Very entertaining war movie, but looks dated

Rating: 8/10 (8 January 2006)

Just saw this for the first time last night after hearing so many good things about it over the years. My initial impression was that this is so far from what you think of when you think German POW camp that it bordered on the absurd. But then I heard that indeed the Luftwaffe ran the camp and their camps were much more humane than the Concentration Camps that have received much more attention.
The suspense of the movie is great and I loved the fact that it did not have a "Hollywood ending". Nevertheless, several details point to the obvious fact that this movie was a Hollywood product and that it was from a period before realism and authenticity became necessary to win over audiences. In summary, my objections are:
1. The POW's looked very well fed, clean-shaved and illness free throughout. I can understand that this was not Auschwitz, but come on!
2. A remarkable number of German officers spoke excellent English. Perhaps this was needed to keep the story moving along, but it was completely ridiculous.
3. Similarly, many of the prisoners, once they are on the run, show a command of German that seems hard to believe. As anyone knows, most people can spot a foreigner the second they open their mouth to speak because of their accent. Yet Bartlett passes for German with no difficulty at all.
These may seem like minor quibbles, but they are indicative of an age when audiences were perhaps less cynical and Hollywood could get away with a lot more.
All in all, a great movie, but a dated one.