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#65 - Stalag 17
Billy Wilder, 1952
In a German P.O.W. camp during World War II, the inmates of one of the barracks suspect that one of their number is an informant working for the Germans.
If there's one part of Stalag 17 that I reckon doesn't work, it's some of the comedic elements - chiefly, the odd-couple duo of the wise-cracking Shapiro and his dopey pal Animal, especially as they get into the sort of antics that wouldn't seem out of place on Hogan's Heroes (such as one scene where they pretend to be painting a road as an excuse to sneak into a part of the camp designated for female prisoners, to say nothing of a scene where Animal mistakes Shapiro for Betty Grable). Not even having an extremely affable supervising sergeant named Schulz for the prisoners to bounce off against helps much. The concept of making a film about P.O.W.s even remotely comedic, even in 1952, was a bold move no matter what and, though it doesn't always pay off, doesn't make this a bad film by any means. The "whodunit" plot guarantees there's at least some tension, especially when the main suspect, William Holden's duplicitous black marketeer, is so obviously guilty that you just know it's a matter of time before it's revealed to be anyone else. Being based on a play means there's bound to be a tight plot going on (distracting comic elements notwithstanding) and it helps that the ensemble on display can carry the material brilliantly. Though it does resolve itself in a fairly predictable manner, it is still a very well-done film and definitely recommended.
Billy Wilder, 1952
In a German P.O.W. camp during World War II, the inmates of one of the barracks suspect that one of their number is an informant working for the Germans.
If there's one part of Stalag 17 that I reckon doesn't work, it's some of the comedic elements - chiefly, the odd-couple duo of the wise-cracking Shapiro and his dopey pal Animal, especially as they get into the sort of antics that wouldn't seem out of place on Hogan's Heroes (such as one scene where they pretend to be painting a road as an excuse to sneak into a part of the camp designated for female prisoners, to say nothing of a scene where Animal mistakes Shapiro for Betty Grable). Not even having an extremely affable supervising sergeant named Schulz for the prisoners to bounce off against helps much. The concept of making a film about P.O.W.s even remotely comedic, even in 1952, was a bold move no matter what and, though it doesn't always pay off, doesn't make this a bad film by any means. The "whodunit" plot guarantees there's at least some tension, especially when the main suspect, William Holden's duplicitous black marketeer, is so obviously guilty that you just know it's a matter of time before it's revealed to be anyone else. Being based on a play means there's bound to be a tight plot going on (distracting comic elements notwithstanding) and it helps that the ensemble on display can carry the material brilliantly. Though it does resolve itself in a fairly predictable manner, it is still a very well-done film and definitely recommended.