Pat reid, the reallife english officer portrayed in this film. This film, based on pat reids epic novel, tells the story of how the british, french, dutch and polish prisoners of war who were incarcerated in colditz set out to. The colditz story movie trailer and videos tv guide. The colditz story starts with reidjohn mills and mcgillchristopher rhodes being shown their accommodations at a castle by german soldiers in 1940 after their vacation to the swiss frontier. 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. Under its wartime name, oflag ivc, it was the lockup of choice for captives the nazis considered high.
Work on building colditz into its current form began in the 16th century after a large fire destroyed the older castle. They pick colditz castle deep in germany, and turn it into a high security prison they believe is escape proof. Watch the colditz story starring john mills in this drama on directv. Colditz castle in the heart of saxony, was the fortress to which the german high command sent officers who had attempted to escape from. It was based on one of the colditz books, captain pat reids work of the same name. Except for eric portman for reasons of age all the featured actors actually served in the army during ww2. The colditz story 1955 british officers john mills, eric portman and other allied prisoners try to escape from a supposedly escapeproof german castle. Colditz castle was used by the nazis to hold the bad boys, those who regularly tried to escape from other camps. The usual band of british stalwarts, john mills, ian carmichael and bryan forbes, act heroically and stoically whilst trying to escape from colditz, the nazis castle prison. Having grown up in the late 60s and early 70s, i have memories of british tv especially sunday afternoons.
October 4 did not fall on a tuesday at all during ww2, although it did in 1955, the year of the film s release. The colditz story is a 1955 film starring john mills, christopher rhodes, lionel jeffries. Released 1955, the colditz story stars john mills, eric portman, christopher rhodes, lionel jeffries the movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 37 min, and received a score of out of 100 on. The colditz story wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Pat reid, the reallife english officer portrayed in this film by john mills. Easily one of the best prisonerofwar yarns to come from any british studio, the film is leavened with goodnatured humour to strike an excellent balance between. I dont think the colditz story is the best of the pow films, but it is still a very well done film all the same. My watchlist keep track of your favorite shows and movies, across all your. Reid, a british army officer who was imprisoned in oflag ivc, colditz castle, in germany during the second world war and who was the escape officer for british pows within the castle. Permission was granted to build a fortified building in colditz in 1046. Colditz castle is situated in the town of colditz near leipzig, dresden, and chemnitz in the state of saxony in germany. Sep 26, 2011 from one of the most classical of all pow escape stories, this scene is from the 1955 colditz film.
The castle sits on a steep hill overlooking the mulde river as it flows through the small saxon town of colditz, about 30 miles 48 km southeast of leipzig. Allied prisoners of various nationalities pool their resources to plan numerous escapes from an escapeproof german p. The germans reason that, since colditz has been virtually impossible to get into or out of for centuries, it. Rather than a tragedy, movies like colditz story projected wwii from a safe distance. The colditz story was filmed in 1953, and claims to be the true story of the events at colditz. The 1953 film, the colditz story, incorrectly shows pat reid as the officer who walks out during the show. The colditz story is a film directed by guy hamilton with john mills, christopher rhodes, lionel jeffries, bryan forbes, year. The story of colditz has been told often and in a variety of forms but in this book mackenzie chronicles the development of the colditz myth and puts what happened inside the castle in the context of british and commonwealth pow life in germany as a whole.
Extraordinary footage unearthed after 70 years shows. The colditz story 1954 guy hamilton releases allmovie. British officers john mills, eric portman and other allied prisoners try to escape from a supposedly escapeproof german castle. The soldiers imprisoned by german forces in the colditz story display unimaginable gusto, as much as frustration. The colditz story 1955 stream and watch online moviefone. Watch the colditz story online stream full movie directv. Allied prisoners of various nationalities pool their resources to plan numerous escapes from an escapeproof german pow camp housed in a medieval castle. The german commandant carl duering gives his new charges a talkingto, brits richmond eric portman, reid john mills and mcgill christopher rhodes then discussing their prospects, in director guy hamiltons the colditz story, 1955. Aug, 2012 extraordinary footage unearthed after 70 years shows prisoners and nazi guards laughing and joking inside colditz. The colditz story is not really a great deal like any other films of this kind id seen before. Colditz castle, german prisonerofwar camp in world war ii, the site of many daring escape attempts by allied officers. The film manages to transcend the difficulties mentioned above and is actually every bit as watchable as when i first saw it on its release. John mills, eric portman, lionel jeffries, bryan forbes, ian carmichael, anton diffring. Only three of the prisoners mills included survive the escape.
