Stalag 17 (1953)

Stalag 17

One of the best war time movies. Great performances keep you interested as the characters play out the scenes. Good character development & suspense is tight. October 2, 2008

Good entertainment

Does what the older movies always do. Entertain and hold our attention without all the gore. In others ways this has actual acting in it. September 7, 2008

Excellent acting

One of William Holden's best, though he seldom gave a poor performance anyway. The richness of the other actors and excellent camera angles and editing make this an excellent movie to enjoy over and over again. August 30, 2008

Stalag 17 (Special Collector's Edition)

"Did they beat you?" asked the Red Cross Man.
"I was playing Pinochle," Sefton replied. "It's a rough game."
ESSENTIAL MOVIE!!! Stalag 17 stars William Holden & is directed by the great Billy Wilder (nominated for Best Director), who also produced & co-wrote the script. Nominated for three Academy Awards & winner of one, Stalag 17 tells the gripping story of a P.O.W. camp during late WWII. Though a drama, Stalag 17 offers many comedic moments that out does many so called comedies.

Sefton (William Holden, winner of the Best Actor Academy Award) is a hustler extraordinaire, trading with the Germans for special favors. He's one of the most unpopular men (& a very unsympathetic character, no less) in Stalag 17. Everything has an angle & the bottom line is his profit. This so rules his life that only Cookie (Gil Stratton) will tolerate him. Cookie is Sefton's assistant & lackey in his profit making schemes.

Stalag 17 is full of dynamic characters. Col. Von Scherbach (Otto Preminger) is the camp kommandant, ruthless & uncaring. His scenes are some of the highlights of the movie. His acting (remember, he was really a director) is so over the top that they become quite humorous. The scene where he is addressing the prisoners in the compound is classic, he eases his coat open with his arms, places his arms on his hips, all the while condescending. The scene where he calls his superiors in Berlin is classi, also. He's in full uniform except for his boots, pacing in white socks, finally, he sits, his servant assists him in putting on his jack-boots, he places the call to Berlin, clicks his heels together multiple times during the call, then when the call is completed Von Scherbach has his servant remove the boots. Classic Billy Wilder!

The show stealer is Animal (Robert Strauss, nominated for Best Supporting Actor), a not-too-bright sergeant who's not very good looking either. He has a crush on Betty Grable that figures prominently in a scene later in the movie. Harry Shapiro (Harvey Lembeck) is his buddy, their scenes are some of the funniest in the movie. Near the end, when the Betty Grable angle comes in, has Animal & Shapiro dancing together (along with all the other men in the barracks), Animal is confessing his love to Shapiro, who Animal thinks is Grable. This was a very daring scene for 1950, a scene that Hollywood censors did not want in the movie.

Hoffy (Richard Erdman) is the barracks chief for the Americans. Erdman had done mostly comedies up to this point in his career, this is a rare "straight" role for him.

The story is basically this: Sefton is the hustler & trades too much with the Germans, the P.O.W.s don't like him. An escape attempt is made by two Americans & they are shot outside the compound. There's a stoolie in the barracks but no one knows who, since Sefton is so despicable he's the one that gets blamed. Of course they're wrong. In one of Hollywood's best scenes of retribution Sefton comes out on top & becomes a hero, albeit an unsavory one.

The film has Neville Brand (Duke), Don Taylor (Lt. Dunbar), Peter Graves (Price, a pivotal role) & Sig Rugman as Sgt. Schulz (might have been Rugman's best role). If some of this sounds familiar it's very possible, the television sitcom, Hogan's Heroes, was based on this movie.

The film is beautifully restored & there are bonus features; "Stalag 17: From Reality to Screen" & "The Real Heroes of Stalag XVIIB". The latter has interviews with veterans that had been imprisoned at Stalag 17. It's a very moving featurette. There's also a commentary soundtrack in the film, photo gallery * movie trailer. This is one of Hollywood's greatest efforts. August 3, 2008

best prisoner of war movie ever made.

The plot is good and kept me watching every second of the movie. Its a psychological drama and it doesn't get much better then this. July 9, 2008

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