Review of Stalag 17 (1953) by Ryan A — 24 Jun 2007

I always had some sort of general aversion to the "all-time classic" war movies, thinking most of them would be along some sort of John Wayne-ish celebration of manly struggle. And yet the last two that I've watched that would most likely be on that list, Bridge On the River Kwai and now Stalag 17 have proven to really set aside those sorts of thoughts, and in fact brighten my perspective on war movies in general.

Stalag 17 is a bizarre mix of language gag humor and pratfalls with the very cold realism about the situation in a POW camp. The comic writing is sharp and entertaining, and the actors have fantastic interaction with one another.

It would almost be a set piece for a Hogan's Heroes environment (and practically is) if it weren't for the overall plot about a mole being among the men. William Holden's Oscar-winning performance as Sefton is fantastic - he's the self-reliant quasi-profiteer of his group, trading slyly and sharply to make his life more comfortable.

Running every minor trick he can and hoarding his property, he's the quick suspect to be leaking information. However, his motivations and loyalties are shuffled along through the course of the movie as a general mystery to anyone other than himself, and it plays well against the general mole storyline so that you have to wonder if Sefton is the mole or not.

Other than general resentment towards an officer that they bunk with due to his class, Holden's Sefton is a man who writes his own ticket and whose morality is the central question of the film's procession.

A fantastic mix of comedy and tight drama. I need to see more Billy Wilder pictures.