Back To Index Stalag 17
 Barnes & Noble Billy Wilder finds surprisingly frothy humor in the darkest of settings in Stalag 17, a World War II film that moves freely between comedy and drama. The eponymous prisoner-of-war camp somewhere on the Danube houses 600 captured American airmen, and the film paints a slice-of-life portrait of their day-to-day lives, focusing on jaded wheeler-dealer William Holden, who is suspected by his fellow prisoners of spying for the Nazi wardens. Holden won an Oscar for his hard-boiled yet multifaceted performance as the wily sergeant who makes a fortune in cigarettes (the prisoners main currency), runs a distillery, and stages mouse races for his fellow inmates. But it’s the film’s array of colorful characters that really make it come alive. Notable here is famed director Otto Preminger as the camps commandant -- a turn that recalls Jean Renoirs Grand Illusion, a clear precursor to Stalag 17, in which director Erich von Stroheim starred as a WWI POW camp commandant. Many viewers will also recognize Stalag 17 as the template for the beloved 60s TV series Hogans Heroes. Although the film does darken toward the end, as a mysterious spy is unmasked, Stalag 17 is a POW camp, not a concentration camp. Eschewing heart- and gut-wrenching moments, Wilder moves deftly through territory where the Geneva Convention still holds, with just enough heroism and patriotism to make Stalag 17 a WWII genre classic. Gregory Baird Interested in the song lyrics? - Check out themostlyrics.com! Looking For A DVD? - Check out dvd-a-rama.com! |
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