The film brought to the public a wonderful story from the middle of the Second World War.
Steve McQueen’s motorcycle scene has gone down in film history. PDO
In June 1963, a new action movie was released, while later Bullitt too memorable by Steve McQueen starred The Great Escape was published.
Before A great getaway McQueen had been seen among other things In flowing death and 7 brave men -films, but at the latest a film about a prison camp during the Second World War cemented the actor’s position.
The movie was directed by John Strugeswhose other guidance works are included 7 brave men, Ice Station Zebra, Joe Kidd and Eagle has landed.
Actors Steve McQueen and James Garner talk with director John Sturges on the set of the film. PDO
A great getaway considered one of the greatest action films of all time. The scene in which McQueen chases the Nazis away on the famous Triumph TR6 motorcycle has especially gone down in film history.
The famous star guard of the film also includes Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, James Garner and Donald Pleasence.
The Great Escape is originally known as The Great Escape. PDO
A real escape
The Great Escape based on an Australian fighter pilot by Paul Brickhill to a memoir of the same name, in which he recounted his time at Stalag Luft III, a POW camp run by the Luftwaffe.
Struges’ film is heavily colored, but it is based on a real escape. Some of the characters are directly based on real people, but at the core there are three names: Tom, Dick and Harry.
Stalag Luft III POW camp miniature model. PDO
However, Tom, Dick and Harry are not people, but tunnels that prisoners of war dug in secret from the Germans. The grand plan was that a massive tunnel project would rescue 250 prisoners from the camp in one night.
The Tom tunnel was built in barrack 123. It reached 42 meters into the forest outside the prison camp, but the prison guards managed to get a tip about the tunnel before the tunnel was completed.
The memorial is built at the mouth of the real Harry Tunnel. PDO
The Dick tunnel was dug into the shower room of barrack 122. However, Dick had to be abandoned because the prison camp was expanded to an unfavorable location.
The third tunnel, Harry’s, was eventually used to escape. 76 prisoners managed to escape through barrack 104 before the Germans discovered the escape. Unfortunately, the end result for most was tragic.
Steve McQueen on the set of The Great Escape. PDO
A chase and a search for the escaped prisoners ensue. They try, for example, to Switzerland and Spain with the help of fake papers, but almost all of them are caught and they are killed.
The Gestapo killed 50 escapees, in violation of the Geneva Convention, which prohibits the execution of escaped prisoners of war. 23 were recaptured. Three POWs managed to escape successfully.
The Great Escape has been chosen in many contexts as one of the best action movies of all time. PDO