Film Has Slowed With Age, But Still Merits Praise

Rating: 8/10 (17 June 2006)

Although I still like this film - and proudly own it on disc - I have to admit it was a disappointment seeing it after a long period of time had elapsed between viewings. When I saw this in the theater in 1963, I thought it was spectacular. Later, when it came out on VHS, I thought thought it was good but the longer the years go by, the slower this film gets and it doesn't have the hold on me it once did. Part of that is that movies are faster- moving nowadays.
It just takes too long (two hours!) before the "great escape" finally takes place! I loved the last 50 minutes. That, still, was fascinating as much as it ever was, even though it's never been a happy one. It's still good stuff.
The first two hours of this 172-minute movie turn out to be more of characterizations that anything else, although it details what went into making the escape from this German prison camp possible. Some of that is interesting, such as Chales Bronson's claustrophobia and Donald Pleasance's eyesight deterioration, etc.
With stars like Steve McQueen, James Garner, James Coburn, Richard Attenborough, Bronson, Pleasance and James Donald you will get some characters you'll remember for a long time: especially, I found, McQueen's and Bronson's.
Now that it is out on a special two-disc DVD which gives it a decent picture (there was an earlier DVD that wasn't much better than the VHS) and some features, it should climb back up the ladder on my rating of it. Regardless, this will always be considered on the best of the World War II movies.