Rent The Colditz Story (1955)

Classic British War Drama - The Colditz Story review by GI

Very loosely based on real events this is a wartime tale of derring-do as plucky British officers attempt to escape from the infamous German POW camp of Colditz Castle. Starring the great John Mills this is an entertaining story of how his character, Captain Pat Reid (the film is also loosely on an adaptation of Reid's memoirs as a POW) arrives at Colditz which was a prison where the Germans sent all officers who had tried to escape from other POW camps, his time as 'Escape Officer' and his eventual daring getaway. The film is a series of episodes depicting various escapes, the Germans are depicted as expected (sly, cunning, ruthless etc etc) and the British as a slightly snobby, class focused, group of public schoolboy types who treat escaping as a jolly jape. Interestingly there is the odd moment of scripted xenophobia as the Brits find their fellow allied prisoners, French, Dutch and Polish, as a damn nuisance until they agree to work together. Overall this is humorous and highly entertaining and is an example of the very well made war films that the 1950s British film industry excelled in. Film fans will notice Ian Carmichael, Lionel Jeffries, Richard Wattis, Bryan Forbes and Eric Portman as the British Senior Officer. This is a classic British film, enjoyable and interesting and well worth your time if you've never seen it.

POW Drama (spoiler). - The Colditz Story review by Steve

Entertaining POW film which makes a great virtue of its location shoot in the famous old castle. It is based on the memoirs of Pat Reid (John Mills), who escaped from Colditz. The film doesn't attempt to be a realistic portrayal of men in captivity. So the prisoners are not scared, bored or lonely. They are too focused on planning their escape.

The castle is for officers who have already tried to abscond. So it becomes a pan-European hothouse for those most motivated to break out. When their competitive schemes lead to chaos, an escape committee is set up under the aloof but droll Eric Portman. Mills is the English representative, until he walks out the front gate dressed as a German guard...

For a film set in a high security prison, this is a superficial diversion with an anecdotal touch. The English are self effacing, the Poles are excitable and the French are unfriendly. And crucially, the Germans are mostly genial idiots. There are no meaningful consequences of escape; the prisoners are just returned to their cells.

A preface assures us that the film is entirely based on true events, so we get to see real life escape plans. Naturally there is an informer, but he is sidelined without bloodshed. And there is a concert party in which Ian Carmichael and Richard Wattis channel Flanagan and Allen! But no one has a nightmare or even complains about the food. This an amiable vision of war. Pure escapism...

THE Classic Colditz Story, the best POW film together with THE GREAT ESCAPE. A Must-see. - The Colditz Story review by PV

This is superb stuff,. a great British film made a decade after the war which so accurately captures the contrast between the British resilience, defiance and sense of humour with German Nazi regimentation and lack of that sense of humour.

The casting is great, with John Mills et al, but also German actors playing Germans, Dutch playing Dutch, French playing French. AUTHENTIC CASTING then. Thankfully not colour or gender blind though LOL - however, they have announced that a new TV drama of Colditz is being made (there was a great one in the 1970s) but this time there will be black, Asian, gay characters and probably women too, trans-species POWs maybe as well. I think I'll give it a miss...

Genuinely touching at times too. a PROPER story. No preachy woke sermonising or other lectures. Just a good story well told. And true. Expect more sneering from the Brit-hating anti-patriotic classes (who only like patriotism if it is not British esp English).

A true story, fictionalised of course. The details at the end are more poignant when one remembers the first POW to complete a home run from Colditz was Airy Neave, later an MP who in 1979 was blown up and murdered by the IRA in his car in the House of Commons carpark.

A must-see that all children should watch to be honest. By law. 5 stars