The Great Escape : Conflict In Tonality

Highlighting the genius of one of our favourite films and a true underrated American classic!
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This video is intended for educational purposes ONLY.

[franl]

The Great Escape is one of my all-time favourite films, thank you for this moving, insightful analysis - next time I watch it, it will be with brand new eyes and a brand new perspective.
Thank you.

[kilgoretrout]

This is probably the film I've rewatched most throughout my life and I can practically recite the entire script by now, but you still managed to make me see it in a new light. Keep up the brilliant videos.

[MarkW]

Brilliant video, thank you so much . It's not just an action adventure film but a story of loyalties . The one line that makes me cry is ' He's not a blind man as long as he's with me, and he's going ' .

[chicobond]

the great escape was one of the first dvd's i've got in my personal collection when i was 14. it was a christmas gift from my father in 2003. i remember watching it with my old man as he was telling me memories of his own personal childhood when he watched it. it's a personal film for me, as it was my introduction to old films and also my approach to those titans (specifically Steve Mcqueen) from that era. it was almost like the expendables of that era. this movie ill always have a special place in my memories and in my heart. indeed, you can watch this film and have a different viewpoint every time you watch it.

thank you for your output on this film!

[michellecerioni]

Wow. This was really great, you made some amazing points on a movie that doesn't seem to get much attention video essay wise. Thanks

[pitedapollo]

it makes me think about how the littlest things can drag you down.

[samuelbarber]

I just watched this movie today, it was one of my favourite movies as a child, and it still is one of my favourites... If I had to say anything negative, it’s too long. Nearly 3 hours, ridiculous, and most of it is just them sitting around in the camp preparing for an escape that gets most of them killed. I watched it on Netflix, and at times it feels like a Director’s Cut, like a lot of these scenes would be cut out and then re-edited in for a new cut.
Right, back to complementing, I love the soundtrack! It’s one of the most ear-worm soundtracks I’ve ever listened to. It somehow makes sense of just people walking enjoyable. The acting is top notch all around. I can’t think of one bad performance from anyone here, especially Donald Pleasance, who had some impressive range. Just four years after this, he was the archetypal evil Bond villain in You Only Live Twice as Blofeld, and eleven years after that, he was Loomis in Halloween.
It’s a movie that always made me feel good despite its tragic ending. It shows the true horror of the war without showing any battle sequences, that everything was planned, everything went down right, everything was rehearsed and smooth... and they still lost. And nothing changed except 52 new corpses and three escapes of the 250 intended. Mostly because one guy tripped up, and another was impatient.
I think this film has survived because A) It’s a fun movie. It’s a fun adventure, even if it ended in tragedy. B) It’s an unbelievable true story. All these guys were placed in an escape-proof camp and they made it out... kinda. C) It shows the comradeship and determination of the soldiers at war, risking everything for a chance at freedom. There’s no real infighting, they’re all in the same boat. There’s even some comradeship with the enemy, with the one prison guard and even the guy who ran the camp not coming off as unrepentantly evil, he even gets something of a sympathetic ending.

[DoctorVirtualGaming]

I only just watched this film last week. And it still is a great classic in my eyes. Thank you veey much for your video take on it, veey well worded i must say.

[docflights]

I find that watching the movie for the first time is a deeply unsatisfying experience. Watching such an enjoyable and light-hearted film for 2+ hours only for the realization of their actions to dawn on the viewer can easily disrupt their overall enjoyment. But it also leads to a much greater thematic richness, which people are still understanding to this day. Great analysis.

P.S: a little known fact of the real escape is that all the tunnel diggers were naked when digging. They had to hide the evidence of being in a tunnel filled with dirt and mud spots.

[kantharajs]

I saw this movie in my country INDIA when I was studying in 10 th standard.
After 45 years today I am seeing its video clips.Such a wonderful movie and one of my favourite movie.

[AriaMohtadiHaghighi]

Amazing analysis.
This happens to be my dad's favorite film.
Thanks for making this video.
Best from Iran.

[venkatreddy]

Awesome video. It’s unfortunate that you stopped uploading.

[positivecynik]

Excellent dissection of this fantastic movie. Thanks for this. :)

[gordonjreeves]

👏 😮 Wonderfully perceptive, profoundly moving and as unforgettable as the classic it so honorably 🎖 honors 👏

[michaelchristian]

Paul Brickhill also wrote "The Dambusters", & " Reach for the Sky"

[AbrasiousProductions]

if this was remade. simon pegg should definitely play Big X. they look very similar

[brettrobinson]

This Great movie ....the story behind this Great movie...was created by Great men...the Best of BEST of Humanity. I ...am in awe of these Men.

[fruzsimih]

The changes in tonality are actually reminiscent of another POW escape movie, the 1937 French classic La grande illusion. It also starts with a very light, comedic tone, but becomes darker, more melancholic, as the film progresses.

[CaptainBeefheart]

This film belongs in the top 100 films of all time. Easily

[mrhob]

I defo wanted to see this film differently after all these years and multiple viewings and that memorable score .
Some scenes seem a little bit trivial and the clash of acting styles but I always found the ending and the ultimate goal of escape moving and effective .