I have a very nasty head cold. My laptop refuses to work (it’s time to dump it); and I’m blogging on an Android tablet with considerable difficulty. But it’s Veterans Day (duly noted at my own blog, with deepest respect); and I wanted to comment for PJ Lifestyle on some favorite movies of mine that focus on servicemen.
For the life of me, only two POW movies come to mind. I know the breadth of the veteran experience cannot possibly be reflected through POW stories alone, but such stories are rife with emotions in conflict; and that can make for some very good movies. And assuming that you’ve already seen The Great Escape and The Bridge on the River Kwai, I thought I’d suggest a couple of titles with which you may not be as familiar – including a 1953 classic. Strangely enough, neither movie was directed by an American, but the lead characters in both movies are American. Both directors are legends in their own right, too.
The older movie is – well – a dramedy of sorts set in a WWII POW camp: Stalag 17, starring the inimitable William Holden with a very young Peter Graves (the original Jim Phelps from Mission: Impossible) - and even a young Donald Pleasance, (better known as Dr. Loomis on the original Halloween). William Holden went on to win an Oscar for his work on Stalag 17. And it was well-deserved.
Stalag’s plot is very much about an escape plan and keeping that plan secret; but it does have several light moments and silly characters, plus incidental comedy resulting from the Allied prisoners plotting to fool their German captors (you’ll find more than one parallel with the 60′s TV series Hogan’s Heroes). Director Billy Wilder, who was behind some of the most iconic American movies to come out of Hollywood despite hailing from an Austro-Hungarian town that now lies within Polish borders, co-wrote and produced. You might have already seen several titles by Wilder. Some Like It Hot, Sabrina, and even darker fare like Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard (also starring Holden) were all directed and written by Wilder. The film is in black and white, but don’t let that deter you. There’s not a thing about the movie that feels old. And you’ll love the dialogue. They don’t write them like they used to – and few people had an ear for American dialect like the immigrant Mr. Wilder.
The other POW movie I’d like to recommend is a more recent title by a director with a long career: Rescue Dawn, directed by German filmmaker Werner Herzog. I must confess this is the only movie by Herzog I’ve ever seen, even though I’ve been reading about his production exploits for years. But with films such as Fitzcarraldo (a true story about perhaps the most determined Irish entrepreneur in history) and the documentary Grizzly Man under his belt, I can only conclude that Herzog likes to make movies about people of great passion and commitment who are not easily deterred. Rescue Dawn is precisely that kind of movie. And it’s also based on a true story: the true adventures of German-American Vietnam vet and POW Dieter Dengler, who was shot down over Vietnam while flying a mission for the U.S. Navy in 1966.
Dengler is portrayed by Christian Bale with a humanity that blends the character’s vulnerability and love of freedom in a brilliant fashion. You know that Dengler refuses to be a mere captive from the moment he gets shot down. And you know he will do something about his capitivity, even if everyone around him dismisses his plans as impossible. Will he succeed? Even if he escapes, can he survive the jungle and be located by his U.S. Navy buddies? Steve Zahn co-stars. No Chuck Norris-led team of commandos shows up to help on this one. These guys are on their own.
You might be wondering if you can trust a German director to tell an American POW tale, but Herzog knows the material. He directed a documentary about Dieter Dengler about a decade before this movie was finally released in the states.
UPDATE: A couple of corrections: Donald Pleasance did not co-star in Stalag 17. He was – however – part of the ensemble cast of The Great Escape. Also, in my prior post on Blade Runner, I stated that the movie was based on the short story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick. The source material is actually a novel. Thanks to the commenters who brought these inaccuracies to my attention.
Happy Veteran’s Day, and thank you for honoring it in such a great way (and I bet Dad would as well).
I still haven’t seen Rescue Dawn…but when I was just a kid I did see the interesting, slightly surreal and less notable Empire of the Sun co starring Bale and John Malkovich. Weird fact: Ben Stiller was in Empire of the Sun and thought up the idea for Tropic Thunder during his performance. Go figure.
Thanks! Empire of the Sun is one of my favorite movies, but I don’t remember Stiller in it…
Rescue Dawn is an excellent movie. If you get it on DVD, be sure to watch the bonus materials about what they went through to make it. The actors all lost a lot of weight before filming and they shot the movie in reverse order, letting them gradually regain their weight along the way. And the stuff they did to shoot the escape scenes was incredible.
…and I know I’ll be reminded by certain kin that Dirk Bogarde’s British version of The Great Escape was pretty good too (The Password is Courage (1962), dir. Andrew Stone, based on the true story of Charles Coward, British NCO held at POW camp Stalag VIIIB) “but not as good as TGE in that it leaned too heavily on comedy and took a lot of liberties with Coward’s real story which was better than the fiction presented in the film.” Cheers
Ironically, Donald Pleasance served during WWII in the RAF, and was in fact shot down, captured, and spent time in a Luftstalag.
Thus, art imitates life.
Another good one is Bale’s childhood debute in “Empire of the Sun.”
Thanks for the refer to Rescue Dawn. I found and downloaded today and just finished watching. I’ll recommend the film in other forums.
W
Stalag 17 is, indeed, a great film and for many reasons. It starred, amongst others, the wonderful Neville Brand. Brand was a real WWII hero and a much decorated soldier. Bruce Dern said of him, “Neville Brand was the baddest guy I’ve ever met in the business. Second baddest was Audie Murphy”. Stalag 17 was also the favourite film of Thomas Magnum, according to the season three episode “Did You See the Sunrise”.
William Holden’s Oscar speech was also, at the time, the shortest in history, “Thank you”.
Donald Pleasence was a fine actor and was, as an earlier poster mentioned, RAF aircrew who was captured and spent time as a POW. He was not, however in Stalag 17, perhaps you’re thinking of Otto Preminger, who played the Camp Commandant, von Sherbach? Pleasence was in “The Great Escape”, however.
You are absolutely right. Thanks for the correction. I’ve noted it above.
Stalag 17 is one of the few movie I will say up till 3 AM to watch. Its one of the very best movies ever made. And Bill Holden well he is just a legend. As for Rescue Dawn, Werner Herzog is my favorite living Movie Director. He is a genius. And its a great movie.
Stalag 17 Still rules! “When we find a piece of meat we’ll send it to Geneva!”
Don’t forget “Return With Honor.” It is a documentary, but it is great.
How about King Rat?
The Captive Heart (1946) is an interesting British POW movie.