The Great Escape [Region 2] | ![The Great Escape [Region 2]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41YFGBDVAXL._SL500_.jpg)
| Director: John Sturges
Actors: Steve Mcqueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence
Category: DVD
This item is no longer available
Rating:  240 reviews
Format: Pal
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), German (Original Language), Russian (Original Language)
Region: 2
Discs: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Running Time: 172 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.5 x 1.3
EAN: 5050070008876
ASIN: B0000641Z8
Theatrical Release Date: July 4, 1963
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Amazon.com essential video
A stirring example of courage and the indomitable human spirit, for many John Sturges's The Great Escape is both the definitive World War II drama and the nonpareil prison escape movie. Featuring an unequalled ensemble cast in a rivetingly authentic true-life scenario set to Elmer Bernstein's admirable music, this picture is both a template for subsequent action-adventure movies and one of the last glories of Golden Age Hollywood. Reunited with the director who made him a star in The Magnificent Seven, Steve McQueen gives a career-defining performance as the laconic Hilts, the baseball-loving, motorbike-riding "Cooler King." The rest of the all-male Anglo-American cast--Dickie Attenborough, Donald Pleasance, James Garner, Charles Bronson, David McCallum, James Coburn, and Gordon Jackson--make the most of their meaty roles (though you have to forgive Coburn his Australian accent). Closely based on Paul Brickhill's book, the various escape attempts, scrounging, forging, and ferreting activities are authentically realized thanks also to technical advisor Wally Flood, one of the original tunnel-digging POWs. Sturges orchestrates the climax with total conviction, giving us both high action and very poignant human drama. Without trivializing the grim reality, The Great Escape thrillingly celebrates the heroism of men who never gave up the fight. --Mark Walker
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| Customer Reviews: Read 235 more reviews...
 A Tribute To Never Giving Up June 17, 2009
D. Mikels (Skunk Holler)
"It is the duty of a British officer to escape, and to help his fellow prisoners escape." This defiant line sets the stage for one of cinema's best classics, the always-entertaining THE GREAT ESCAPE. Based (ever so loosely) on a true story about an en masse prison break from the German maximum security POW prison Stalag Luft North, this film should not be encountered while channel surfing; inevitably, some three hours later (and no telling how late the ungodly hour), you'll find yourself still watching this tribute to the indomitable human spirit.
What makes this movie work so well is its exceptional ensemble cast. James Garner. Charles Bronson. Richard Attenborough. Donald Pleasance. James Coburn (with a bogus Aussie accent). David McCallum. And a guy by the name of Steve McQueen; his role as an American loner obsessed with "tunneling out" skyrocketed him to superstar status. At three hours some patience is required as the story--the plot to dig not one, but three, escape tunnels out of the stalag--picks up suspense and pace, but once the breakout is staged get ready for some white-knuckling viewing. Four stars instead of five because the predictable Sixties melodrama that occasionally creeps in really irks me. Yet THE GREAT ESCAPE is still enthusiastically recommended.
--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning
As Large As Life March 31, 2009
Robert Buchanan (Wisconsin)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The past seven decades have seen the release of innumerable WWII films. A relative handful of these are truly great movies, the majority are products of wretched hackery, and too many of the latter are unconscionable fictions that have been unfairly venerated. "The Great Escape" is among the former - the film has firmly stood the test of time by the merits of John Sturges' meticulous direction, a lavish production and an array of flawless performances by a distinguished cast.
The most important aspect of this DVD edition is its beautiful, vibrant picture, finally presented in the proper 2.35:1 aspect ratio after decades of claustrophobic pan & scan editions on VHS. The Dolby 2.0 sound is fine, if unexceptional; "Escape's" high budget afforded it a 4-Track Stereo sound mix instead of the usual mono - a lavish rarity in 1963 - so I can only imagine that fans and audiophiles alike are waiting for a 5.1 mix on future releases.
As this is one of MGM's earlier discs (1998), the menus are egregiously and predictably ugly, rendered in garish, clashing lime green, purple, bright orange, etc. However, they are accessible and easy to read. The titled thumbnail images of the screen selection menu are divided into 8 screens of 32 scenes, so just about any specific moment in the film can be located with ease.
