The Colditz Story (1955)

Escape from Colditz Castle. 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

This film does rather play to the stereotypes a bit - the plucky Brits; disorganised French; stoic Dutch and generally enthusiastic Poles - and as such should be treated more as a piece of fact-based entertainment rather than some sort of documentary-style analysis. It does still, however, demonstrate clearly what must have been the feelings of despair and frustration when the gates are heard to close and the prisoners' freedom lies tantalisingly but inaccessibly close. Eric Portman and Lionel Jeffries steal this for me (I always found John Mills just a touch too arrogant and superior). Once the castle is up to full strength and the inmates start to collaborate, this become an excellent showcase for what can be done when there is a will. There is plenty of humour too - the "croque mort" joke still makes me laugh even now.