Apr 23, 2015 elton john to host coronavirus benefit concert with alicia keys, billie eilish, mariah carey and mor. The colditz story 1955, a snappy british production directed by guy hamilton, takes its title from colditz castle, an imposing german edifice used during world war ii as a prisonerofwar camp for allied officers. The colditz story is a 1955 british prisoner of war film starring john mills and eric portman and directed by guy hamilton. I dont think the film is flawless, i think it could have been. The colditz story 1955 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Colditz castle prisonerofwar camp, germany britannica. It is based on the book written by pat reid, a british army officer who was imprisoned in oflag ivc, colditz castle, in germany during the second world war and who was the esc. For a start, the tone is far more lighthearted and comedic than you normally get from this kind of thing, although its not really a comedy at all. Colditz is set in colditz castle which is a real place in germany. Pat reid john mills and mac mcgill christopher rhodes are led through the courtyard gateway. In many scenes another building doubled up for colditz castle and we are not sure which parts belong to. On the bluray, film movement offers a short restoration comparison. An outstanding and factual world war ii drama about allied pows held in germanys most secure wartime prison, the colditz story is based on the bestselling memoirs of colditz castle escapee major pat reid. Jul 24, 2011 the drill sequence used as a cover for an escape attempt.
Although imdb gives the genuine colditz castle as a location, the setting of this film remains unidentified until confirmation is received. Colditz is a good film, but one that should definitely have toned down on the fictional elements of the story in order to keep the facts straight. The drill sequence used as a cover for an escape attempt. However due to the difficulties of filming abroad in the then communist east germany most of the exteriors were filmed around the uk. John mills, eric portman, christopher rhodes, lionel jeffries. To set the scene, one of the favorite activities for the allied prisoners english, french. British officer john mills doesnt agree, and leads an escape through a subterranean tunnel. Film was shot by a logistics officer who spent several weeks at colditz. Reid delivers the full history as part memoir, part researched history and part anecdote. The colditz story 1955 the colditz story 1955, a snappy british production directed by guy hamilton, takes its title from colditz castle, an imposing german edifice used during world war ii as a prisonerofwar camp for allied officers. A great effort, but for the slow pacing between action.
It is based on the book written by pat reid, a british army officer who was imprisoned in oflag ivc, colditz castle, in germany during the second world war and who was the escape officer for british pows within the castle. Record of events in escapeproof castle to which allied prisoners of war were sent by the germans after recapture from previous attempts to escape. Castle colditz was a pow compound that the germans used for special prisoners those having shown a propensity for escaping and those with a high hostage value, in particular. Deep into world war ii, for some reason the germany army thinks the best thing to do with british, polish, dutch, and french prisoners of war who have escaped from various camps and been recaptured, is to put them all in the same place. Not without cost, but sketching these men as smart, emboldened heroes. At all times, the guards outnumbered the prisoners and, because some political prisoners were also held there, they were very strictly monitored. Plus, its not really a film that focuses on one specific escape attempt. Action allied prisoners attempt to excape from an escapeproof german pow camp colditz castle, during wwii. During world war ii, the impenetrable colditz castle in germany was selected as the site for a pow camp. Adventures of british pows in the german maximum security prison in saxonys colditz castle during world war ii. Pdf the colditz story download full pdf book download. Although focusing mainly upon life inside colditz and the development of an escape academy, the final chapters of the book are devoted. The camp, set deep in german territory and set in a castle similar to something from universals horror movies, is borderless.
Find release information for the colditz story 1954 guy hamilton on allmovie. Captain pat reid, author of three books on colditz history, helped with the escape. Watch the colditz story movie trailers, exclusive videos, interviews from the cast, movie clips and more at. Reid did make a home run himself, but on a later daring escape across the german courtyard. Except for eric portman for reasons of age all the featured actors actually served in the army du. Reids account of his time in colditz see his the colditz story and latter days at colditz. Heres a brief sampling of some of the numerous colditz books and films, plus the television show. Under its wartime name, oflag ivc, it was the lockup of choice for captives the nazis considered high risks for escape. The colditz story is the tale of the british prisoners of war incarcerated in oflag iv c, colditz castle, which was used to hold officers who had already attempted to escape from other camps by the germans during the second world war. Elton john to host coronavirus benefit concert with alicia keys, billie eilish, mariah carey and mor. The colditz story 1955 letterboxd your life in film. What we have here is the real story, told by one of the men who were incarcerated there.
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