Every WW 2 story is different; they may look the same, or sound the sound, but they are different. They represent the stories of thousands of men who were imprisoned in Europe during WW 2. Some of the stories are tragic; others comical. But most were mundane; living from day to day until the time they were liberated by European forces. The vast majority of those stories go untold because they are not Hollywood material, but they happened nevertheless. The Colditz Story is a British film that chronicles the attempted escapes from that formidable castle. Some were successful, and others, unfortunately, were not. It is sort of the British version of Hogan's Heroes, which came much later to American TV. There is really nothing funny about Hogan's Heroes or Colditz; it is merely a statement of man's doggedness not be kept prisoner during a war. The Great Escape, Stalag 17, Empire of the Sun, and The Bridge Over the River Kwai are some other notable pieces from the genre. All of them were good films, and a few won awards, including Best Picture for River Kwai in 1957. This film, however, is not really oscar-worthy. It is sort of The Great Escape Lite; even though that film came much later. Well worth watching and, at times, intense, it nevertheles falls short for one reason or another. One being that the men were generally treated very well by the Germans; unlike River Kwai and other severe situations. One can only imagine a comparison between this camp and a place like Auschwitz to see the dramatic difference of how the Germans treated different groups of prisoners according to the Geneva Convention. Hard to feel as much sympathy for these or other soldier prisoners of war compared to the death camps. It would be like comparing Club Med to a fleabag hotel. Worth viewing.
Review of The Colditz Story
