CONSENSUS #46 - Stalag 17 (1953)

  

SYNOPSIS:  "Stalag 17" is a WWII prisoner of war movie set in Germany.  The members of a barracks are frustrated by an apparent stoolie in their midst.  Suspicion naturally turns to a black marketeer (William Holden) who is quite a cynical jerk.  Matters come to a head when a heroic new prisoner, who sabotaged a train, needs to escape before Nazi justice ensnares him.  How to accomplish this with a traitor involved?

BACK-STORY: “Stalag 17” is considered one of the great WWII POW films.  It is sometimes mentioned with “Bridge on the River Kwai” and “The Great Escape” as the triumvirate of top tier POW movies.  It was released in 1953.  It was based on a stage play by two veterans of Stalag 17B in Austria.  Director Billy Wilder reworked the play for the better and got pretty boy William Holden to play the lead even though Holden was unhappy with the cynicism and selfishness of the Sefton character.  Holden walked out on the play when he went to see it.  Wilder refused to soften the character and Holden went on to win the Oscar for Best Actor.  Wilder was nominated, as was Robert Strauss for Best Supporting Actor.  The movie was shot in California and the mud was real.  Wilder made the interesting decision to shoot the scenes in chronological order to where supposedly some of the main actors did not know who the stoolie was until the end (which sounds like bull crap to me).  The movie was a smash hit in America and Europe.

TRIVIA:  wikipedia, imdb, TCM, DVD commentary

1.  It was based on a Broadway play by Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski.  Both were POWs in Stalag 17B in Austria.  Bevan had been a tail gunner on a B-17 and was the inspiration for the Sgt. 2.  McIlhenny character in “Twelve O’Clock High”.  Trzcinski has a cameo in “Stalag 17”.  He plays the prisoner who gets the letter from his wife telling of the baby she found.  Bevan and Trzcinski sued “Hogan’s Heroes” for plagiarism and settled for an undisclosed amount. 

2.  Director William Wilder insisted on shooting the scenes in order.  The cast and crew did not know who the informant was until a few days before the scene was filmed.  Wilder insisted on the script being followed to the word.  He especially meant this for William Holden who wanted to humanize Sefton more.  Wilder refused.  Wilder showed up on set in expensive shoes which he allowed the muddy conditions to ruin so he could show the cast and crew he was with them.  Wilder’s mother and stepfather died in a concentration camp. 

3.  Four members of the play appear in the movie.  Robert Strauss (Animal), Harry Lembeck (Shapiro), Robert Shawley (Blondie) and William Pierson (Marko).  Strauss was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.  He took over for the actor that started the movie, but did not fit the part.  Strauss and Lembeck did not get along during the shoot mainly because Lembeck felt Strauss was getting all the laughs.

4.  Charlton Heston was considered for Sefton, but Wilder decided he would not fit an unheroic figure.  Kirk Douglas turned down the role.  He later admitted he made a huge mistake.  Holden was not keen on the role.  When he went to see the play, he walked out during the first act because he did not like the character.  The studio forced him to take the role.  He pushed Wilder to make Sefton more sympathetic and Wilder refused.  Specifically , Holden wanted Sefton to make a statement about how he hated Nazis.  Holden won the Best Actor Oscar, but felt it was make-up for him not winning for “Sunset Boulevard”.  He thought Burt Lancaster or Montgomery Clift should have won for “From Here to Eternity”.  Holden’s acceptance speech was the shortest by any Best Actor winner.  He simply said “Thank you”, but it was because the ceremony was running long.  He paid for ads in trade paper to thank all the people he owed. 

5.  Release was postponed for a year by Paramount because of doubts about the marketability of a WWII prison movie.  It was released in 1953 in conjunction with the end of the Korean War and the release of American prisoners. 

6.  The commandant role, played by famous director Otto Preminger, was not in the play.  It was Wilder’s idea to have the commandant put on his boots to call Berlin. 

7.  The prisoner who sings at the Christmas party was Ross Bagdasarian.  He wrote the songs “Witch Doctor” and “Come On-A My House”.  He also created the Chipmunks singing group. 

8.  The opening escape is based on an actual escape from Bevan’s camp.  It was not exposed by a mole, it was exposed by the snow on the ground that gave away their tracks.  One of the escapees was shot 17 times, but he survived. 

9.  The play used an overturned stool as the signal.

Belle and Blade  =  3.0

Brassey’s              =  4.0

Video Hound       =  3.1

War Movies         =  N/A

Military History  =  #18

Channel 4             =  no

Film Site                =  yes

101 War Movies  =  yes

        Rotten Tomatoes  =  no 

OPINION:   Although it was not the first WWII prisoner of war film, “Stalag 17” certainly laid a strong foundation for the subgenre.  It established some of the templates.  Most of the action takes place in the barracks.  There is a lot of interaction between “hale fellows well met”.  Comic relief is thrown in.  The men try to make the best of their difficult conditions.  “Stalag 17” is not typical in its mystery subplot and the fact that it is not predominately about an escape attempt.  I can think of no other POW movie that includes humor, suspense, mystery, and a dislikable central character.  The main strength of the film is the acting.  Holden is great as possibly the first anti-hero in an American WWII movie, POW or otherwise.  In fact, Wilder works wonders with the cast.  It was genius and gutsy to cast Otto Preminger as the commandant.  Preminger was legendary for treating actors like Von Scherbach treats the prisoners.  Graves is appropriately hissable as the villain, although it is obvious to everyone (except the actors supposedly) that he is the bad guy early on.  Strauss did not deserve an Oscar nod, but he and Lembeck do have some humorous moments.  The movie is famous (and has been criticized) for its broad humor.  I have to admit much of it is silly, but there are some truly funny lines.  The movie is technically sound.  Wilder’s cinematography gives the movie a dynamism that overcomes the static nature of the barracks.  Many of the shots have depth to them.  The set is nicely authentic looking.  The barracks has nice touches like pin-ups, laundry hanging, and graffiti carved into the bunks.  The score is used sparingly and not to force a mood on the audience.