THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963) | FIRST TIME WATCHING | MOVIE REACTION

Enjoy our reaction as we watch The Great Escape for the first time!

🎬 If you have a copy of this movie and would like to follow along with the full reaction, you can watch it here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/great-escape-74230783

🎉 Patreon (for unedited, full-length reactions & early access): https://www.patreon.com/popcorninbed

📮 Send mail to:
PO BOX 547, Provo UT 84603

37 Comments

clee47ford 3 years ago

In the US military it’s known as SERE training. Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training prepares U.S. military personnel, U.S. Department of Defense civilians, and private military contractors to survive and "return with honor" in survival scenarios. The curriculum includes survival skills, evading capture, application of the military code of conduct, and techniques for escape from captivity.
laapache1 3 years ago

Some one said Kellys heroes just a little lighter than this / more humor
Cameron B 3 years ago

Steve McQueen was definitely a leading man in the period he was acting persistently and he has a number of good films to his credit. Bullitt and Papillon to name a few, though The Great Escape is widely considered his best role. James Garner played the scrounger, also widely regarded as an action lead actor of that period. Charles Bronson was Danny, the tunneller with claustrophobia. Bronson was also a solid action lead. You will often see him in good films from that time as well, in particular you'll see him in The Magnificent Seven. The Great Escape was one of those rare nexus films in that it was a veritable 'who's who' of rising and current lead stars for it's time.

Oh, about the cordiality between the opposing sides you commented on, Officers of both sides were given preferential treatment as prisoners as an informal agreement. Of course this was context dependant, and they could and would be executed for serious 'offences'. Also it's worth noting that being a German and even being a German Solider didn't automatically make you a Nazi or even a sympathizer of the cause. Many civilian Germans had the same reason to fear the Nazis as everyone else and there was very little additional protection for them if they were considered a threat or even in impediment to the regime. Hitler had the people who helped him rise to power murdered once he felt they had served their purpose, so you can imagine how regular German people might feel about the stability of their place in things. And as a soldier in the army, you can't just say, 'Oh, I quit because I don't agree with the new leader's thoughts on racial purity.' They'd have no trouble shooting you for treason. So it's a lot more nuanced that just German = Nazi diehard. That being said, Hitler gained the power he gained because many people who shouldn't have, remained inactive as he rose up. Very much a; "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing," situation.
opusmax1 3 years ago

If McQueen made you this mushy you need to see him in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968.)
Malcolm McCallum 3 years ago

Not a war movie, but a caper flic
A F 3 years ago

Thank you so much for reacting to this film. As i post, it is Remembrance Day, which is a very important and special day to me. My grandpa served in WW2 and as a little boy he taught me about the meaning of today and took me to the cenotaph. First time i saw this was at my grandparent's house over christmas and did many times after that. Very fond memories of my grandparents 🙂
Nilbanas 3 years ago

This cast is ridiculous, xD so good
Hrolf Demayrsson 3 years ago

You will love the Magnificent Seven, same director(John Sturges) as The Great Escape, and Steve McQueen/Charles Bronson/James Coburn are in as well 🙂
ServantOfMelian 3 years ago

The execution of the 50 was an allusion to the "Malmady Massacre", which happened quite far away, and was a serious mistake by the Waffen-SS, since it solidified resolve of the Allies (who were already pretty upset).
Space Dinosaur 3 years ago

The Magnificent Seven is a Western remake of the Seven Samauri. One of the actors, Robert Vaughn is also in a Sci-Fi remake called Battle Beyond the Stars.

Another great war themed movie worth a watch is King of Hearts
Dale Mundy 3 years ago

This is definitely one of my favorite films. The ensemble cast is amazing. I agree wiht you, fall is my favorite season.
Michael M 3 years ago

The Germans , like the Allies, were signatories to the Geneva Convention on treatment of prisoners of war. The German military would not abuse prisoners of war for fear their men would be abused by Allied forces as retaliation. Also, the POW camps were run by the military, not the Nazi power structure. Most German officers and soldiers followed the rules of war when not under direct control of Nazi overlords.
bs sb 3 years ago

Watch The Longest Day……
Ricardo Sanchez 3 years ago

Funny thing is the reason why magnificent seven was even created is because of seven samurai. The magnificent seven is the American version of the seven samurai
michael waller 3 years ago

Charles Bronson suffered from claustrophobia from working in coal mines when he was younger. So, it was very tough on him working in the "tunnel".
Brock Duckworth 3 years ago

I was in an 18" pipe under I 15 with traffic above me it's very cluster phobic
Markus E 3 years ago

Hello, sweethearts (you and your friend).
I want to suggest a few movies for you guys, if I may?
The Children's Hour (1961 drama), Street Kings (2008 action drama), Running Scared (2006 action drama), At First Sight (1999 romantic drama), Nothing But The Truth (2008 drama), Hoodwinked (animation/family), An Affair To Remember (1957 romantic drama) and My Fair Lady (1964 musical, drama, comedy, romance). Love you guys.
Dale Denton 3 years ago

