A 1963 film of imprisoned allied aviators trying to escape a Luftwaffe POW camp, The Great Escape has a big cast and they deliver the goods. Steve McQueen, James Garner, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, Richard Attenborough, David McCallum and a bunch of solid Brit actors whose names aren't so well known to Americans do a good job.
The title tells you the general story, a bunch of guys with time on their hands try to tunnel out of a prison camp, with uniforms recut into mufti, forged "papers" and maps, the idea being to fan out across Germany, heading for Switzerland or elsewhere, and cause as much confusion as possible.
The ingenuity on display is impressive. McQueen, Garner, and Coburn play their usual on-screen personas, Charles Bronson does a credible job of portraying a claustrophobic forcing himself to dig a long tunnel in which he can barely kneel, and nearly being destroyed in the process.
We've enjoyed this film multiple times since it was released.
