Main Cast: John Mills, Eric Portman, Christopher Rhodes, Lionel Jeffries, Bryan Forbes
Release Year: 1955
Country: UK
Run Time: 93 minutes
Plot
During World War II, the impenetrable Colditz castle in Germany was selected as the site for a POW camp. The Germans reason that, since Colditz has been virtually impossible to get into or out of for centuries, it is ideal for housing the most contentious allied prisoners. British officer John Mills doesn't agree, and leads an escape through a subterranean tunnel. Only three of the prisoners (Mills included) survive the escape; the next step is to get out of Germany itself. Colditz Story is based on the reminiscences of P. R. "Pat" Reid, the real-life English officer portrayed in this film by John Mills. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Ian Carmichael - Robin Cartwright; Richard Wattis - Richard Gordon; David Yates - Dick; Frederick [Fritz] Valk - Kommandant; Dennis Shaw - Priem; Anton Diffring - Fischer; Ludwig Lawinski - Franz Josef; Carl Duering - German Officer; Keith Pyott - French colonel; Eugene Deckers - La Tour; Rudolf Offenbach - Dutch Colonel; Theodore Bikel - Vandy; Arthur Butcher - Polish colonel; Leo Bieber - German interpreter; Eric Corrie - British officer; Guy Deghy - German soldier; John Heller - German guard; Claude LeSache - French interpreter; Guido Lorraine - Polish officer; Peter Swanwick - Lutyens; Douglas Argent - British officer; Frederick Schiller - German soldier; Kenneth Midwood - British officer; Peter Myers - British officer
Credit
Alexander Vetchinsky - Art Director, Bill Walsh - Costume Designer, Guy Hamilton - Director, Peter Mayhew - Editor, Francis Chagrin - Composer (Music Score), Eric Carter - Makeup, Gordon Dines - Cinematographer, Thomas Clyde - Production Manager, Ivan Foxwell - Producer, William Douglas Home - Dialogue Writer, Ivan Foxwell - Screenwriter, Guy Hamilton - Screenwriter, P.R. Reid - Book Author
British, French, Dutch and Polish Prisoners of War (POWs), of many nationalities who have repeatedly tried to escape are sent to Oflag IV-C, a supposedly secure castle or schloss, in Saxony in the heart of Nazi Germany during World War II. At first the different nationalities try to initiate their own plans until the Senior British Officer (SBO) steps in, and suggests co-operation between the different contingents. At first, the coordination fails because one of the prisoners is supplying information to the German guards. After he is discovered, plans remain secret. There then follow a number of escapes; some successful, some not.
The prisoners of Colditz are high-spirited and eager to needle the Germans. The escape officer of the British contingent, Patrick Reid (Mills), assists in the escape of other prisoners and finally carries out his own escape. The culmination of his escape, his successful crossing into Switzerland, is not depicted in the film.