If you want to dive deeper into this story. The book of the same name was written by Paul Brickhill, who was a prisoner at Staley Luft 3. It answers many of the questions you were asking during the reaction. It is a phenomenal read.
Mike Crow 3 years ago

From what I heard, some of those playing the guards were actual German guards that worked in POW camps.
Michael McClain 3 years ago

Agree with those who saw this when they were kids. I was 10 and I never forgot it. It is based on real story of Australians escaping a camp with similar results. Unfortunately.
Matt 3 years ago

By the Escape, the Americans, some of whom had worked on Tunnel "Tom", had been moved away, only one American, Major Johnnie Dodge, participated in the "Great Escape", and he had become a British citizen… But one of the best movies ever made.. With some of the BIGGEST stars in Hollywood..
Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn and Hannes Messemer.
And Vodka can be made from potatoes.. baahaa
B M 3 years ago

Steve McQueen actually was a motorcycle rider in his day he was always kind of crazy but he in this movie he always stayed half his time in the cooler takes a special kind of guy to be able to do with the cooler like that. Used to watch this movie with my father twice a year it was awesome thanks for doing this one
Brian Winn 3 years ago

Years ago, I was at builder's supply store. There was a random large bin of DVD movies at good prices in the main aisle. (Why, in construction supply store, I have no idea.) I was in a hurry but spent a few minutes sorting through them. I came across a movie that I love: "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". I just wasn't feeling it at the time, so passed on it. I flipped through a couple of others and thought, if I am buying the GB&U, then I am not going to buy anything. As I was turning away, I saw "The Great Escape"! Threw it in the cart and proceeded to the checkout line. (I ended up getting the GB&U at a later time – also a must have for a movie collection.)
Elias Shaikh 3 years ago

They had a made for TV sequel in the mid 1980s, starring Christopher Reeve. Donald Pleasance returned but in the role of a German officer.
Rich Diddens 3 years ago

Steve McQueen was known as the King of Cool. And of all his movies mentioned here no one has talked about The Blob. It was his first leading role.

The POW camp portrayed was for captured aviators and was under the control of the Luftwaffe, the German air force. Most of their officers, and the senior officers of the Wehrmacht (Army), and the senior officers of the Kriegsmarine (Navy) considered themselves as professional officers and gentlemen. As much as they could the adhered to what was considered honorable treatment of prisoners and conduct of war. They were also the ones that tried to kill Hitler. By the end of the war most of them were weeded out and replaced by loyal Nazis. They were at odds with but impotent against the Gestapo (secret police) and the SS. The SS was divided into at least 3 groupings with varying levels of evil.

One anachronism is in the scene with two escapees rowing a boat and boarding a ship. The large cranes in the background are container cranes for loading containerized freight. They weren't invented until 1959. I used to work on them in the mid 70's.
David Riddle 3 years ago

You probably already know or somebody has already said Richard Attenborough who plays Bartlett Big X in this is John Hammond the owner in the original Jurassic Park movie
Matej Sojka 3 years ago

Can you make alcohol from potatoes? Yes. It is called Vodka. If it is not a cheap imitation.
GoldenShellback 3 years ago

I would suggest watching Stalag 17.
David Shattock 3 years ago

They were lean because of border line starvation Germany was getting the crap bombed out of it so theyroutinely stole all red cross food parcels and they did murder50 escapees that were recaptured too later churchill was to be repremanded for sending little teams of ex comman dos..etc after war ended tasked in 6man teams with finding those that had murdered captured prisoners and agents.etc. when found they were told.why.and how the killed with captured German weapons Churchill dared when confronted what will you do them try to convict me them who will carry this out this conviction and sentence as.it was all.down to mesaid Churchill do you know what these germans did like getting sedated live agents cremated these were women.agents.tchurchills confronter left frustrated and put a 50 year secrecy nam on this or so the documentary claimed ,believed later proven.
Jim A 3 years ago

One of my favorites. Definitely check out the Dirty Dozen as well
David Shattock 3 years ago

This pissed Adolf off and embarrassed the master race thing so he shot 50 of them bad sense of humour
Jeff Mattes 3 years ago

Except for setting Seven Samurai, and the Magnificent Seven are the same movie, Magnificent Seven was also a Steve McQueen movie.
Zoltán Nagy 3 years ago

The high-ranking English officer who takes part in the escape is played by Richard Attenborough. He played John Hammond in Jurassic Park 30 years later. He directed the multiple Oscar-winning film Gandhi (1982) and is David Attenborough's older brother.
John Casamassa 3 years ago

Another good WWII escape movie that you should watch is Von Ryan's Express.
Justin Sherman 3 years ago

Cordial treatment of captured officers is a fairly longstanding tradition of warfare. In the Napoleonic Era of battles by musketfire, it was actually punishable to fire on enemy officers during combat.
Peter G 3 years ago

Back in 1962, my year 5 teacher Mr Gerstin was in that prison camp.
Timo82 3 years ago

Everyone knows that prison camps for allied airmen were run by LUftwaffe and because they had respect for their fellow airmen they were treated better than other prisoners especially soviet prisoners. This was the case at least in the beginning years of ww2

Write A Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.