shot dead while trying to escape, but this did not happen until 1944, two years after Reid's escape. Contrary to what is shown in the film, Reid and his companion (actually a Canadian called Hank Wardle) were not the first British officers to make a successful "home run"; that was the future Conservative MP Airey Neave who walked out disguised as a Nazi officer. (Neave's achievement is acknowledged in the closing credits). By rearranging the sequence of events in this way the film achieves a greater impact. McGill's death marks the film's emotional low point, which is quickly followed by its high point- the successful escape which, as Reid is the central character, is credited to him.The various personalities are well developed; Reid is practical, Wilmslow gloomy and fatalistic, McGill brave but hot-headed. The senior British officer, Colonel Richmond, is initially dismissed by the other officers as "wet", but reveals himself to be a calm and sensible leader. On the German side the Kommandant is portrayed by Frederick Valk as a typically stiff-necked Prussian Junker, complete with shaven head, monocle and barking voice- very different to the decent, humane officer played by Bernard Hepton in the television version. (According to Reid's account, Valk's interpretation was much closer to the real Kommandant. Valk, ironically, was a German Jew who had fled Hitler's Reich and specialised in playing Nazi officer types). Another German officer, Priem, is a fat, jovial man who takes a malicious pleasure in foiling escape attempts.Reid is played by John Mills, who appeared in several fact-based war films, including "Above Us the Waves", also from 1955, and "I Was Monty's Double". Bryan Forbes, who plays Wilmslow, was later to become famous as a director and made his own prisoner-of-war film, "King Rat".Reid's book may be about men in captivity, but there is nothing depressing about it. It is, indeed, notable for a light-hearted tone and he makes it clear that many of the inmates responded to their situation with a good deal of wit and humour. Despite occasional tragic moments such as McGill's death, a lot of this comes over in the film. Like the book on which it is based, "The Colditz Story" is often amusing and often exciting, and although its stiff-upper-lip tone can seem a bit old-fashioned today it remains rewarding viewing. 7/10
Neil Doyle
THE COLDITZ STORY takes artistic license with facts and the sequence of events, as noted in the foreword, but manages to hold interest when it concentrates on the fortunes of its chief escape officer, JOHN MILLS, and his various experiences with the prisoners and their national rivalries with each other.Aside from some stereotyped Nazi humor at the expense of stupid guards and the usual assortment of prisoners, the story maintains humor and suspense in equal measure as the men try to tunnel their way to freedom while under the scrutiny of their German captors. Characters are not deeply explored, but ERIC PORTMAN does a standout job as Colonel Richmond and JOHN MILLS is excellent as the real-life escape prisoner Pat Reid.BRYAN FORBES, IAN CARMICHAEL and LIONEL JEFFRIES are fine in support. Unfortunately, ANTON DIFFRING has little to do as officer Fischer nor does THEODORE BIKEL as one of the POWs.As escape films go, this POW film is taut with suspense toward the last escape try but a bit flabby in the telling for the most part. Other such films have managed to cover the same territory with more excitement and suspense.You might call it a low-key story based on true incidents given a rather routine treatment despite some fine performances.
Robert J. Maxwell
No reflection on the men involved in these historical incidents but this is a pretty routine story of a jolly group of Polish, British, French, and Dutch prisoners of war assigned to Colditz prison because they've so persistently tried to escape in the past.It belongs to a genre that includes "One Who Got Away" and virtually limitless others, the best known of which is probably "The Great Escape." It has most of the characteristics of the genre. There is the bluff but fundamentally decent German in command. There is the stern, handsome Unteroffizier, Anton Differing, always reliable in his limited range. There is the spy among the prisoners (cf., "Stalag 17"). The scrounging of goods. The fat, bumbling German in charge. The stage play that distracts the cadre. The comic scene in which one tunnel collapses upon another. There's not much blood and no sadism. The characters are stereotypes, but not like those of the early war years.There is no problem with either the direction or the performances. All are up to professional par. It's the script. It's disjointed and vague, as much character-driven as plot-driven. There's a certain carelessness evident in the writing. When the Polish tunnel collapses into the British tunnel, there is no preparation for the scene. Of course the sudden intrusion of the Polish tunneler must come as a surprise in order to have any comic impact, and it does. But why are the British tunneling immediately underneath the Polish tunnel? Why did they choose the route they did? What is the secret under the boards of the stage? We never find out.It's not dull and not uninteresting but it seems to go nowhere. The most engaging scenes are adventitious -- the Guardsmen doing some close order drill, for instance. Not uninteresting but not inventive enough to attract much attention.
