If you ask anyone in Britain to name a German prisoner-of-war camp from World War II, the answer (unless it is "don't know") will almost certainly be Colditz; few, if any, other camps have achieved anything like the same level of fame. Much of the reason for this lies with this film, the book by Pat Reid that it was based on and the 1970s television series "Colditz". The camp, officially known as Oflag IV-C, was regarded by the Germans as a "Sonderlager", or "special camp"; it was also referred to by them as a "Straflager", or "punishment camp". Situated in a mediaeval castle in the heart of the Third Reich, it was used to house prisoners- British, Polish, French, Dutch and Belgian- who were regarded as particularly anti-German or who had escaped from other camps before being recaptured. The Germans were determined to house such men in an especially secure, escape-proof camp where the inmates would always be outnumbered by their guards. The prisoners, naturally, were equally determined to prove the enemy wrong about the camp being escape-proof.
The opening credits state that the film is based upon "the novel by Pat Reid", which is incorrect because Reid's book is not a novel but an autobiographical memoir. The film is, however, a good example of how to adapt a work of non-fiction for the screen by rewriting it as though it were a novel. All the incidents shown in the film are described either in Reid's memoir or in his later book, "The Latter Days at Colditz", which describes life in the camp after the author's successful escape to Switzerland in October 1942. In the film, however, the chronological order in which those incidents occur is radically different to their order in real life.
The reason this is done is to give the film a traditional narrative structure akin to that of a work of fiction. The prisoners arrive at the camp and almost immediately set about making their plans to escape. The various national groups therefore set up their own "escape committees" to vet all escape plans and to weed out those judged to have no chance of success. Each nationality appoints its own escape officer to ensure closer co-operation. It is discovered that an informer (a Polish officer) is supplying information to the Germans. Even after the man is removed from the camp, however, the Germans are successful in foiling all escape attempts. Morale among the prisoners drops, and in desperation a British officer named McGill makes a foolhardy escape attempt which results in his death. Eventually, however, Reid and another officer, Jimmy Winslow succeed in making their "home run", and morale soars. The film ends with the British prisoners and their allies cheering their success.
In reality one British prisoner (named Mike Sinclair rather than McGill- all names other than Reid's have been changed) was indeed shot dead while trying to escape, but this did not happen until 1944, two years after Reid's escape. Contrary to what is shown in the film, Reid and his companion (actually a Canadian called Hank Wardle) were not the first British officers to make a successful "home run"; that was the future Conservative MP Airey Neave who walked out disguised as a Nazi officer. (Neave's achievement is acknowledged in the closing credits). By rearranging the sequence of events in this way the film achieves a greater impact. McGill's death marks the film's emotional low point, which is quickly followed by its high point- the successful escape which, as Reid is the central character, is credited to him.
The various personalities are well developed; Reid is practical, Wilmslow gloomy and fatalistic, McGill brave but hot-headed. The senior British officer, Colonel Richmond, is initially dismissed by the other officers as "wet", but reveals himself to be a calm and sensible leader. On the German side the Kommandant is portrayed by Frederick Valk as a typically stiff-necked Prussian Junker, complete with shaven head, monocle and barking voice- very different to the decent, humane officer played by Bernard Hepton in the television version. (According to Reid's account, Valk's interpretation was much closer to the real Kommandant. Valk, ironically, was a German Jew who had fled Hitler's Reich and specialised in playing Nazi officer types). Another German officer, Priem, is a fat, jovial man who takes a malicious pleasure in foiling escape attempts.
Reid is played by John Mills, who appeared in several fact-based war films, including "Above Us the Waves", also from 1955, and "I Was Monty's Double". Bryan Forbes, who plays Wilmslow, was later to become famous as a director and made his own prisoner-of-war film, "King Rat".
Reid's book may be about men in captivity, but there is nothing depressing about it. It is, indeed, notable for a light-hearted tone and he makes it clear that many of the inmates responded to their situation with a good deal of wit and humour. Despite occasional tragic moments such as McGill's death, a lot of this comes over in the film. Like the book on which it is based, "The Colditz Story" is often amusing and often exciting, and although its stiff-upper-lip tone can seem a bit old-fashioned today it remains rewarding viewing. 7/10
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