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THE GREAT ESCAPE is one of five films on this site that cover the tumultuous years of the Second World War. They are part of the larger History in Film web site that supports teaching history using popular films.¹

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Set in the final years of World War II, The Great Escape takes place at a Nazi prisoner of war camp. This particular one has just been built, and purports to be impossible to escape from - which is precisely why a large group of high-risk prisoners have been sent there.³

An air ventilation system. Against incredible odds, the Allied airmen imprisoned at the Nazi POW camp Stalag Luft III secretly engineered these and other technological marvels 30 feet underground in the three escape tunnels they named “Tom,” “Dick,” and “Harry.” They used only tools that they could manufacture themselves out of tin cans, and they scavenged building materials at great risk.⁴

What keeps it all shooting forward is the immensely likable bravado the cast bring to their roles. While none of this feels egregiously prefabricated, Sturges’ unpretentious directing, plus moments of paint-by-numbers scripting, make The Great Escape a blockbuster that’s a little too made to order.⁵

One of the greatest war films ever made! Steve McQueen is unforgettable as “the Cooler King,” leading Allied prisoners in a daring escape from a German POW camp.⁶