The Great Escape (1963)
96%RT Audience Score: 95%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
3 wins & 11 nominations total
With its impeccably slow-building story and a cast for the ages, The Great Escape is an all-time action classic.
If you’re looking for a movie that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat, The Great Escape is the one for you. This flick takes its sweet time building up the story, but trust me, it’s worth the wait. And let’s talk about the cast – it’s stacked! These guys are the real deal and they bring their A-game to every scene. It’s no wonder this movie is considered an all-time action classic. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and get ready for a wild ride.
Production Company(ies)
The Mirisch Company, Alpha
Distributor
Criterion Collection, United Artists, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Füssen, Bavaria, Germany
MPAA / Certificate
Approved
Year of Release
1963
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:2h 52m
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Language(s):English, German, French, Russian, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 4, 1963 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 4, 2003
Genre(s)
War/Drama
Keyword(s)
War, Drama, Allied soldiers, German POW camp, escape, Nazi forces, American Captain Virgil Hilts, British Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett, slow-building story, cast for the ages, action classic, directed by John Sturges, produced by John Sturges and James Clavell, written by Paul Brickhill, James Clavell, W R Burnett, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Donald, Donald Pleasence, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jamie Ludwig, Anthony Lane, Nell Minow, Variety Staff, Dave Kehr, Derek Adams, Danielle Solzman, Brian Eggert, David Harris, Mike Massie, Matt Brunson, MPAA rating, Criterion Collection, United Artists, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc
Worldwide gross: $228,178
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,506,012
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,358
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 273,284
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
James Garner – Flight Lt. Hendley ‘The Scrounger’
Richard Attenborough – Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett ‘Big X’
Charles Bronson – Flight Lt. Danny Velinski ‘The Tunnel King’
James Donald – Group Capt. Ramsey ‘The SBO’
Donald Pleasence – Flight Lt. Colin Blythe ‘The Forger’
Director(s)
John Sturges
Writer(s)
Paul Brickhill, James Clavell, W. R. Burnett
Producer(s)
John Sturges, James Clavell
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
3 wins & 11 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (51) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (3)
For all its missteps, when it comes to escapism, intrigue, and indulgence, you could do a whole lot worse than The Great Escape. Just watch it with an open eye.
February 21, 2019
Jamie Ludwig
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
This is a Boys’ Own Tale, and, as boys, we wanted it, cleansed of horrors, for ourselves.
April 23, 2014
Anthony Lane
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
An exceptional story about teamwork.
December 28, 2010 | Rating: 5/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
Producer-director John Sturges has fashioned a motion picture that entertains, captivates, thrills and stirs.
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Way too flabby at 168 minutes, but once this 1963 feature gets going it’s good, solid stuff.
March 1, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Worth seeing the last half hour, if nothing else, for one of the best stunt sequences in years: McQueen’s motor-cycle bid for freedom.
June 24, 2006
Derek Adams
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Even though the filmmakers make changes to benefit an American audience, the memory of the 50 executed airmen will never be forgotten.
May 29, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies
Somehow, The Great Escape manages to mourn the dead and uphold a unified sense of defiance in the same movement.
February 17, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
There is something undeniably quaint about John Sturges’ sprawling 1963 World War II epic…
March 3, 2021
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
The courageous, booming march by Elmer Bernstein that opens the picture is instantly one of the most memorable and notable pieces of music in cinema history.
August 24, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
McQueen’s thrilling motorcycle ride has long been the stuff of cinematic legend, but the movie is packed with countless memorable episodes of this caliber.
May 16, 2020 | Rating: 4/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
This is one of the all-time great war movies, a PoW adventure from director John Sturges that celebrates the indomitable spirit of the Allied forces even when their backs were to the wall.
April 23, 2014
Andrew Collins
Radio Times…
Plot
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 movie 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 planes, trains, and boats to get out of occupied Europe.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Steve McQueen’s motorcycle chase scene in The Great Escape is considered one of the greatest action sequences in cinema history.
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