Review of The Great Escape (1963) by Daniel S — 01 Jan 2009
This just got worse and worse as it went. For such an esteemed film, it has a LOT of problems - not the least of which is the unwieldly running time. For one, I did not like the music. The cues were obvious and overbearing and they contributed to the uneven tone that kept making me wonder what type of movie I was supposed to be watching.
Some of the early camp scenes played with a light Hogan's Heroes vibe and so when something shocking happens we're supposed to take the movie seriously all of a sudden - but it's hard to do because no gravity has been established for the situation.
The filmmakers clearly loved the source material and revered the people on whom the characters were based, but they try to spread the sympathy so thin that we don't really get to know and care deeply for anyone.
What that means is that the extended epilogue doesn't grip or move us, except to make us squirm in our seats. The actual escape scene is by far the best part. It's actually a tense sequence that hits the right notes, and it should have been the climax of the film.
Unfortunately for us, it goes on for 45 minutes after that, with disjointed shots of people we hardly recognize even after spending the previous 2 hours with them running, flying, and biking all over the landscape.
Watch it if you must; but for me, this one's going back in the cooler.
This review of The Great Escape (1963) was written by Daniel S on 01 Jan 2009.
The Great Escape has generally received very positive reviews.
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