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The Great Escape (1963)

UNRATED 172 min  -  Adventure | Drama | History  -   4 July 1963 (USA)
8.3
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Ratings: 8.3/10 from 85,275 users  
Reviews: 266 user | 68 critic

Allied POWs plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.

Director:

John Sturges

Writers:

Paul Brickhill (book), James Clavell (screenplay), and 1 more credit »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve McQueen ...
James Garner ...
Richard Attenborough ...
James Donald James Donald ...
Charles Bronson ...
Donald Pleasence ...
James Coburn ...
Hannes Messemer Hannes Messemer ...
David McCallum ...
Gordon Jackson Gordon Jackson ...
John Leyton ...
Angus Lennie Angus Lennie ...
Nigel Stock ...
Robert Graf Robert Graf ...
Jud Taylor Jud Taylor ...
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Storyline

Based on a true story, a group of allied escape artist type prisoners of war are all put in an 'escape proof' camp. Their leader decides to try to take out several hundred all at once. The first half of the film is played for comedy as the prisoners mostly outwit their jailers to dig the escape tunnel. The second half is high adventure as they use boats and trains and planes to get out of occupied Europe. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Plan | Prisoner | Escape Attempt | Tunnel  | See more »

Taglines:

From a barbed-wire camp to a barbed-wire country, they made... [The Great Escape] See more »

Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | War

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | French | Russian

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

El gran escape See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)
See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mirisch Corporation, The See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) | Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The motorcycle scenes were not based on real life but were added at Steve McQueen's suggestion. See more »

Goofs

Factual errors: The word 'lieutenent' is spoken using the American pronunciation throughout the movie by British and German officers. The British pronunciation would have been used. See more »

Quotes

Hilts: What do they call a mole in Scotland?
Ives: A mole.
See more »

Connections

Featured in Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool (2005) See more »