This channel offers a North American's view on classic British movies and series. You'll get reviews, production details and context that separates historical fact from fiction. Most importantly, you'll discover why these productions became hits and are still worth watching.
The profundity of this story has a deeper level of the motif of the imperfect/ flawed messiah figure who seems to have cheated death and commands unconditional love/devotion. This was a theme that interested Grahame in his writing through his career. I think Anna's love for Harry is so right & true. I have often come across 'Annas' in this life, attached in her way to civil monsters.
With regard to the Scottish Country Dancing, George McDonald Fraser brilliantly describes it in ,”The General Danced at Dawn,” volume 2 of the McAusland series.
As a Londoner born 1965 in Croydon (like David Lean) I can assure you that the people are definitely upper working class. Also, the interior decor of homes & ornaments, etc on show confirms this. The accents also confirm this. Bear in mind there were 3 categories within the 3 classes - nobility/aristocracy were above the 3 classes of working, middle and upper class.
Thanks. I loved "classic London" and cherished my first visit in 1980, bedding at a friend's aunt's digs in the Northwest. I thought of those houses watching an old Sweeney last night.
Many people are not aware, but De Gaulle came to power in 1958 through a military coup. The military blackmailed the president of the republic: either you make De Gaulle president of the government or we start a military rebellion. De Gaulle went one step further: he demanded that the president of the republic resign to take up his post, imposed a new constitution, repealed the 4th republic and created the 5th, in which he as president would have almost absolute power much greater than until then. So yes, De Gaulle was a military coup leader, and he governed in an authoritarian, quasi-dictatorial manner. It is not surprising because he was an arrogant man with a superiority complex and Napoleonic megalomania: when he fled to England at the beginning of World War II he proclaimed himself "leader of Free France", he gave speeches on the radio during the war with an attitude as if he were the supreme commander of the Allies, when the Allies took Paris in 1944 he demanded that he had to lead the entrance to the city heading a French battalion despite his insignificant role in the war, he said "I am France", etc. And yes, the current French Republic was created with a coup d'état, by De Gaulle.
Thanks - interesting to come right out and use the term "military coup" - and there were clearly strong groups putting pressure on the government to dissolve and bring De Gaulle to power (what a shock for them when he surrendered Algeria). As a Canadian what disturbed me most about him was, after many Canadians fought and died to liberate France, De Gaulle returned the favour by declaring Quebec should leave the country). His utterance of "Vive le Quebec libre" during an official state visit during our Centennial year remains a strong and bitter memory.
Yes, and watching the trailer it has almost nothing to do with the original story outside of the hunt for an intelligent assassin. Also looks like it has been made glossy and "Bonded" Up for contemporary times.. What I loved about the original was the glorious, realistic, index-card-checking drudge.
I was about 13 when the series first aired on PBS here, and I made it a point to watch it-probably the first Masterpiece Theater series I watched. I was really taken in by it and held in high regard. I don't recall seeing it on VHS but when I first found it on DVD I bought it. I was shocked by how much I'd forgotten in nearly 40 years, or didn't retain at all in my 13 year old brain. I love the series! Thanks for doing this.
Really great comment. The main goal of my videos was for Americans and Canadians to learn about and discuss these great productions, which is exactly the case too. I saw the series just before my first trip to the UK and bought the novelized paperback. You were smart to grab a copy when you could.
It is a perfect short series to revisit every 3-5 years. I can usually still get a copy at a library here. Agree about Roeves - it was almost strange seeing him as a officer with epaulettes in LOT Mohicans.
Obviously there are different types of patriotism or love of country (native born or immigrant), and I spoke gratefully as someone whose parents escaped the ruins of Eastern Europe after WW II and gave the family a far better life. Thanks for watching and your comment.
Some of the newer and more graphic doc series on wars (notably WW I and WW II) focus much on "best known battlefields" while WaW showed civilian life and less-covered theatres such as Burma. I do feel there should have more mention of the key contributions of the Dominions, but it remains a triumph.
Great video! Usually, the further we get from those events, the less believable the movies become. It's great that videos like this can draw attention to movies that still manage to tell and show an amazing story even if such stories might be fictional
Also remade in 1955 but called Storm Over The Nile starring Anthony Steele. They re used the battle scenes from this version which is so obvious as you can see the difference in the film stock. So the film has been made four times, these two versions then 1978 and 2000 abd still tis is the best one by miles. Great review mate, keep them coming and very much appreciated.
