The Colditz Story

1955 1h 34m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 63

WarDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The Germans believed that no man could escape from Colditz Castle, set as it was in the heart of the Reich, 400 miles from any neutral frontier. This film, based on Pat Reid's epic novel, tells the story of how the British, French, Dutch and Polish prisoners of war who were incarcerated in Colditz set out to prove their captors wrong.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

John Mills
Pat Reid
Eric Portman
Colonel Richmond
Frederick Valk
Kommandant
Denis Shaw
Priem
Lionel Jeffries
Harry Tyler
Christopher Rhodes
'Mac' McGill
Richard Wattis
Richard Gordon
Ian Carmichael
Robin Cartwright

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Guy Hamilton
Writers: Guy Hamilton, Ivan Foxwell, William Douglas-Home
Languages: English, French, German, Polish
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.6M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

71 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, French, German, Polish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Guy Hamilton, shot by Gordon Dines. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Mayhew shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

John Mills and Eric Portman and Frederick Valk carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0047945 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 63 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Guy Hamilton directs. Gordon Dines behind the camera. Peter Mayhew cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, French, German, Polish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.6M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
271 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, French, German, Polish.
4Directed by Guy Hamilton, shot by Gordon Dines. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Peter Mayhew shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6John Mills and Eric Portman and Frederick Valk carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0047945 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 63 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Gordon Dines
Editing: Peter Mayhew
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Status: Released
Budget: $600,000
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Colditz Story (1955)

Also by

Guy Hamilton

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-11-14
★ 8/10
Escape from Colditz Castle. Guy Hamilton directs and co-adapts the screenplay with Ivan Foxwell from the P.R. Reid novel of the same name. A story based on actual facts, it stars John Mills, Lionel Jeffries, Bryan Forbes, Anton Diffring, Richard Wattis, Ian Carmichael and Eric Portman. Music is by Francis Chagrin and cinematography by Gordon Dines. The story essentially follows the repeated escape attempts by allied prisoners held at Colditz Castle. It shows the hard luck stories, the bonds that are formed between the men, the regime and day to day life they lived by, and of course it builds to the historical finale. It's structured with great balance by the makers, who manage to wring out a number of tense sequences whilst also ensuring that humour shines brightly. It gives the pic the requisite feel of stiff upper lippery, imbuing the characters with justifiable heroism in the face of being a POW, which all told plays as inspirational stuff. Acted with aplomb by a notable cast, this delightful pic harks back to a a grand time of British film making, while simultaneously doffing its cap towards the real life allied soldiers who wound up in war prison establishments. 8/10
CinemaSerf2022-11-14
★ 7/10
This film does rather play to the stereotypes a bit - the plucky Brits; disorganised French; stoic Dutch and generally enthusiastic Poles - and as such should be treated more as a piece of fact-based entertainment rather than some sort of documentary-style analysis. It does still, however, demonstrate clearly what must have been the feelings of despair and frustration when the gates are heard to close and the prisoners' freedom lies tantalisingly but inaccessibly close. Eric Portman and Lionel Jeffries steal this for me (I always found John Mills just a touch too arrogant and superior). Once the castle is up to full strength and the inmates start to collaborate, this become an excellent showcase for what can be done when there is a will. There is plenty of humour too - the "croque mort" joke still makes me laugh even now.