Dark POW story and really broad comedy

Rating: 6/10 (27 December 2014)

It's the end of 1944. Sgt. J.J. Sefton (William Holden) is a cynic and an opportunist who bets against fellow prisoners escaping. They're American POWs in Stalag 17. The prison commandant Oberst von Scherbach (Otto Preminger) seems to have an informer in Barrack 4. Sgt. Frank Price (Peter Graves) is the prisoners' security chief. Animal (Robert Strauss) is the barrack's loud wild man. Duke (Neville Brand) is the hothead. For some, the obvious leak is Sefton who trades with the guards. After some more setbacks, the men beat up Sefton. Sefton figures that he needs to find the real leak.
I don't really like the broad comedy coming from Animal and Harry. They just take the seriousness out of darker POW story. The two different tones keep stepping on each other. I really don't like the broad comedy. The secret informer is quite compelling although I would have made Dunbar fake the sabotage story. That would have worked even better especially considering Sefton talking about how his mother buying his way out of trouble.