Rating: 
Summary: Timeless.
Review: There are so many movies out there based on World War II it's astounding. Some are well made and some are not. Along with "The Great Escape", "The Longest Day" and "The Bridge over the River Kwai", Stalag 17 ranks among the former. William Holden gives a great performance as a misjudged prisoner simply trying to survive. This is not to exclude his supporting cast. They are just as credible. Peter Graves is wonderful as Price. Robert Strauss and Harvey Lembeck are fun to watch as Animal and Harry, the two clowns from New York City (judging from their accent) trying to make the best of things. If a filmmaker can add a touch of humor to life in a prison camp then he has accomplished something which is not always easy to do. But behind the comedy lies the graveness and tragedy of this period in history. Stalag 17 portrays it well. I try and rent this movie at least once or twice a year. It is and always will be one of my favorites.
Rating:
Summary: Unusual War Flick, Great Ensemble Cast
Review: Unusual War Flick, Great Ensemble Cast
Reviewer: cornhoolio from San Antonio, Texas USA
Billy Wilder's "Stalag 17" represents the director (may he rest in peace) at the top of his form. Austrian Jew Wilder safely got
out of Europe after the Reichstag fire, but his mother perished in the Holocaust at Auschwitz. But, as with 1948's "A Foreign
Affair," Wilder used comedy to skewer the Nazis. William Holden's performance as Seften, the streetwise black-marketing POW, is equal to his portrayal as Joe Gillis in "Sunset
Boulevard," and he deservedly won the best actor Oscar for this ascerbic, witty and intense performance. Robert Strauss and Harvey Lembeck as the Animal and Harry are nonstop comic relief in this movie, and turn an otherwise
"serious" film into great slapstick, screwball comedy. But, best of all are Otto Preminger as Von Scherbach and Sig Ruman as Sergeant Schultz. Preminger really hams it up with an
overblown Prussian accent as the Camp Commandant who has his enlisted aides lay down planks in his path, so that his boots
won't get muddy. The famed German comedian Ruman, who always plays goofy foreigners, is perfect as a foil to Harry and the
Animal. Most interesting casting is Peter Graves as Price. His is a pivotal role, but I still can't see him in a movie without thinking of his
famous line from "Airplane!": "Have you ever seen a grown man naked?" Altogether, "Stalag 17" is cinematic perfection, perfectly cast, brilliantly written and never for a moment schmaltzy.
Rating:
Summary: A great film that set the pattern for all prison camp movies
Review: STALAG 17 was the film that revitalized Billy Wilder's career. His previous film, the highly underrated ACE IN THE HOLE (easily one of the most cynical movies ever to come out of Hollywood), was a bust at the box office. As a result, Paramount, the studio Wilder had worked for since breaking into the business as a writer in the 1930s, inserted a demand in his contract that he pay for any losses should this film fail at the box office. As it was, it was a smash both critically and financially. Wilder left Paramount in anger after finishing it. This was the first of the great prison camp movies to be made in the U.S., and arguably the best ever made. The story revolves around the attempt to discover which soldier in the camp is a stoolie for the Germans. Suspicion falls upon the profoundly and justifiably hated Sgt. Sefton, played by William Holden in a performance that gained him an Oscar (his acceptance speech was the shortest in the history of the awards: "Thank you"). Gradually all the soldiers turn against him, but in the end he is able to prove who the real fink is. Not an especially great plot, but the setting was completely unique at the time, and Wilder does a great job of building the suspense over who the real informant is. The all-male cast (tough to talk the studio into at the time, since studio heads were convinced you had to have love interests in the film to interest both sexes) is memorable, filled with a bevy of great character performances. A couple of the performers are a bit on the annoying side, especially as they try to strike a note of gaiety despite their confinement, but by and large the cast is rock solid. Especially memorable is famed director Otto Preminger, who despite being both anti-Nazi and a Jew, excelled at portraying Nazi officers in both the 1940s and this film. He steals every scene he is in. The great Sig Ruman, memorable from a host of films from DUCK SOUP to NINOTCHKA, is outstanding as Sgt. Schultz. Gravelly voiced Robert Strauss stands out among the soldiers, and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Neville Brand was always utterly convincing as a tough guy (in WW II he was in fact one of America's most decorated soldiers, winning only slightly fewer medals than luminaries such as Audie Murphy and Footsie Britt), and he provides some menace in this film when needed. Peter Graves has had a long and unusual career as movie actor, television actor, and TV host, but he was never better than in this. The film, because of when it was made and Wilder's own political convictions, is one of the greater "stealth" political films made in the heyday of McCarthyism. Today it has become commonplace to speak of Hollywood as a bastion of political liberalism, but that was hardly the case in the early 1950s, where not only all studio heads but most directors and actors were riding a wave of reactionary conservativism (the writers were another matter). Wilder and John Huston were two directors who never gave up their leftist political convictions. For the most part, Wilder avoided politics in his movies, but in this one he presents a perfect parable of irrational persecution comparable to that produced by playwright Arthur Miller in THE CRUCIBLE, in which he portrays the McCarthy right-wing hysteria in terms of the Salem witch trials. Likewise, Wilder has Sgt. J. J. Sefton as the object of paranoia, a supposed enemy of the other soldiers, when in fact the real enemy was one of the "good guys," just as Wilder was suggesting that McCarthy was. In context, STALAG 17 has to be viewed as one of the finest political films ever made, though it can be viewed with thorough enjoyment by anyone either unaware or intentionally oblivious of the political structure of the film.
