The Colditz Story (1955)

Product Details

An outstanding and factual World War II drama about Allied POW's held in Germany's most secure wartime prison, The Colditz Story is based on the bestselling memoirs of Colditz Castle escapee Major Pat Reid. Colditz Castle, in the heart of Saxony, was the fortress to which the German High Command sent officers who had attempted to escape from conventional prison camps. They regarded it as impregnable although they threatened the death penalty for anyone attempting to break out. British officer Pat Reid leads an escape through one of the castle's subterranean tunnels. Only three of the prisoners survive the escape; the next step is to get out of Germany itself. Mills excels in the central role - ably supported by a distinguished turn from Eric Portman as Colonel Richmond - in a taut, authentic and gripping yarn from future Bond Director Guy Hamilton. Easily one of the best prisoner-of-war yarns to come from any British studio, the film is leavened with good-natured humour to strike an excellent balance between the grim and the natural.