A little off-base in depictions of Germans and Americans

Rating: 7/10 (20 September 2004)

Well, damn, this is the third time I've tried to write my review of this film. Hummmph. Anyway, having read many comments on this film, and despite not having lived through the Second World War, although I must admit that the film is very well-made, the acting excellent, and Billy Wilder's direction and comedic touch second-to-none, it seemed to me that the depictions of the Nazis were a little too generous. The POW commandant seemed comical almost, to me. He seemed as though he'd been drawn from archetypes from rejected Saturday Night Live sketches. His menacing, insinuating monotone seemed to suggest a parody of German commandants rather than that of a real person. Admittedly, commandants might come in all shapes and sizes, but nevertheless, the depiction did seem rather generous. I would have expected a nastier depiction of the German camp leaders rather more fitting than the nearly comedic rendering of the camp commandant that was presented. I don't know if this is just a characteristic of seeing the film 50 years after it was released or if this is a fair criticism. Also, the men seemed rather more upbeat than I might have expected. Obviously they had to keep their spirits up in order to survive, but they just didn't seem very unhappy about being in a prison camp. I might have expected that they might portray the men as a bit more serious and grave.
All that being said, Wilder's direction, Holden's acting, the comedy, and how the central plot mystery was resolved were excellent. 7.7/10