The Colditz Story main backdrop
The Colditz Story main poster

The Colditz Story

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6.7/10 • 52

1955-01-251h 34m

WarDrama

Allied prisoners of various nationalities pool their resources to plan numerous escapes from an "escape-proof" German P.O.W. camp housed in a Medieval castle.

Directors
Guy Hamilton
Writters
Ivan Foxwell, William Douglas-Home, Guy Hamilton
Editors
Peter Mayhew

Top Billed Cast

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  1. John Mills

    John Mills

    Pat Reid

  2. Eric Portman

    Eric Portman

    Colonel Richmond

  3. Frederick Valk

    Frederick Valk

    Kommandant

  4. Denis Shaw

    Denis Shaw

    Priem

  5. Lionel Jeffries

    Lionel Jeffries

    Harry Tyler

  6. Christopher Rhodes

    Christopher Rhodes

    'Mac' McGill

  7. Richard Wattis

    Richard Wattis

    Richard Gordon

  8. Ian Carmichael

    Ian Carmichael

    Robin Cartwright

  9. Bryan Forbes

    Bryan Forbes

    Jimmy Winslow

Reviews2

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John Chard Avatar

John Chard

Nov 14, 2015

8/10

Escape from Colditz Castle. Guy Hamilton directs and co-adapts the screenplay with Ivan Foxwell from the P.R. Reid novel of the same name. A story based on actual facts, it stars John Mills, Lionel Jeffries, Bryan Forbes, Anton Diffring, Richard Wattis, Ian Carmichael and Eric Portman. Music is by Francis Chagrin and cinematography by Gordon Dines. The story essentially follows the repeated escape attempts by allied prisoners held at Colditz Castle. It shows the hard luck stories, the bonds that are formed between the men, the regime and day to day life they lived by, and of course it builds to the historical finale. It's structured with great balance by the makers, who manage to wring out a number of tense sequences whilst also ensuring that humour shines brightly. It gives the pic the requisite feel of stiff upper lippery, imbuing the characters with justifiable heroism in the face of being a POW, which all told plays as inspirational stuff. Acted with aplomb by a notable cast, this delightful pic harks back to a a grand time of British film making, while simultaneously doffing its cap towards the real life allied soldiers who wound up in war prison establishments. 8/10

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  • The Colditz Story poster
  • The Colditz Story poster
  • The Colditz Story poster
  • The Colditz Story poster
  • The Colditz Story poster
  • The Colditz Story poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
escapemilitary prisonersdramaticcheerfulempathetic