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manager John Sturges‘ The heavy WWII epic hits the market on ultra-high-definition disc format almost six decades after its theatrical release, and is packed with an educational overview of the film’s true origins. Great Escape (Kino Lorber, unrated, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, 172 minutes, $39.95).
Based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Paul Brickhill, the film traps viewers in Stalag Luft III, a maximum security German POW camp built to house a group of cunning Allied officers with a chronic resolve to escape their borders.
James Garner, Flight Lt. Bob Hendley (The Scrounger); Richard Attenborough (Big X, the master planner of escape) as Fleet Leader Roger Bartlett; Charles Bronson, Flight Lt. Danny Welinski (Tunnel King); Donald Pleasence as Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe (The Impostor); James Coburn, Flying Officer Louis Sedgwick (Manufacturer); David McCallum as Lieutenant Commander. Eric Ashley-Pitt (Disbandment); and Steve McQueen as Captain Virgil Hilts (The Cooler King), who finally drives a motorcycle in one of the most famous chase sequences in movie history.
The story explores the intricate plan to sneak 250 prisoners blocked by German guards at once. Only 76 men escaped from the camp.
Roughly the last hour of the movie features key members of the group’s subsequent fate as they travel across Germany looking for a very unlucky exit as the realities of war and revenge close.
A worthwhile investment, “The Great Escape” does a great job chronologically chronicling a true event that is almost unbelievable for Hollywood to believe, and also underlines a musical note I still hum from Elmer Bernstein.
4K in action: Originally shot on the gorgeous Panavision, the new rendering of the movie in UHD format is a mixed bag.
Kino Lorber’s digital restoration has been extracted and recolored from last year’s MGM restoration for the Criterion Blu-ray release.
Film grain can be a bit thick at times, and there can be occasional bland images, especially in a few night scenes, and most surprising is the occasional remnant of lines and scratches, which somewhat diminishes a very detailed and colorful effort.
In particular, look at the Captain’s hilts covered in various hues of caked wet and dry dirt from a failed escape, or the opening scenes of military trucks driving down a side-lined road of flowers and greenery to see the subtleties of color shading.
And for visual clarity that’s welcomed, check out the textures of various period costumes, particularly the German and British officer uniforms (note even the fine detail of the medals on some of the characters), the sweat on Bronson’s face as he enters the tunnel, and some impressive views of the Swiss Alps.
The best extras: Kino Lorber starts off with a pair of optional commentary tracks, one new and one old, on 4K disc.
First up, special offers are filmmakers Steven Jay Rubin (known for making the documentary “Back to the Great Escape”) and film historian Steve Mitchell. The duo took on their own credentials as they talked almost non-stop throughout their three-hour epic, taking a deep dive into the background and production of the film, with a historical perspective and story on many sets.
Then, viewers get an old track moderated by Mr. Jay Rubin, which features a selection of interviews with the cast and crew (who didn’t watch the movie). shake (from 1974), Garner, Coburn, Pleasence, Mr. McCallum, and even Bud Ekins, McQueen’s friend and favorite motorcycle stuntman.
Speaking of the oldies, viewers also receive a Blu-ray disc containing most of the previously released extras from the 1993 Blu-ray version of the movie.
Start with the 2001 History Channel, a four-part, 44-minute overview of the production narrated by Burt Reynolds, covering topics such as the differences between reality and film escape; passionate push shake to shoot the movie; a look at consultant Wally Floody (who designed the actual escape tunnels); and many interviews including Stalag Luft III, ex POW from John Weir.
Follow this up with a 24-minute, 1993 Showtime documentary from Mr. Jay Rubin that reinforces much of the information in the 2001 History Channel presentation and offers more details about the film, such as when Mr. McCallum talks about putting the plastic thorn together. takes wire between set.
Next on the disc is a nearly one-hour British documentary from 2001 that focuses on the Allied strategy of wasting German time by escaping the camps, while also covering the tragic events of Stalag Luft III’s escape and the eventual executions of Gestapo members to their deaths. murderous crimes.
Finally, and most inspiring, is a 25-minute look at the real man Captain Hilts is based on, US Army pilot David Jones. Coburn recounts, and viewers learn how Jones became one of Doolittle’s Raiders; even more details about the tunneling system (he was one of the excavators); and how he went on to become a test pilot, how he worked with NASA, and how he retired from the Air Force as a two-star general.
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