 "A Great Classic Movie......" | 2009-11-14 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1GSMHH5P9NXRN |
| If you are a classic movie buff like me, this is a must have for your collection. Steve McQueen is great in this movie, along with a whole cast of Hollywood legends. |
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| "HIGHLY ENTERTAINING EVEN IF A LITTLE TOO LONG! 4 1/2 STARS!" | 2009-09-24 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1ER6IYOMM8VCT |
It had been many years since I last saw this picture, I say picture because that is what we used to call them. 'The Great Escape' is a interesting film that has an excellent cast and is well paced for a film almost three hours long! Sure there are a few minor bumps in this prison war movie, but it is very engrossing.
It won't take long before you realize this is where they got the idea for 'Hogan's Heroes'. Any film with McQueen, Garner, Bronson and Coburn init has to be pretty good right? I have the older special edition which looks pretty good, but the extras are trailers and a 24 minute documentary. If you're a fan of this film it's probably worth the upgrade to the new 2 discs edition. |
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 "Good, but The Book is Better!" | 2009-08-14 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1HT4LLQZNN08B |
| This is one of my all-time favoties movies, but if you have not read the book by Paul Brickhill, you need to. The real story is absolutely amazing and cannnot compare. |
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 "A Tribute To Never Giving Up" | 2009-06-17 |
| - Reviewed By d_mikels |
"It is the duty of a British officer to escape, and to help his fellow prisoners escape." This defiant line sets the stage for one of cinema's best classics, the always-entertaining THE GREAT ESCAPE. Based (ever so loosely) on a true story about an en masse prison break from the German maximum security POW prison Stalag Luft North, this film should not be encountered while channel surfing; inevitably, some three hours later (and no telling how late the ungodly hour), you'll find yourself still watching this tribute to the indomitable human spirit.
What makes this movie work so well is its exceptional ensemble cast. James Garner. Charles Bronson. Richard Attenborough. Donald Pleasance. James Coburn (with a bogus Aussie accent). David McCallum. And a guy by the name of Steve McQueen; his role as an American loner obsessed with "tunneling out" skyrocketed him to superstar status. At three hours some patience is required as the story--the plot to dig not one, but three, escape tunnels out of the stalag--picks up suspense and pace, but once the breakout is staged get ready for some white-knuckling viewing. Four stars instead of five because the predictable Sixties melodrama that occasionally creeps in really irks me. Yet THE GREAT ESCAPE is still enthusiastically recommended.
--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning |
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| "As Large As Life" | 2009-03-31 |
| - Reviewed By robert_buchanan |
The past seven decades have seen the release of innumerable WWII films. A relative handful of these are truly great movies, the majority are products of wretched hackery, and too many of the latter are unconscionable fictions that have been unfairly venerated. "The Great Escape" is among the former - the film has firmly stood the test of time by the merits of John Sturges' meticulous direction, a lavish production and an array of flawless performances by a distinguished cast.
The most important aspect of this DVD edition is its beautiful, vibrant picture, finally presented in the proper 2.35:1 aspect ratio after decades of claustrophobic pan & scan editions on VHS. The Dolby 2.0 sound is fine, if unexceptional; "Escape's" high budget afforded it a 4-Track Stereo sound mix instead of the usual mono - a lavish rarity in 1963 - so I can only imagine that fans and audiophiles alike are waiting for a 5.1 mix on future releases.
As this is one of MGM's earlier discs (1998), the menus are egregiously and predictably ugly, rendered in garish, clashing lime green, purple, bright orange, etc. However, they are accessible and easy to read. The titled thumbnail images of the screen selection menu are divided into 8 screens of 32 scenes, so just about any specific moment in the film can be located with ease.
The French dubbed dialogue track is the old one from '63, and MGM were wise to retain it, as it's excellent. The English, Spanish and French subtitles are also quite good.
Narrated by Miguel Ferrer and first released in 1993, the documentary "Return to 'The Great Escape'" is also included on the disc, and quite a few entertaining stories concerning the film's production are told by members of the cast and crew (most notably Garner, McCallum and Sutherland). It's probably for the best that this documentary was produced when it was, as few of the movie's contributors are still alive today.
The theatrical trailer is also available on this release, in all its hokey, buttoned-down glory. |
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| "Just what I expected" | 2009-03-23 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2LL5AFECEU3N9 |
| As with all of my other purchases on amazon, I received my shipment early, and got exactly what I paid for. I would recommend this service to anyone. |
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