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The Great Escape
To demonstrate the great qualities of The Great Escape, I think that the best approach is to discuss what the film would have been like had it had been made today. Such a comparison shows the freshness and originality of this wonderful war/action picture, and it also sadly points out a type of storytelling that has become lost in most of today’s standard action pictures. Had The Great Escape been made today, the movie would have featured an all-American cast from every race, color, and creed, in order to be politically correct and cover every possible base. Thus, the mainly British cast consisting of great actors such as Richard Attenborough and Donald Pleasence, even though they are more historically accurate, would have been traded in for the likes of Will Smith and Bruce Willis. Certainly, there would be one British character, but he wouldn’t be treated as respectfully as the American actors are in the original version (James Garner and Steve McQueen). Rather, he would be played for laughs, and his actions would be so stereotypically inept that he would not be able to function without the constant aid and support of his American allies. Had The Great Escape been made today, every German character in the film would have been evil, mustache-twirling villains. Because it is a war film, it would simply have to portray every enemy of the United States as conniving, sadistic bad guys. The Germans, though clearly on the wrong side, would not have the touch of humanity that the officers in charge of the Stalag Luft III prison camp possess. Such qualities make them truly sympathetic villains who are merely doing their job for a terrifying dictatorship, but in today’s Great Escape, good Nazis just wouldn’t be politically correct; after all, anyone who followed Hitler had to be evil. Thus, all the antagonists would be terrifying—essentially the same twisted character with different faces. Had The Great Escape been made today, the escape would have taken place no later than twenty minutes into the movie. Today’s audiences have no time for character development or carefully constructed, historically accurate scenes detailing the ingenious methods of flight. All of this would have been omitted, and we would jump right into the escape itself, removing all suspense and concern for well-written characters, and instead playing up the action and excitement. Who cares how the passports were faked, and who needs the demonstration of the difficult, painful process of digging out those tunnels? None of this is important. We would simply want to get to the action as quickly as possible. Had The Great Escape been made today, because of the aforementioned skip to the action-packed escape sequences, most of the characters would be one-dimensional. Instead of several well-drawn characters with their own talents and personality quirks, all of the abilities that these character possess (building tunnels, faking passports, creating costumes out of curtains, speaking multiple language) would all be placed upon one man. This man would be the quintessential American, complete with an American flag bandana and a love for apple pie. This character would also have lines that consist mainly of witty one-liners, he would possess supreme fighting skills, and he would have the ability to karate-chop his way out of any situation, no matter the number of enemies or the size of their guns. Had The Great Escape been made today, the ending would have been altered from the true story, and main character and his buddies all would have escaped, but only after a climactic showdown with the Nazis, in a battle that would result in massive explosions and lots of dead people. Today’s audiences don’t want to know that in real life, most of the escapees were captured and brutally murdered by the Gestapo, despite their many exciting attempts to get away. Audiences would rather watch a feel-good, fictitious film in which all the good guys made it out alive, except perhaps for a few noble men who sacrifice themselves to save the group (and the main character, of course). Had The Great Escape been made today, filmmakers wouldn’t have been satisfied with a gripping story of male-bonding under difficult times of war. At least one female character would have to be inserted, played by a beautiful, highly-prolific actress. Her character would have dressed up as a man to join the army, but once she is stuck in the prison camp, her secret is discovered by the main character and his best friend. As she is attracted to both of them, a love triangle would probably ensue, including a sex scene with the main character inside the tunnel, the night before the escape takes place. Today’s audiences sure would love that. As for the best friend: See the last paragraph about the noble men sacrificing themselves to save the main character. Today’s audiences also love convenience. Had The Great Escape been made today, they couldn’t have kept the story in the confines of the camp. In order to heighten the emotion of the central character, it would have begun with a grueling, highly-fictionalized battle on the war front that led to his capture. Some have called The Great Escape a superb war film, but it is really not about war at all, as it offers little insight into the battlefield or scenes of its characters in combat. Rather, it is an engaging action film based on true events that shakes its fist at conventions as it tries to tell its story with as much accuracy as a Hollywood adaptation would allow (details have been added, of course, such as the motorcycle chase sequence, but such scenes are at least plausible and exciting). But because it happens to take place during war time, today’s The Great Escape would have felt a need to exploit the fact instead of letting the story of the escape speak for itself. Had The Great Escape been made today, a rock and roll soundtrack would have been utilized, including a “Music Inspired by the Motion Picture” companion CD. There would be no simple, catchy tunes that utilize the pleasant but cautious nature found in the prisoners as they attempt to escape from the camp. Instead, highly-stylized, rock synthesizer music would be employed, with long, patriotic French-horn interludes inserted for good measure. More than likely, the ending credits would include a song from a contemporary leading pop artist. How nice it is that The Great Escape was made in a time when such modern day conventions were not the norm. As it stands, what a wonderful, carefully constructed film this is, filled with inventive characters, ingenious methods of escape, realistic action scenes, and true tragedy combined with natural humor—all the elements that make a great action movie. It also takes it time in establishing the story, so that when the great escape finally comes, it is well-earned, and we are able to feel the anticipation and fear that the characters feel because we have taken their journey with them. Had The Great Escape been made today, it would never have gotten my vote for the most exhilarating action movie of all time. As it stands, it was made in 1963, and certainly deserves that title. Cast: MGM presents a Mirisch Corporation film. Directed by John Sturges. Written by James Clavell and W.R. Burnett, from the book by Paul Brickhill. No M.P.A.A. rating (a few violent images, but otherwise fine—and recommended—for kids). Running time: 172 minutes. Original United States theatrical release date: July 4, 1963.
Questions? Comments? E-mail me: danel_the_tinman@hotmail.com |
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