Rating:
Summary: The BEST WWII POW FILM for real life drama, now on DVD !!
Review: The Best WWII post-war Classic films dealing with the human factor were; "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946), "Twelve O'Clock High" (1949) & "Stalag 17" (1953). These Black & White Classics dealt with the dark & forgotten side of war. The Best years - war battled veterans returning home, Twelve O'Clock - the terror of dying & Stalag - the captured, imprisoned POWs. Hollywood was at their best with these films and we are forever reminded of the sacrifices that the "Greatest Generation" made for us. Summary: We are introduced to American POW airmen at a WWII German prison camp ("STALAG 17"). It is Christmas 1944 and the narrator Cookie (Gil Stratton) explains the specific situation happening at his Barracks #4. The latest problem is all escaping POW's are being killed so their is suspicion that there is a "Stoolie" amongst them. Sefton (William Holden - Oscar winning performance) is the lead suspect since he is the Barracks hustler and friend to all (including the Germans) for a price. The Security Officer Price (the young Peter Graves - outstanding) seems a little to perfect for Sefton. So the story has many turns but finding the spy is the primary focus. This DVD is Black & White, Full Screen / Standard Format (before WideScreen). Excellent quality picture. This the Best POW film dealing with the true "Black Comedy" of war. Note: Black Comedy / Dark Comedy was the nervous humor which came out in the most dismal time and the horrors of war. This is a CLASSIC FILM to watch again & again. Shall we never forget !!!
Rating:
Summary: Smoking Out a Rat.
Review: William Holden won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance in this 1953 WWII POW film. Holden plays the misanthropic Sefton, a flyboy who doesn't get along very well with his fellow prisoners, is constantly milking his comrades for money, and is suspected of being a spy after two fellow inmates are shot down in a failed escape attempt the week before Christmas. Sefton's cabin mates think he's getting paid from the Germans for leaking information, but no one is really sure. Sefton finds out who the real stooly is, but takes sometime before he figures out how to expose the crook without endangering himself even more. Holden's performance is superb and was deserving of the Oscar he won. However, STALAG 17 isn't just a straight drama. It's sort of like a who-dunnit interlaced with dark comedy. Robert Strauss and Harvey Lembeck serve up most of the comic relief playing company clowns Animal and Harry Shapiro. The film was directed by the great Billy Wilder and the perfect line between humor and suspenseful drama in STALAG 17 illustrates Wilder's genius. STALAG 17 is one of the best WWII POW films ever made (perhaps surpassed by only THE GREAT ESCAPE) and just a great movie in general.
Rating:
Summary: I Like You Funny Americans
Review: A sentiment expressed by Feldwebel Schultz played by Sig Ruman. He is one of the many supporting cast members that etches a character that is dark but amusing in this movie. This movies popularity led to the TV series Hogan's Heroes. Of course the series was much lighter than the movie as was the Sgt. Schultz in the series. Even though the movie paints a foreboding picture of German P.O.W. camps, it still shows the enduring American spirit and optimism. Narrated by Cookie played by Gil Stratton, as though he is looking back on the events, it draws us into the story. William Holden as Sgt. Sefton is a cynic that scraps for everything he can lay his hands on. You sense he was put down by the rich and so he is making up for it in the prison camp by wheeling and dealing his way into a cushy position to the envy of his fellow prisoners. When he is accused of being a stoolie and is beaten he sets about to find the real infiltrator. It isn't all dark, one scene has two prisoners, Harry and Animal played by Harvey Lembeck and Robert Strauss, painting a false road line in order to get to the Russian womens bathhouse. If you enjoy WWII movies you will certainly want to see this. If you like P.O.W. movies like "Von Ryan's Express", "Escape from Sorbibor", "The Bridge over the River Kwai" and "The Great Escape" you will love this one.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless.
