Another One Of Billy Wilder's Unpolished Gem.

Rating: Null/10 (26 September 2014)

The more I'm watching films directed by Billy Wilder, the more I'm getting convinced that he could very well be the most brilliant & versatile filmmaker of the 20th century for this master writer-director had a remarkable knack for wit which kept almost all his films a light-hearted affair, including those which dealt with serious subject matters, yet effortlessly managed to deliver its message without ever compromising with the entertainment factor.
Set during The Second World War in a German POW camp that houses only American sergeants, the story begins with two prisoners from the barrack who after careful planning with the rest of inmates try to escape the camp but are discovered & shot down. The rest of the inmates suspect that one amongst them is an informer but when the suspicion falls on the camp's notorious black marketeer, he decides to find out the real culprit before it's too late for him.
Excellently directed by Billy Wilder, Stalag 17 is another one of his unpolished gems which is set during the final years of World War II, in a Nazi prisoner of war camp and yet, despite its grim setting, remains a fun & rollicking experience from start to finish. Cleverly scripted as well, Wilder effortlessly succeeds in balancing all its elements, provides just the perfect dose of every genre this film deals with & employs near-perfect use of humour in its plot.
Coming to the technical aspects, the camps depicted in the movie have an authentic feel to some extent, the black n white photography is brilliantly carried out, editing keeps the flow of entertainment smooth & although the use of music is minimal, it's fitting wherever it is present. Every character we interact with exhibit a distinct personality yet it's William Holden who plays an anti-hero here whom we choose to invest our emotions in & are finely rewarded in the end, thanks to his stellar performance.
On an overall scale, Stalag 17 is one of the finest World War II prisoner of war films that has something in store for every kind of cinema viewer out there. It's a first rate spy-thriller that offers a first-rate entertainment with its brilliant take on the genres of war, drama, comedy, thriller & mystery and doesn't feel even slightly aged despite being over half century old. People who don't like something funny being made out of what was a horror event may find a lot to criticize but for me, it just works. Highly recommended.