The Great Escape (film)

The Great Escape
The Great Escape
	Theatrical release poster by Frank McCarthy
Directed by	John Sturges
Screenplay by	James Clavell; W. R. Burnett;
Based on	The Great Escape; by Paul Brickhill
Produced by	John Sturges
Starring	Steve McQueen; James Garner; Richard Attenborough; James Donald; Charles Bronson; Donald Pleasence; James Coburn;
Cinematography	Daniel L. Fapp
Edited by	Ferris Webster
Music by	Elmer Bernstein
Production; company	The Mirisch Company
Distributed by	United Artists
Release dates	June 20, 1963 (London); July 4, 1963 (United States);
Running time	172 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	English; German; French;
Budget	$3.8 million
Box office	$11.7 million

The Great Escape is a 1963 American epic war suspense adventure film^[2] starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough and featuring James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, Hannes Messemer, David McCallum, Gordon Jackson, John Leyton, and Angus Lennie. It was filmed in Panavision, and its musical score was composed by Elmer Bernstein. Based on Paul Brickhill's 1950 non-fiction book of the same name, the film depicts a heavily fictionalized version of the mass escape by British Commonwealth prisoners of war from German POW camp Stalag Luft III during the Second World War. The film made numerous compromises for its commercial appeal, including its portrayal of American involvement in the escape.

The Great Escape was made by The Mirisch Company, released by United Artists, and produced and directed by John Sturges. The film had its Royal World Premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in London's West End on 20 June 1963.^[3] It was one of the highest-grossing films of the year, received critical acclaim worldwide, and is now regarded as a classic.^[4] The film is also noted for its motorcycle chase and jump scene, which is considered one of the best stunts ever performed.^[5]^[6]^[7]

^ Balio, Tino (1987). United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 174. ISBN 978-0-299-11440-4.
^ "The Great Escape (1963) - John Sturges; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
^ "The Great Escape, premiere". The Times. London. June 20, 1963. p. 2.
^ Eder, Bruce (2009). "Review: The Great Escape". AllMovie. Macrovision Corporation. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
^ Adams, Derek (September 11, 2012). "The Great Escape". Time Out. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
^ Kim, Wook (February 16, 2012). "Top 10 Memorable Movie Motorcycles – The Great Escape". TIME. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
^ McKay, Sinclair (December 24, 2014). "The Great Escape: 50th anniversary". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

[tino-1] Balio, Tino (1987). United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 174. ISBN 978-0-299-11440-4.

[2] "The Great Escape (1963) - John Sturges; Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie. Retrieved November 16, 2022.

[3] "The Great Escape, premiere". The Times. London. June 20, 1963. p. 2.

[Eder2009-4] Eder, Bruce (2009). "Review: The Great Escape". AllMovie. Macrovision Corporation. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2009.

[TOGE-5] Adams, Derek (September 11, 2012). "The Great Escape". Time Out. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

[6] Kim, Wook (February 16, 2012). "Top 10 Memorable Movie Motorcycles – The Great Escape". TIME. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

[7] McKay, Sinclair (December 24, 2014). "The Great Escape: 50th anniversary". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

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