her's why wildly overrated

Rating: 4/10 (8 February 2014)

in bridges at toko-ri, word is holden took the role only on condition that Hollywood wouldn't clean up the blistering ending and save him; if only someone had injected that grit into stalag 17; holden tries to; very good performance, edgy, intelligent, cynical; but it's downhill from there despite billy wilder; way too much of the movie centers on a duffus zero mostel wannabe who dances, clowns, dresses up and such with his pals; there is more than one very long dance sequence; problem being that every time holden build some edge, tension, even develops the very slow plot, in comes a new prisoner who does impressions of cary grant, ho ho ho- and we're talking gilligan's island level of comedy; again and again it kills holden's sharpness; a split personality movie; about 1/3 is very good, edgy, intriguing; 2/3 is a hogan's heroes without the laugh track; a nod to neville brand playing neville brand as he always did; preminger as commandant way over the top; watch this and it seems likely that wilder was more often put over the top by actor's performances than his script or direction; camera in stalag is basically filming a stage play; like the genre? grand illusion is edgy, poignant, funny parts, puts this one to shame