Review: There are so many movies out there based on World War II it's astounding. Some are well made and some are not. Along with "The Great Escape", "The Longest Day" and "The Bridge over the River Kwai", Stalag 17 ranks among the former. William Holden gives a great performance as a misjudged prisoner simply trying to survive. This is not to exclude his supporting cast. They are just as credible. Peter Graves is wonderful as Price. Robert Strauss and Harvey Lembeck are fun to watch as Animal and Harry, the two clowns from New York City (judging from their accent) trying to make the best of things. If a filmmaker can add a touch of humor to life in a prison camp then he has accomplished something which is not always easy to do. But behind the comedy lies the graveness and tragedy of this period in history. Stalag 17 portrays it well. I try and rent this movie at least once or twice a year. It is and always will be one of my favorites.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining story set over sixty years ago, in Germany
Review:
Studio: Paramount Studio
Video Release Date: August 21, 2001
Cast:
William Holden ... Sgt. J.J. Sefton
Don Taylor ... Lt. James Skylar Dunbar
Otto Preminger ... Col. von Scherbach
Robert Strauss ... Stanislas 'Animal' Kasava
Harvey Lembeck ... Harry 'Sugar Lips' Shapiro
Richard Erdman ... Hoffy (chief, barracks #4)
Peter Graves ... Price (security)
Neville Brand ... Duke
Sig Ruman ... Sgt. Johann Sebastian Schulz
Michael Moore ... Manfredi
Peter Baldwin ... Johnson
Robinson Stone ... Joey (ocarina player)
Robert Shawley ... Blondie Peterson
William Pierson ... Marko the Mailman (At Ease)
Gil Stratton ... Clarence Harvey 'Cookie' Cook (Narrator)
Jay Lawrence ... Bagradian (cohort of Dunbar)
Erwin Kalser ... Geneva man
Edmund Trzcinski ... Triz' Trzcinski ('I believe it!')
James Dabney Jr. ... Bit part
Carl Forcht ... German lieutenant
Ralph Gaston ... Bit part
Jerry Gerber ... Bit part
Ross Gould ... Von Scherbach's orderly
Russell Grower ... Bit part
Ross Bagdasarian ... Singing soldier
Peter Leeds ... Barracks #1 POW getting distillery
Wesley Ling ... POW
Harald Maresch ... German lieutenant
Bill McLean ... POW
John Mitchum ... POW
Robin Morse ... POW
William Mulcahy ... Bit part
Rodric Beckham ... Bit part
Richard P. Beedle ... POW
Joe Ploski ... German guard-volleyball player
Harry Reardon ... POW
Paul Salata ... Prisoner with beard
James R. Scott ... Bit part
Bill Sheehan ... POW
A. Gerald Singer ... Steve (the crutch)
Warren Sortomme ... POW
Herbert Street ... Bit part
Anthony M. Taylor ... Bit part
Bob Templeton ... Prisoner with beard
John Veitch ... POW
Alex Wells ... Prisoner with beard
Max Willenz ... German lieutenant (von Scherbach's aide)
Mike Bush ... Dancer
Don Cameron ... Bit part
Jarvis Caston ... POW
Tommy Cook ... POW
Alla Gursky ... Russian woman prisoner
Svetlana McLe ... Woman POW
Mara Sondakoff ... Russian woman prisoner
Audrey Strauss ... Woman POW
Lyda Vashkulat ... Woman POW
Janice Carroll ... Russian woman prisoner
Yvette Eaton ... Russian woman prisoner A story set in a German prison camp in WWII. There is a snitch in the barracks: the lowest of the low, who is costing American prisoners their lives, as well as giving away escape plans, short wave radios, and espionage activities. Holden (Sgt. Sefton) is suspected because he is trading with the Germans (and everyone else in sight) to get what comforts are available. But the real traitor is another: a German posing as an American. This is a fine film. Not, perhaps, on a par with The Great Escape, but it is nevertheless entertaining and worthy of viewing. Not to be confused with the television series of the same name. The actors are all different. I thought Robert Strauss ("Animal") did a great job of providing laughs. Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance and other books
Rating:
Summary: William Holden is the world's most underappreciated actor
Review: I know he won an Oscar for his performance in this role, but has any great Hollywood star been shunted to the background of history as much as William Holden? The list of films in which the man made his character memorable runs the gamut from Sunset Boulevard to Picnic to The Wild Bunch to Network. And while I don't think it's his overall best role, Stalag 17 will be remembered not just as a great film but the one that got Holden his due.
As the opening voiceover says (and I'm paraphrasing), there have been a lot of war movies about submarines, flying leathernecks, tank commandos, etc. but none about the P.O.W. camps. Leave it to the late great Billy Wilder to rectify that. Certainly there's no glory of war here, or at least not the kind we're accustomed to. Wilder creates an insular world of desperate and downtrodden men thrown together in confinement and heaps on the stark reality of war's "other side". Holden is the barracks' con man/horse trader and, thanks to the already poor relationship with his fellows, the immediate suspect when they determine someone on the inside is spying on them for the Germans. It's a testament to how well the film has held up over the years that even after seeing it long ago (and thus knowing who the spy is) that I was still riveted in anticipation of how he would be found out. The Germans are a combination of menace and comedy, the former exemplified by Otto Preminger as the camp commander and the latter by the great character actor Sig Rumann as Sgt. Schulz. This film was the inspiration for Hogan's Heroes, but it's best to separate them in your mind if you can and appreciate the complexities of the situations and the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Holden's best
Review: I can't even think of words to describe how much I love this film; it's one of those rarities that combine suspense with humor in a way that is incredibly rare in films, and when you find it, stays with you. Every performance is a gem. One question--is the dvd widescreen, or available that way? Thanks.
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