The Colditz Story

The Colditz Story
Directed by	Guy Hamilton
Produced by	Ivan Foxwell
Written by	Guy Hamilton Ivan Foxwell
Starring	John Mills Eric Portman Christopher Rhodes Ian Carmichael Lionel Jeffries
Music by	Francis Chagrin
Distributed by	British Lion Films
Release date(s)	25 January 1955 (1955-01-25)
Running time	93 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Colditz Story is a 1955 prisoner of war film starring John Mills and Eric Portman and directed by Guy Hamilton.

It is based on the book written by P.R. Reid, a British army officer who was imprisoned in Oflag IV-C, Colditz Castle, in Germany during the Second World War and who was the Escape Officer for British POWs within the castle.

Plot

British, French, Dutch and Polish Prisoners of War (POWs), of many other nationalities who have repeatedly made escape attempts but have been recaptured, 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.

Cast

• John Mills as Pat Reid
• Christopher Rhodes as Mac McGill
• Lionel Jeffries as Harry Tyler
• Bryan Forbes as Jimmy Winslow
• Guido Lorraine as Polish officer
• Anton Diffring as Fischer
• Richard Wattis as Richard Gordon
• Ian Carmichael as Robin Cartwright
• Eric Portman as Colonel Richmond
• Frederick Valk as Kommandant
• Denis Shaw as Priem
• Theodore Bikel as Vandy, Machiel van den heuvel
• Keith Pyott as French colonel
• Eugene Deckers as La Tour
• Anthony Faramus as British officer
• Peter Swanwick as Lutyens

Production notes

The revue at the end of the film involves a parody of the song I Belong to Glasgow, and the routine of Flanagan and Allen (including Underneath the Arches).

A BBC television series also based on Reid's book and crediting this film followed during 1972–74, and starred David McCallum, Robert Wagner, Jack Hedley and Edward Hardwicke.

External links

• The Colditz Story at the Internet Movie Database