This should at LEAST be in the top 10!

Rating: 10/10 (18 April 2006)

I am incredibly surprised this movie is so high up on the IMDb top 250, when it really deserves to be higher. I think it is one of the most intelligent, funny, sad but feel-good movies I have ever seen. Action packed, but perfectly balanced. The good with the bad, the happiness with the sadness... this film is truly beautiful. Stalag is a comedy/drama "dramady" about a World War II P.O.W camp. This is a strong contrast to Wilder's other work: The Seven Year Itch(1955), Some Like It Hot (1959), Sunset Blvd (1951) etc, but perhaps one of his best.
The plot is fairly simple. The boys are plotting to escape from Stalag 17, however it isn't proving easy as they thought. After two guys got killed trying to escape, they figure there must be a mole amongst them. The finger is pointed at Sefton (William Holden - GREAT PERFORMANCE!!) - an obvious target as he trades and deals with the Germans, just trying to "make the best" of his stay there, causing a great deal of jealousy. He somehow has to prove that he isn't the mole, and more importantly, he has to prove WHO IS the mole.
This is a thrilling and funny film that leaves you guessing. The end is worth waiting for, as I believe it is one of the most rewarding and triumphant endings I have ever seen. It resolves wonderfully, and leaves you feeling positive and hopeful about an otherwise depressing topic. As I said before, I am rather disappointed that this isn't in the top ten - or top 50 or 100 - because it truly deserves to be. It is a beautiful film - it was beautiful then, it's beautiful now. Don't miss Holden's Oscar winning performance.