Stalag 17 - 1953

I wanted to watch this movie for a few reasons. First, I’ve been interested in WWII for quite a while now. Second, I had a great-uncle who was in Stalag 17. If you're not aware, Stalag 17-B was a POW camp during WWII that had a lot of captured American airmen beginning in 1943.

I wondered what the focus of this movie would be. Would it be about life in the camp? Well, no. There are glimpses of that in there, but I’d say the main focus is a mystery. Someone is giving information to the Germans, and the most likely suspect seems a little too obvious.

The mystery in this one had me sucked in from the very beginning. I end up talking to my TV when I really get into a movie, especially when I’m alone. And if it’s a black and white movie, it’s a safe bet I’m by myself. I kept trying to figure out who was the rat. I didn’t want to think any of the men would do that, but someone clearly was. It was frustrating, and at that point, I just wanted them to be found out. And yes, I was yelling at the TV.

I looked into the background of this movie, and it’s written by a couple men who were in the camp. It was originally a Broadway play, and it’s written from their experiences. They actually shot the film in chronological order. They normally don’t do that, since it’s more expensive. Members of the cast later said they didn’t know the traitor’s identity until the last three days of filming. That’s crazy! The suspicion was real, and the ending was just amazing. Great Movie!