Much appreciated - I actually started to watch Storm over the Nile on TV, but then decided it wan't worth it - (except, maybe, out of a reviewer's curiousity).
We had a visitor sign in at my workplace about 10 years ago. He was booked in as ( cant remember first name ) Bromhead. Myself and another work friend obviously brought the name up and he told us that he was related to Bromhead at Rorkes Drift. I nearly rushed home to get him to sign my video and DVD copy i was so overwhelmed meeting this man and knowing this.
What a great moment for you - any idea what the relationship was? I also wonder what he thought of the movie. (Much better than for Hook's relatives!) Thanks for sharing.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews He was actually a blood relative, great great grandad if i remember. To be honest he had a meeting to go to as me and my mate would of talked to him all day asking questions. Something i will never forget mate..
The Pastor of our church had been a POW during WW II. He told me many stories about life in the camp and their tunnels. We also had a Bataan Death March survivor in the congregation but of course the "ladies" of the church did not want any of the young boys talking to him because of his experiences might taint our minds (Viet Nam was just getting going). I spent a lot of time talking to him also. He , like the Pastor, was areal life hero. Neither man got any respect from the people who enjoyed the freedom they fought so hard for. Later the same thing happened to returning Viet Nam vets. England had the same problem with their people once the Beatle craze got going. People skip History and we are doomed to repeat it.
i love this movie. however, i've never seen a joseph cotton performance in _any_ movie that didn't suggest to me that he got the part for being tall more than his acting ability.
Cotton did his share of questionable lower-budget pics later in his career but from Citizen Kane to Shadow of a Doubt I think he delivered some solid performances - but we all have our own views.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews sure, not everyone can be alec guinness, and he's a sevicable discount jimmy stewart, but i think of the scene where he's drunk and i think maybe he was a mormon?
i loved this film as one of many of victorian empire, zulu, the man who would be king, etc. but there was another aussie film that should be interesting to review, it's of a jesse james type outlaw starring michael jagger … yes, _that_ mick jagger.
The film was Ned Kelly, based on a legendary Aussie outlaw - I see it gets a very low ranking on imdb.com. It was also directed by the well-known Tony Richardson
@@Vlad65WFPReviews yes, i looked it up but forgot to fill in the blank ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ … also, you're gonna hit a lot of comments today as i found and binged your channel during a bout with insomnia! … keep 'em coming!
jackel, odessa, condor, the boys from brazil, eye of the needle, there were many great cold war spy thrillers, but of course, "tinker, taylor, soldier spy'' was epic. there was another with, i think the same actor, "the perfect spy". ''bridge of spies'' is one of the recent throwbacks i've liked.
This strikes a nerve with me as I am always complaining about how the significant Canadian war effort is horribly overlooked in WW2 war movies. I'm glad to see some truth in a video that sets the record straight. It's a little baffling since the 'tunnel king' for the escape was a Canadian and served as a tech advisors on the film. Of the 50 escapees murdered after their recapture, 20 were Brits, 6 were Canadians and another 6 were Australians. This is not well reflected in the film. Still, despite this, it's a great film and very entertaining. I completely understand the need for US star power in order to ensure a success. Such was the standard at the time. Without US stars, the film would not have been the hit that it was. McQueen's Hiltz is a completely useless character and at odds with the history. But, to many (including me as a kid when I first saw the movie), he was the best part. His cooler trips provided the comic relief. His daring deeds were some of the best action bits. I do wish James Coburn hadn't tried to be an Australian. I cringe every time he opens his mouth in the film. Garner is great - as always.
Of course I agree with these points. I can't really blame Coburn for the Aussie stuff as he was just a rising actor doing a job. Still, when I reviewed Guns of Navarone I noted that Gregory Peck chose not to do an accent leading a British team (the character was a Kiwi in the book) and simply let his talent carry the character. You may also want to read The Battle for History, about how Canada's major contributions to WW I and WW II were largely ignored or under-valued --- much of it due to Canadian attitudes (and not just foreign movies). Thanks for commenting.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews As I said in another comment I do believe my own country shares in the blame. It's as if we are embarrassed by our wartime achievements.
