“Put a fence in front of these men... and they'll climb it!”
The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out the remainder of the war. Undaunted, the prisoners plan one of the most ambitious escape attempts of World War II. Based on a true story.
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Part of The Great Escape Collection
2 films
Cast
27 people
Steve McQueen
Hilts 'The Cooler King'
Known for
Papillon
Bullitt
James Garner
Hendley 'The Scrounger'
Known for
The Notebook
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Richard Attenborough
Bartlett 'Big X'
Known for
Jurassic Park
Miracle on 34th Street
James Donald
Ramsey 'The SBO'
Known for
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Quatermass and the Pit
Charles Bronson
Danny 'Tunnel King'
Known for
Once Upon a Time in the West
Death Wish
Donald Pleasence
Blythe 'The Forger'
Known for
Halloween
Prince of Darkness
James Coburn
Sedgwick 'Manufacturer'
Known for
Monsters, Inc.
The Nutty Professor
Hannes Messemer
Von Luger 'The Kommandant'
Known for
General Della Rovere
The Odessa File
David McCallum
Ashley-Pitt 'Dispersal'
Known for
NCIS
Batman vs. Robin
Gordon Jackson
MacDonald 'Intelligence'
Known for
Shaka Zulu
Noble House
John Leyton
Willie 'Tunnel King'
Known for
Von Ryan's Express
Angus Lennie
Ives 'The Mole'
Known for
Great
633 Squadron
John Sturges Director · James Clavell Screenplay W.R. Burnett Screenplay
Worldwide gross $12M · Budget $4M · United States release July 4, 1963
Box office
Budget
$4,000,000
Worldwide gross
$11,700,000
Gross vs. budget
2.9×
Production
The Mirisch Company
Production
United Artists
Production
United Artists Pictures
Studio · Production
United States
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English · French · German · Russian
Release dates
United Kingdom · June 20, 1963
Premiere · London
United States · July 4, 1963
Theatrical
United States
July 2, 1963 · Premiere · Los Angeles, California
Argentina
August 8, 1963 · Theatrical
Australia
August 20, 1963 · Theatrical
January 6, 2001 · Theatrical · Re-release
Belgium
January 10, 1964 · Limited theatrical · Gent
Brazil
October 11, 1963 · Theatrical
Canada
July 3, 1963 · Limited theatrical · Toronto
Czechia
June 1, 1995 · Physical
Denmark
February 7, 1964 · Theatrical
December 7, 1967 · Theatrical · Re-release
Egypt
June 19, 2021 · Physical · DVD
Finland
August 30, 1963 · Theatrical
March 21, 1975 · Theatrical · Re-release
France
September 11, 1963 · Theatrical · Visa CNC 27894
January 1, 2020 · Theatrical · Re-release, restored version
August 18, 2026 · TV · France 5
Germany
August 29, 1963 · Theatrical · West Germany
October 12, 1999 · Physical · DVD
September 19, 2023 · Theatrical · Re-release
Greece
October 3, 1963 · Theatrical
Hong Kong SAR China
January 23, 1964 · Theatrical
India
May 28, 2013 · Physical · DVD
Iran
April 7, 1965 · Theatrical
June 28, 1972 · Theatrical · Re-release
Ireland
October 18, 1963 · Theatrical
Israel
December 14, 1963 · Theatrical
Italy
October 9, 1963 · Theatrical
Japan
August 3, 1963 · Theatrical
March 6, 2004 · Limited theatrical · Re-release
Mexico
July 30, 1964 · Theatrical
Netherlands
September 18, 1963 · Theatrical
February 23, 2002 · TV · V8
January 1, 2005 · Physical · DVD
July 1, 2013 · Physical · Blu ray
Norway
November 11, 1963 · Theatrical
Peru
September 19, 1963 · Theatrical
Philippines
April 3, 1979 · Limited theatrical · Davao
Poland
January 3, 2013 · Physical · Blu-ray
Portugal
October 3, 1963 · Theatrical
September 3, 2019 · TV
Romania
December 5, 1972 · Theatrical
Russia
July 10, 1963 · Premiere · Moscow Film Festival
Singapore
July 6, 2020 · Physical · Blu-ray
South Africa
August 23, 1963 · Theatrical
South Korea
November 23, 1963 · Theatrical
Spain
November 12, 1963 · Theatrical
Sweden
September 21, 1963 · Theatrical
Taiwan
December 7, 2013 · Premiere · GQ Man of the Year Film Festival
Türkiye
July 4, 1963 · Theatrical
United Arab Emirates
June 3, 2013 · Physical · DVD
United Kingdom
September 8, 1963 · Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.