Rating: 
Summary: If there were six stars available....
Review: ...this would be one of the very few movies to receive them. This is a fil that has comedy, tragedy and drama all brilliantly interwoven by the superb performances turned in by the all-star cast. The fact that story is rooted in fact rather than fiction makes this a movie for the ages....easily a candidate for one of the Top 100 of all time.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best of All Time
Review: This is one of the best movies of all time, regardless of genre. The acting is superb, and the storyline is engrossing! To realize what these men accomplished while being watched 24 hours a day is a testimony to the human spirit. I fell in love with this movie almost forty years ago when I first saw it in the threatre, and it is a love affair that has lasted the test of time. Buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Vast improvement over the VHS tape!
Review: I have never seen this film looking better--it's letterboxed, and the color is superb.Some bonuses--a "making of" documentary, some trivia and production notes, and the original trailer, which is in the flat-screen version. Compare this to the letterboxed film, and you will see how much you are missing! It's one of the best adventure films ever made, and all the more engrossing because it is based on a real incident. What these men were able to do is incredible, and I would also read the book, "The Great Escape" by Paul Brickhill, as a companion to this movie. One of my all-time favorite adventure films, and I'm so glad it's now on DVD--I won't have to worry about it wearing out!
Rating:
Summary: A genuine masterpiece
Review: This movie is one of the finest films ever made. It is truly a masterpiece. I can't count the number of times I have watched this movie and never get tired of it. First of all it has an all-star cast in which everyone is beautifully casted. This is a true story about one of the greatest prison camp escapes (WWII) of all times. It is dedicated to the "fifty" who escaped from this camp. The movie moves at a good pace, definitely not slow, and each scene holds the audiences attention. James Garner as Hendley (the scrounger) and Steve McQueen as Virgil Hilts (the cooler king), make things light with their subtle levity. All in all, this is a brilliantly done movie and still one of my favorites today. It's appealing to all ages (my teenagers like it -- even my teenage daughter!). Definitely a movie for the classic collector!!
Rating:
Summary: The Great Escape - A true classic
Review: The Great Escape is one of those films which was not truly appreciated in its own time, winning a solitary oscar for film editing. Seen nowadays as a classic, it has elements in it that can never be mastered; from Elmer Bernstein's classic, cheeky little score, to the huge ensemble cast of some of the biggest names in Hollywood. From Richard Attenborough (Jurassic Park, Elizabeth), James Coburn (The Magnificent Seven, Afflicted), James Garner (Space Cowboys) to Charles Bronson (Deathwish), Donald Pleasance (Bond's famous Blofeld) and the late, great King of Cool, Steve McQueen (recently voted the toughest man in Hollywood by Total Film magazine) and star of other such classics as 'Bullit' and 'The Thomas Crown Affair'. This film helped to forge many a notable career, but it is McQueen, with the help of the motorcycle jump scene, that profits most from the film, being transformed from a relative unknown to the coolest man in Hollywood and a cultural icon almost overnight. The Great Escape is now rightfully viewed as one of the best war films ever made, mixing comedy, suspense and cool into one, this is a must see film and as deserving of 5 stars as any film ever could be.
Rating:
Summary: Bulls-eye!
Review: This is indeed a brilliant movie. Keeps the thrill and excitement throughout the whole 2 and a half hours. You'll be on the edge of your chair! Watched it again the other day together with a young guy of the family. Within 10 minutes, he was completely caught by the film - exactly as I was some 30 years ago.Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: An amazing tale about a group of American and Brtish P.O.W's in WW2 that launch the greatest escape attempt in all of history. Great performances by Steve McQueen, James Garner and even Donald Pleasance! This film certainly should be put in the category of best to see war films ever made. Based on a true story, it should be viewed by anyone with an interest in a good, exciting movie.
Rating:
Summary: Elmer Bernstein's Truly "Great" Score for "The Great Escape"
Review: Had it not been for Elmer Bernstein's incredible main theme for "The Magnificent Seven" (1960), it well could well have been that his march and main theme for John Surges' "The Great Escape" (1963) would have emerged as his most recognizable musical creation. Even so, the score for "The Great Escape" remains one of Bernstein's best efforts and one of the great film scores of all time. The music (and the film) is so well known that descriptions of individual cues are actually redundant. What does require comment, however, are the two presentations of this music on compact disc. Sadly, the original soundtrack album has never been complete. Oddly enough, the score for Bernstein's earlier effort. "The Magnificent Seven," fared much better with a nearly complete recording from Ryko-MGM (1998). Despite beautiful packaging, the Ryko-MGM release (1997) of the "The Great Escape" simply restored the tracks from the original United Artists' LP with a couple of bits of "incidental dialogue" thrown in for a "Deluxe Edition." More recently, Bernstein recorded a so-called "Definitive" recording of his music with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for RCA Victor-BMG (1998). The acoustic dynamics of the recording are outstanding, save for one very sour note (the end of "Discovery"), but the packaging is rather shabby, and there is less than three minutes of "new" music. The most notable addition is the brief opening to "First Casuality," which is a dramatic variation on an earlier theme that forms the climax to a missing, and very impressive, two minute cue, "Waiting for the Train," that has never been recorded. "Definitive"? Well, hardly. While many of the missing cues are quite brif, there is a good deal of music that could have been included, as with the Ryko-MGM version of "The Magnificent Seven." There is yet one other oddity. The original relaease of the film opened with a familiar Nazi drum roll that has since disappeared from the VHS and DVD versions of the film, and it was never included on the soundtrack albums. It did, however, become part of the opening to the televison take-off on "The Great Escape"..."Hogan's Heroes". If the "The Great Escape" can be called one of the best World War II treatments, and it is just that, then Elmer Bernstein's fine score must also be ranked as one of the great works in that genre; indeed, it may be the definitive example. There is a revival of sorts these days because of the impact of "Chicken Run." The intentional references to both Sturges' "The Great Escape" and Berstein's score are clear and worthy tributes to those truly great cinematic and musical works.
Rating:
Summary: My all time favorite movie!!!! Should be on everyone's list
Review: I saw this movie when I was 5th or 6th grade. I can still remember paying the 15 cents to go see it. I had not clue what it was about I was just getting a chance to go the the movies and in my small rural town that was a huge treat. Now, 34 years later, this movie still moves me in ways I can not explain. I have seen some of the reviews on here about what list it should be on or how dare compare it to some of the great war movies. Well for me this movie is so great because of the characters, the will to not be defeated, and the committment made on behalf of a lot of people. The details may be a little off but everytime I have seen this movie (up to viewing number 40 I suspect) I come away with a sense of being there with those brave men and pulling for them each time to make it out. The story is beautifully told and on DVD it is great!
Rating:
Summary: they don't make movies like this anymore
Review: this is one of the few movies that i've seen & then immediately wanted to watch again -i'm sure that there were a lot of details in the plot that i missed this first time. the characters are great- especially steven mcqueen- and it's a fascinating story. i was never bored, even though it's really long (almost 3 hours, i think). it's one of the most enjoyable movies i've seen in a long time.
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