Likable prisoner of war movie

Rating: 7/10 (14 September 2016)

STALAG 17 is one of the granddaddies of the prisoner of war genre and stands out from having a lightness of touch which comes to the production courtesy of director Billy Wilder. Certainly Wilder skirts the more depressing aspects of life in a Nazi prisoner of war camp and instead concentrates on presenting the larger than life characters who occupy one of the buildings. There's a lot of incidental character humour inserted into the movie, particularly with the antics of a couple of losers who spend their days boozing and dreaming about women.
Thankfully the comic hijinks don't retreat from the thrills of the main storyline, which is about one of the men being a secret informer who keeps telling the German camp commanders all of the prisoners's secrets. Poor old William Holden - a likable everyman hero - is suspected thanks to his wheeling and dealing ways, but of course he's innocent so he has to try to figure out the identity of the man for himself.
This is a breezy movie with little material to offend or bore. The acting is exemplary and the pacing, although slow, is sufficient enough to keep you intrigued throughout. There are some good actors in support including Neville Brand, Peter Graves, Otto Preminger, and Robert Strauss. Some of the set-piece scenes, particularly towards the climax, are particularly thrilling. STALAG 17 is a lot of fun.