The French dubbed dialogue track is the old one from '63, and MGM were wise to retain it, as it's excellent. The English, Spanish and French subtitles are also quite good.
Narrated by Miguel Ferrer and first released in 1993, the documentary "Return to 'The Great Escape'" is also included on the disc, and quite a few entertaining stories concerning the film's production are told by members of the cast and crew (most notably Garner, McCallum and Sutherland). It's probably for the best that this documentary was produced when it was, as few of the movie's contributors are still alive today.
The theatrical trailer is also available on this release, in all its hokey, buttoned-down glory.
 Just what I expected March 23, 2009
J. Sapp (St. Paul, MN USA)
As with all of my other purchases on amazon, I received my shipment early, and got exactly what I paid for. I would recommend this service to anyone.
Film Has Slowed With Age, But Still Merits Praise February 19, 2009
Craig Connell (Lockport, NY USA)
It took this 2-disc "Collector's Set" - which finally offered a good DVD transfer - to renew my interest in this classic film. Over the years, it seems the film had gotten slower and slower and didn't have the hold on me it once did. I guess I had become used to today's faster-moving war films.
However, the excellent transfer has me "back," but it still should be noted it takes almost two hours before the "great escape" finally takes place.....and that may be too long for today's audiences. I loved the last 50 minutes. That, still, was fascinating as much as it ever was, and I liked the earlier character studies of men played by Charles Bronson and Steve McQueen.
With stars like McQueen, Bronson, James Garner, James Coburn, Richard Attenborough, Donald Pleasance and James Donald you will get some characters you'll remember for a long time. Regardless of the pace, this will always be considered on the best of the World War II movies.
Now, we wait for a stunning Blu-Ray version.
What more can one say? It's a classic! January 26, 2009
Tom Webb (Tokyo Japan)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This movie is so good, all around, that you can't praise it enough. The talent both before and behind the camera is phenomenal, and elevate the film to the top rank of film classics. When you think of '60s films, certain titles pop into your head. Things like "The Magnificent Seven,""Breakfast at Tiffany's," the Bond films, "The Longest Day," "Lawrence of Arabia," "Doctor Zhivago," the Pink Panthers, "Bullitt," "Planet of the Apes," "Easy Rider," etc., etc. Films that kind of sum up the mood of the decade. Particularly for the early, pre-Beatles sixties, "The Great Escape" holds a high position. Everything about it is just so right, and so good, that you can't stop watching it. It's one of those films that you can catch while channel surfing, and you tell yourself you'll just watch it for a few minutes, and suddenly, it's three hours later. My experience, anyway.
Much has been said about the film, about the actors, and about what it did for their careers. I guess it boosted many of them to superstar status. Particularly McQueen. With that iconic motorcycle chase, how could it do anything but? While the film is a little fuzzy in the historical accuracy department- it was largely a British affair, as the Americans had been transferred elsewhere- I imagine it captures the essence of that POW experience. Much like "Bridge on the River Kwai," which also plays fast and loose with the facts, but still retains the truth of the experience. But truth really can be stranger than fiction, and you read real-life accounts of the war, and there were some pretty colorful characters then. As with so many other films made shortly after an historical event, there is a topicality about "The Great Escape." Just about everyone involved with it was really in the war, or was old enough at the time to understand what it was all about. Donald Pleasance, for example, had been a real POW, and I believe shared his insights with the staff on the film. And the early sixties wasn't that far removed from the war- much closer to it than the film itself is to us now. I don't think a 2000s version would be quite as immediate in that way. And anyway, what stars could do those roles now? There isn't anyone who could come close to McQueen and company. And there would probably be the temptation to fake a lot of it with CGI. There's nothing like the real deal, as far as I can see.
Anyway, five stars aren't enough. But regardless of various "Best films" lists and polls, this one still ranks way up there. If the sign of a good film is that you can't stop watching it, because it is so good, than it is at the top.
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