The One That Got Away (1957)

True story of a German Luftwaffe pilot who is captured by the British during the early days of World War II and believes it is his duty to escape and get back to Germany.System Requirements:Running Time: 106 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/CLASSICS Rating: UNRATED UPC: 883904106869 Manufacturer No: M110686 Product Description

A Balanced Perspective

This is one of those movies that make you realize there was more than just one side in WWII.

Hardy Krueger plays an excellent role. Remember him from "The Flight of the Phoenix," with Jimmy Stewart? Unlike his character in that movie, he plays a much more flamboyant figure in "The One That Got Away."

In an age where Hollywood glorifies Americans as being the only independent & courageous people on the planet, it is nice to see a little redress. Except for "Letters From Iwo Jima," I can't think of another movie that reminds us there are always men on the other side who fight & die for their country.

That brings us to the crux of the matter: Hollywood. Neither "The Boat," originally released as "Das Boot," or "The One That Got Away" was produced in America. If you want a fresh perspective on events - past and present - try looking at foreign made films.

Another reason to recommend this movie: There are no politics involved; simply the drama of one man's ordeal. Considering it was made in 1957 that is something!

The B&W in which it is shot also adds a sense of life & death drama - which it is. If you like movies that are true-to-life (as opposed to make-believe), or you enjoyed "The Boat" with Jurgen Prochnow, then this is one you will enjoy seeing.

I would love too see a remake - although not by Hollywood!
July 6, 2008

The One That Got Away

Enjoyed the movie (DVD) it very much. Part of history. Great story with an interesting ending. July 1, 2008

Reviewing "The One That Got Away"

I enjoyed this movie. Luftwaffe pilot Franz von Werra's escape attemps, while a bit over simplified, appear to be very accurate. The movie ends when von Werra reaches the U.S., even though there was much more to the real story. It's a shame the full details of his return to Germany could have not been included.

Hardy Kruger is excellent in his role as von Werra. The remainder of the cast, both British and Germans, are not remarkable.

Persons interested in WWII will enjoy the movie, and find that it's well worth the purchase price. June 25, 2008

Erfolgreich entkommen!

Sachliche Darstellung der erfolgreichen Flucht aus Kanada eines deutschen Kampffliegers im 2. Weltkrieg (vorher gescheiterte Versuche aus Kriegsgefangenenlagern in England). Buch desselben Titels auch hoechst empfehlenswert. Diese stammten aus den 50er-Jahren - vor dem heutigen
Verteufelung der Geschlagenen. Weiterer Film ohne (vielen) Deutschenhass:
"Under Ten Flags," Kaperfahrt des Hilfskreuzers Atlantis. May 30, 2008

A fine WWII prisoner-of-war escape film...even if we're rooting for the German this time

This is one of the better WWII movies about an escape from a prisoner-of-war camp. The story is taut and suspenseful. The odds against success are high but we wind up rooting for the man anyway. The guy is handsome, competent, resourceful and self-confident to the point of smugness. No, the guy isn't played by Steve McQueen. There is no ball-bouncing in a prison cell. The man is Oberleutnant Franz von Werra, played by the German actor Hardy Kruger. Von Werra's Messerschmitt is shot down over England on September 5, 1940. He is captured, interrogated and sent to a prisoner of war camp for officers. He turned out to be the only German captured on British soil who ever escaped and made it back to Germany. Please note that elements of the plot are discussed.

Von Werra turns out to be a committed German officer, determined to escape, and with enough drive, ingenuity and luck to escape from British camps three times. The first time sees him staggering for five days through mud and freezing rain to try to reach a British port and a neutral ship. When he's finally recaptured he's half dead. The British send him to a much tougher camp in the north. This time he organizes a tunnel dig, figures out how to make fake identity discs and how to convert rag-tag clothing into something passably civilian. On this break von Werra manages to talk himself onto a RAF base posing as a Dutch pilot. He's captured while seated in the cockpit of a Hurricane trying to get it started. He planned to fly back to Germany. Now the British ship him off to a prisoner-of-war camp in Canada. They figure that'll take the starch out of his determination to return to Germany. They didn't figure that von Werra would realize the significance of the United States being a neutral country and how close the train taking him to the camp would be to the Saint Lawrence River border. Sure enough, in the dead cold of a Canadian winter (January, 1941), he escapes from the train, works his way through the snow and freezing drizzle to the mostly frozen river. He finds a boat and finally is picked up on the American side. Our movie ends here, with a big smile on von Werra's frozen face and mumbled "thank yous" to the American border guard who found him.

Through all of this the escapes are carefully shown with a lot of dramatic tension. You can't help but wind up hoping von Werra's persistence will pay off. Knowing he's an enthusiastic German pilot, a fighter ace, who is eager to get back to the battles takes a little of the edge off, but still...

The One That Got Away is filmed in black and white. There are no sweeping, beautiful shots of the countryside. We're talking late fall and winter in Britain and Canada. It's cold and grey. If it's not snowing, it's raining. If it's not raining, it's drizzling. If it's not drizzling it's still so cold you'll want a fire going during the day. The acting is as cool and competent as the movie.

And what about von Werra after he made it to America? The Canadians tried to get him back. The Americans wanted to send him back. While everyone was arguing his status, von Werra slipped across the U. S. border into Mexico, then made his way back to Germany by way of Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Spain. He arrived in Berlin on April 18, 1941. He was assigned to fly on the Eastern front, became an ace again, then was sent with his unit to the Netherlands for rest and refitting. On October 21, 1941, his plane malfunctioned during a training flight and went down in the sea. His body was never recovered. Franz von Werra's luck had finally run out.

The Region 2 DVD, available from AmazonUK, has no extras but the film transfer looks good. September 22, 2007

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