Coburn's cringewothy attempt at an Aussie accent (sounding like a drunken Irish Cockney) shows how far Hollywood voice coaching has come. But considering 1m Americans were in Aust during WW2, Aussies (including war brides) lived in the US in the 60s and Aussie voices were on film and record, JG should have done better
Yup, I didn't want to make the vid too long and talk about these details, but except for the cool pilot jacket there was nothing very military about Steve's clothing. I think Steve thought it would be bad for his image to look too "establishment".
Have you watched Clavell's King Rat? It is a tough cynical film looking at what men will to do survive - and the psychological toll it takes. It is more downbeat and less "heroic" that Great Escape but it is worth watching to see what POWs under Japanese control were facing. Thanks for watching
Classic movie and great video. I remember seeing this as a kid. I was impressed with the Lancaster bombers. To see actual planes flying is amazing. We see so many movies about B-17s and B-24s, the Commonwealth missions were often overlooked. It took a complete effort to win WWII.
The Cooler King was Col. Jerry Sage (Dagger) a US Army Special Forces Officer captured in, I think Algeria, on a sabotage mission. The Germans were very suspicious about him and his party. They said they crashed when captured.While being transported in a Ju-52 from Tunisia to a POW camp, he broke free of his restraints and single handily killed all the Germans on board with his bare hands. Two RAF POW pilots were on board took over flying. Unfortunately, Spitfires came and damaged their plane and they were forced to return to German captivity or die in a fiery ball. The two RAF pilots gave Jerry their spare uniform and helped him 'become' RAF because they knew Jerry's fate in a regular army POW camp was not good. They could also use a man like him on the ground. They're aviators after all and Gerry was something else.
One note on Montgomery a few weeks later, just before the Germans launched the Ardennes offensive, the British were situated north of the Americans. When the Germans attacked the weak points in Belgium and Luxembourg, the decision was made by General Eisenhower to give the command of the US units north of the main German attack to Montgomery. This was probably the most efficient move as these US units were effectively cut-off from American control. As the counterattack began in late December to regain lost territory, the control of those northern units were returned to US control. Interestingly, my dad was a 1st Lieutenant in the 99th Infantry Division. This division was in the US 1st Army, under command of General Courtney Hodges. Sometime around December 20, 1944, the 99th came under command of General Montgomery and the Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group. The First Army, including the 99th Division, reverted back to US control about January 17, 1945. In March of 1945, the 99th Division crossed the Rhine River on the Remagen Bridge. In late March, the 99th was moved to Bavaria. Thus they became part of the US 3rd Army, under command of General George S. Patton. Unique in the history of the United States Army in the ETO, the 99th Division served under the command of three of the leading Allied generals of WWII. Monty stirred up a hornet’s nest when he claimed he won The Battle of the Bulge. It took a speech by Winston Churchill in The House of Commons to put out the fire between the Allies and give full credit to the Americans for winning the Bulge. On the line in the Ardennes, dad told me that they could have been under command of Napoleon and the average GI wouldn’t have known or cared. Thanks for a review of the last “live action” war movie.
I like Coburn but doing accents of almost any kind is always rough on an actor. I think doing an Aussie is especially challenging, as I found when looking at Richard Harris' bit as an Aussie pilot in The Guns of Navarone.
I didn't want my vid to run too long - but there is that famous story of McQueen driving Yul crazy while filming the driving the hearse scene in Mag 7 by constantly fiddling and moving his hat to draw attention to himself. He knew the "less dialogue is more" approach worked for him in movies like Bullitt, but he definitely would have been a handful for a director or co-stars.
The chap with a half winged E (flight Engineer) on his tunic is not Paul Brickhill. Brickhill was a fighter pilot not a flight engineer. When I was a teenager in the 70s he actually lived nearby in Mosman, Sydney and I’d see him often in the coffee shop at Balmoral Beach.
I double checked and that image is listed as Brickhill in the Open Library. He also looks like a younger version of the same man I've seen in other pictures - but thanks for posting.
As you said. Donald Plecence was a POA in camp 1. He did give his advice once to Stugges who told him to keep to be an actor. Garner and either McQueen or Coburn (depending on the source) alerted Stugess to the fact Donald was a POW in during this time and aided in planning escapes. Stugess then talked with Donald to get certain things correct
Thanks for mentioning the Canadians that most youtube channels down play. As mentioned Wally Flood was the tunnel king from Hamilton Ontario(Massive coal mining city) and suffered from claustrophobia. The character was changed as per Bronson request.
