On "Stalag 17"

One of the local digital sub-channels (and I have explained those, I hope) was running "Stalag 17" the other day. In fact, they spent the whole day alternating that and Hitchcock's "Lifeboat". Both are amazing films, and so I don't mind so much that they offered so little diversity. Anyway, I found myself wanting more of the former, and so I've been watching it a lot in the days since. It has been thought-provoking.

"Stalag 17" has a fairly good balance of comedy and drama. It was described to me by my father as a serious version of "Hogan's Heroes", although it's fair to note that it came first. To quickly describe the plot, you have a group of enlisted men held as POWs in a German camp. Two are killed attempting to escape, and the remainder of the film is concerned with identifying the traitor who is responsible. The men at first blame a smooth operator named Sefton (played by William Holden).

It really is a fantastic film. Holden is really in his element. He plays that weary, cynical type he's so good at, and if the film were entirely devoted to his wide range of illicit businesses, it would be more than enough to carry the movie. Holden's also surrounded by an embarrassment of compelling characters, who are indeed too numerous for me to provide a thorough accounting. The film is well-written and well-cast.

I've never been good at convincing people of something unless I had new information to point them in a direction they were always going to go in if they had all the facts. If they already know everything, there's no point in me trying to make my case. That being said, I can't recommend "Stalag 17" enough. Maybe it's not for people who don't go in for testosterone-heavy war movies, but if you do, it's the rare one that needs few bullets fire or bombs dropped to hold one's interest.