November 3, 2023

I think maybe Maurice Elvey could be accused here of trying to merge too many storylines into what could have been quite an efficient little great escape caper. Set during the Great War, we find "Hamilton" (an adequate Barry K. Barnes) swapping the delights of life in the sodden and perilous trenches for one in a POW camp where, together with loads of his compatriots, they focus on trying to escape. They find loads of innovative ways of not just … read the rest.

I think maybe Maurice Elvey could be accused here of trying to merge too many storylines into what could have been quite an efficient little great escape caper. Set during the Great War, we find "Hamilton" (an adequate Barry K. Barnes) swapping the delights of life in the sodden and perilous trenches for one in a POW camp where, together with loads of his compatriots, they focus on trying to escape. They find loads of innovative ways of not just digging a tunnel but of covering their tracks whilst under the slightly over-egged supervision of Meinhart Maur's camp commandant. Meantime, we discover that his beloved wife "Sarah" (Sophie Stewart) had an assignation at home with the caddish "Beck" (a wooden as a board Jack Hawkins) and that, for me anyway, introduces a degree of flashback-presented melodrama that the adventure aspects of this film just didn't need. At times it's quite a potent reflection on the conditions and attitudes at the time, and the stiff upper lip characterisations ring true now and again, but there are too many contrived attempts at comedy and maybe just one stereotype too many. It's based on a real event, though, and is worth a watch if only because it's clear that the next war was already on the horizon as this hit the screens!

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