As someone else also noted, one of the main tunnel kings was also a Canuck. I find it a sad comment on things that you have to leave our country and go to Holland to find people and youth who understand the positive things Canadians did during the war in Europe.
@@lib556 Yeah... they should have got Chips Rafferty.. but for us it was the time of our Cultural Cringe... where Errol Flynn goes to holiday and says his is Irish... or Pamela Travers spends the rest of her life down playing her Australian heritage...
I remember when this film was released. I was impressed someone made a movie about an Allied defeat. A notable break from every war movie where the US won. In later years as a skydiver I was impressed the number of static line jumpers and aircraft they assembled for this movie. Probably something that will never be done again.
Definitely won't be done again. Thanks for your comment. Interesting, Tora-Tora-Tora was about an "allied defeat" and that did not do well at the box office I recall - though now it is rightly regarded an as excellent historical movie.
I'm not a fan of the present Russian regime, but being honest with history the main factor in the war in Europe was the immense size of the Red Army and how it pushed its way into Germany - notably before the western Allies did. But no denying America's large population and industrial might was the engine that drove both the Western allies and the Soviets as well.
The biggest error is the environment. Stalag Luft Drei was in Poland and the escape occurred during winter. Therefore, while the preparations for the escape and the pursuit/shooting of those caught was real, stunts such as the bike ride and probably the river trip to the Swedish ship could never have happened. Incidentally, as neutral, the Swedes should have surrendered them to the Germans.
I am not sure "under the rules of neutrality" if a country has to surrender an escaped prisoner. Note in the film The One That Got Away, a German POW got out of Canada and made it to the States (before Pearl) and was able to rejoin the German war effort - when he was killed, btw.
I'm glad somebody did this movie. I read The Wooden Horse first about 1962. I thought it was going to be about the Trojan War. I was enthralled and it led me to The Great Escape which I read three times in a row. Then the movie came out. My Dad, his five brothers and twenty other relatives fought for Canada. By the time I came out of the theatre, I had lost all respect for anything American. Pretty tough red pill for a ten year old. The only thing I'll correct for you is the July fourth party. It was the summer, the tunnel found was Tom and they were cutting their way to the surface, they were so close. The plan was to escape in the summer of '43.
Thanks for watching and for your in-depth comments. As you might have guessed, I am coming from a Canadian perspective myself. As someone with a lifelong interest in history, I have always thought it unfortunate that Canada's major roles in WW II, when we were small country punching above its weight, have been largely ignored or even denigrated (such as the appalling CBC documentary Valour and Horror). As for the 4th of July party, which was fictional anyway, the movie gives the impression that the escape happened 2-4 months later, so I thought I should mention that timing. I'd also recommend Tim Cook's The Fight for History which digs into the ignoring of Canadian contributions (by others and especially ourselves). Again, thanks for writing.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews Thanks. I appreciate your heart. You are right, of course, about the party. The movie squeezed the time line of events into one summer, sort of. I suppose Steve M didn't want to film in the snow. Thanks for the tip on Tim Cook. I've had a life long interest in the relation between history and politics. It's strange how often my politics has been criticized for being un-American. I grew up watching Canada at War on Sunday afternoons on the CBC. As their funding was stripped away, they seemed to become less Canadian. Valour and Horror focused on the horror at the expense of the battles and our victories. My personal #One pet peeve is the whitewashing of the War of 1812.
@@goldbug7127 I recall Pierre Burton wrote a book on how Hollywood treated Canadian history, but I am not too harsh on them as the studios are not in the business of making documentaries, they are entertainments meant to turn a profit, so tweaking stories for the much bigger US market makes them more bankable. (and they do it to everyone.) At least the decent (but not great) Devil's Brigade gives Canada some love, albeit with very "Britishized" versions of Canadian troops. Rather, I put more blame on Canadians producers and the CBC. Unlike the Aussies, who'd make good historical films such as Breaker Morant and Galliopoli - Canadian talent either shunned our stories or attacked them, as in Valour and Horror. Paul Gross deserves credit for his later movies, but they lack the resources to be great movies. Our education system doesn't help either - the common citizen in Holland knows far more about Canada's role in the war than the civilian in Toronto or Vancouver. (End of speech.)
The Forth of July Piss up actually happened. I'm pretty sure its mentioned in Brickhill's book. Tom was discovered because they tried to rush its completion to allow the USAAF guys in the X outfit a chance to escape before they were moved to another compound. Tom was discovered in September 1943.
