Review of Stalag 17 (1953) by Nicole R — 21 Jul 2010

This movie is excellent because it flawlessly toes the line between hilarity and drama. The plot is fairly run-of-the-mill in terms of POW movies (both comedic and serious), but excellent performances and brilliant dialogue help make it memorable and affecting.

This is the first film I can consciously remember thinking of as my "favorite". William Holden plays a marvelous, likable cynic, and Otto Preminger invests what could have been a dim-witted clown with some cunning.

Peter Graves is interestingly able to manage a great deal of understated menace. Another example of brilliance for director Billy Wilder.