About

The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners plan one of the most ambitious escape attempts of World War II. Based on a true story.

8.2
5,938
Directed by

John Sturges

Written by

James Clavell (Screenplay)
Paul Brickhill (Novel)
W.R. Burnett (Screenplay)

Runtime

173 minutes

Country

United States of America

Language

English

Tagline

Put a fence in front of these men... and they'll climb it!

Cast

Keywords

alps mountains world war ii freedom escape based on novel or book nazi shower uniform epic switzerland based on a true story prison guard machinegun prison escape tragedy prisoner of war baseball prisoner motorcycle dystopia optimism famous score claustrophobia attempt to escape swastika barbed wire solitary confinement 1940s

Photos

Lists

#141 on IMDb top 250 IMDb

#666 on 1,000 greatest films They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?

#82 on Empire's 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time Empire

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Steven Jay Schneider

Awards

Oscar nomination for Best Film Editing Ferris Webster