Stalag 17

Starring: William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger, Robert Strauss, Harvey Lembeck, Richard Erdman, Peter Graves, Neville Brand
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama, War
1953

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: American P.O.W.'s in World War II begin to suspect one of their own (William Holden) is reporting to the Germans on their activities.

Review:

Tim: I love watching older movies- films that have existed for decades. It's always fascinating, especially the critically acclaimed ones. The big question is, are these movies that have stood the test of time? Or, were they overrated in their day? Stalag 17 is a great movie that still holds up 60+ years later. There's been so many World War II movies, but this film does enough to differentiate itself from the pack. I was riveted for the two hours of the film and was entertained throughout. It's a film that makes you think while delivering an enjoyable experience. Director Billy Wilder created an exceptional, memorable film here.

I love that the entire film takes place in a German P.O.W. camp. This single setting never feels limiting, however, because we are immediately draw into this little world. We quickly forget about the outside world. This little, self-contained existence for the prisoners of war becomes our world as well. There's only this camp, and only these people in it. The film does a wonderful job of pulling the audience into this setting. It does so in a very memorable way. Truth be told, it's been a few months since I watched this movie (I'm way behind in my reviews) and I can still close my eyes and picture the barracks, the outside yard, the bathrooms, the water tower- it's all portrayed so vividly that it becomes this memorable setting. So many other films fail in this regard- it's truly impressive to find a film that is so memorable. The story, the setting, and the characters all make an enormous impact on us.

The characters and the cast significantly contribute to the overall film. William Holden obviously attracts the most attention since he won an Academy Award for his performance. It's an exceptionally strong performance- he perfectly balances the ambiguity line with this character. He's a scoundrel, but you aren't quite sure what to make of him. Is he a traitor, or is he just self-serving? It's a fairly remarkable performance and my eye was draw to every mannerism and moment Holden is on screen. The whole cast is strong, but Holden grabs the audience from the first moment and never lets them go. It's a cool, complex, fascinating performance and it doesn't surprise me one bit that he won the Academy Award. It's a great performance in a great movie. The supporting cast is really strong as well. I liked Otto Preminger in a bit of a comedic relief role (although very realistic, never slapstick). The same can be said for Robert Strauss- he's definitely in a goofball role, but it works within the context of the film. There's very serious drama happening all around him, so it's entertaining to see his antics. He reminds of lighthearted, funny people I've known- those who can play around even in the harshest conditions. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role. Really, the whole cast is strong- Peter Graves, Don Taylor, and on and on. I thoroughly enjoyed the cast here.

Stalag 17 is a great movie. I've seen over 3,000 films, so I'm hyper aware when a movie is able to connect with the audience. This film grabbed me and drew me into the story. I cared about the characters. I was entertained, surprised, intrigued. This is a great movie and I had a blast watching it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



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