This is simply just bad - the only thing that is not is the acting. This escape film of 1955 is probably escapism, a slight jump into fantasy for those who survived WWII, because I find it all very hard to believe. I rate this a 4 (it is not engrossed, so have a conversation, and catch up on your email during it).
English, Dutch, French and Polish nationals during WWII are imprisoned in an old medieval castle that is supposed to be inescapable. While other prison populations would just wait the war out (or die), inside Colditz there is so much escape activity going on that that escape committees are organised so that plans don't collide. Pat Reid leads the English contingent but has some conflict with their highest officer, Colonel Richmond. A tunnelling effort fails when it's collapse causes it to be discovered, a vault over the wall ends in a death (just to show that it's serious I guess), the climax is an escape disguised as German officers during a stage performance put on the by the prisoners.
It seems that prison life inside Colditz is much better than the war life outside - they are treated well, feed, not abused, and as long as they are not escaping, they are not shot. So why try to escape? They even get to put on stage shows for their own amusement! There is a lot of stiff upper lip and "for the country" mentality, and lots of class-ism going on in this film that I just find comically unbelievable. The school boyish fun and stereotypical characters, right down do the bumbling overweight German guard, are just tiring and I can't relate to a single one of them. There are some moments of good filming, but it is not outstanding. The only thing is good is the acting - even though the dialogue often scrapes painful into my ears, I put that down the classes being portrayed. If I had been born 50 years earlier and live in England to experience such people, then it probably would have been a much more enjoyable film, but to me, it was of another planet.
English, Dutch, French and Polish nationals during WWII are imprisoned in an old medieval castle that is supposed to be inescapable. While other prison populations would just wait the war out (or die), inside Colditz there is so much escape activity going on that that escape committees are organised so that plans don't collide. Pat Reid leads the English contingent but has some conflict with their highest officer, Colonel Richmond. A tunnelling effort fails when it's collapse causes it to be discovered, a vault over the wall ends in a death (just to show that it's serious I guess), the climax is an escape disguised as German officers during a stage performance put on the by the prisoners.
It seems that prison life inside Colditz is much better than the war life outside - they are treated well, feed, not abused, and as long as they are not escaping, they are not shot. So why try to escape? They even get to put on stage shows for their own amusement! There is a lot of stiff upper lip and "for the country" mentality, and lots of class-ism going on in this film that I just find comically unbelievable. The school boyish fun and stereotypical characters, right down do the bumbling overweight German guard, are just tiring and I can't relate to a single one of them. There are some moments of good filming, but it is not outstanding. The only thing is good is the acting - even though the dialogue often scrapes painful into my ears, I put that down the classes being portrayed. If I had been born 50 years earlier and live in England to experience such people, then it probably would have been a much more enjoyable film, but to me, it was of another planet.
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