Stalag 17 (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
William Holden won the Best Actor Oscar as a self-serving, cocky American prisoner in 'Stalag 17' (directed by the great Billy Wilder). The movie surrounds the occupants of one of the many POW camps set-up by the Germans during WWII. The film is raw, intense, intimate, yet also humorous in the way it depicts the day-to-day existence of these prisoners. They have some hope, they have some camaraderie ... yet, they also have a spy. The players are as follows: Price (Peter Graves), is the good-looking blonde "security" officer who keeps his fellow prisoners in line; there's Animal (larger-than-life Robert Strauss), who has an acute obsession with Betty Grable; there's his best pal, Harry (Harvey Lembeck); & there's Joey (Robinson Stone), a mute suffering from post-traumatic-stress syndrome.
Then we have the Germans. They include the cruel Col. Von Scherbach (famed contentious director Otto Preminger) & his aide, the 'seemingly' good Sgt. Schulz (Sig Ruman). But enough of that. Who's the spy? Well, suspicion falls on our lead character, master trader Sgt. Sefton (Holden), a charismatic, yet cynical American soldier who has a way of swaying people one way or another. Christmas is fast approaching, their situation is awful, & the winter is already cold, bitter, & harsh. Early on, we realize that Sgt. Sefton is NOT the spy. But the film's focus is on how this close-knit band of POWs reacts to this notion of a 'spy', the constant scheming going around the barracks, some cruelties, feuds, gamesmanship, a mysterious stash of goods, & other goings-on inside the camp.
The 1st half of the film involves Sefton smoking out who the spy is. But the 2nd half delves more into 'ethics'. Once he learns who the spy is, he must decide how to move forward. Does he use his info to help only himself, or to help all of his co-prisoners? When should he divulge who the culprit is, and to whom? Billy Wilder directs with a crispness that is invigorating. The intensity of the setting is palpable. I felt like I was right there in the barracks with these characters. Wilder gives each of his protagonists real definition so that we understand exactly who they are & where they're coming from as the plot churns on. Each character has some sense of humanity; even if some are antagonistic. I also must commend the smart dialogue. Everything rolls off the tongues of these characters naturally.
You know, even though the Germans are obviously the bad guys here, I applaud 'Stalag 17' for painting a more likely portrait of them; soldiers who are "bad", but who also have a conscience, & some who treat other prisoners with as much slack as their superiors allow them to. There's some dimension to them other than German = Nazi = Villain = no other option. The treatment of the Germans is so impressive because WWII had actually only ended 7 yrs. prior to making this film. America did not respond negatively to the less-than-evil treatment of the Germans ... they came to see the movie in droves! Even the critics went nuts for it.
Now, I don't think this film of Wilders is quite as brilliant as his Sunset Blvd., but it's stellar, involving, & he gets a great performance out of Bill Holden again. I also was impressed by a young Peter Graves as the cabin's "security" officer. And both Robert Strauss & Harvey Lembeck play the humor with just the right tonal balance of jubilance & frustration. There's a funny (then sad) scene on Christmas when Strauss & Lembeck actually share a dance with each other. Speaking of humor, I was surprised by just how light this film is. I expected a heavy drama, but what I got was a light war drama with some gallows humor, dramatic overtones, & a cracker of an ending. 'Stalag 17' offers more humor, heroism, & storytelling than most straight WWII prison dramas can or do.
Then we have the Germans. They include the cruel Col. Von Scherbach (famed contentious director Otto Preminger) & his aide, the 'seemingly' good Sgt. Schulz (Sig Ruman). But enough of that. Who's the spy? Well, suspicion falls on our lead character, master trader Sgt. Sefton (Holden), a charismatic, yet cynical American soldier who has a way of swaying people one way or another. Christmas is fast approaching, their situation is awful, & the winter is already cold, bitter, & harsh. Early on, we realize that Sgt. Sefton is NOT the spy. But the film's focus is on how this close-knit band of POWs reacts to this notion of a 'spy', the constant scheming going around the barracks, some cruelties, feuds, gamesmanship, a mysterious stash of goods, & other goings-on inside the camp.
The 1st half of the film involves Sefton smoking out who the spy is. But the 2nd half delves more into 'ethics'. Once he learns who the spy is, he must decide how to move forward. Does he use his info to help only himself, or to help all of his co-prisoners? When should he divulge who the culprit is, and to whom? Billy Wilder directs with a crispness that is invigorating. The intensity of the setting is palpable. I felt like I was right there in the barracks with these characters. Wilder gives each of his protagonists real definition so that we understand exactly who they are & where they're coming from as the plot churns on. Each character has some sense of humanity; even if some are antagonistic. I also must commend the smart dialogue. Everything rolls off the tongues of these characters naturally.
You know, even though the Germans are obviously the bad guys here, I applaud 'Stalag 17' for painting a more likely portrait of them; soldiers who are "bad", but who also have a conscience, & some who treat other prisoners with as much slack as their superiors allow them to. There's some dimension to them other than German = Nazi = Villain = no other option. The treatment of the Germans is so impressive because WWII had actually only ended 7 yrs. prior to making this film. America did not respond negatively to the less-than-evil treatment of the Germans ... they came to see the movie in droves! Even the critics went nuts for it.
Now, I don't think this film of Wilders is quite as brilliant as his Sunset Blvd., but it's stellar, involving, & he gets a great performance out of Bill Holden again. I also was impressed by a young Peter Graves as the cabin's "security" officer. And both Robert Strauss & Harvey Lembeck play the humor with just the right tonal balance of jubilance & frustration. There's a funny (then sad) scene on Christmas when Strauss & Lembeck actually share a dance with each other. Speaking of humor, I was surprised by just how light this film is. I expected a heavy drama, but what I got was a light war drama with some gallows humor, dramatic overtones, & a cracker of an ending. 'Stalag 17' offers more humor, heroism, & storytelling than most straight WWII prison dramas can or do.