© 1963 United Artists Corporation with the Mirisch Company


The film revolves around American, British, and Australian POWs who are confined to a prison camp deep inside Nazi Germany. The Germans’ strategy is to keep their most problematic prisoners in one camp under close supervision, but their plan goes awry once the POWs begin plotting the most ambitious escape ever attempted. The mission is led by an officer known as “Big X” (played by Richard Attenborough), and key coconspirators include “The Cooler King” (McQueen), “The Manufacturer” (James Coburn), “The Scrounger” (James Garner), and “Tunnel King” (Charles Bronson). Under the supervision of Big X, several tunnels are dug; although one is discovered, the men continue with their plan. The escape itself is interrupted before all the prisoners can get outside the camp; those who manage to break out are hunted by enemy forces, and some 50 recaptured escapees are killed by the Gestapo.

The film was based on a book by the Australian writer Paul Brickhill but was altered significantly to provide appropriate parts for the several major stars and stars-to-be. Sturges made use of German locations after having dissuaded studio executives from shooting the movie in California, and Elmer Bernstein provided the memorable film score. The movie, despite its enduring legacy, was not without controversy: British war veterans resented the inclusion of Americans in the Hollywood version of the escape, which was solely a British undertaking.