Set in a German POW Camp for enlisted American airmen a spy is discovered to be living in one of the prison barracks after an escape attempt fails resulting in the deaths of two inmates. The prisoners at once suspect Septon an unscrupulous inside dealer who trades almost anything with the Germans for extra privileges. After Septon is beaten up he himself determines to find the real spy and the result is a mixture of intrigue and betrayal leading to a surprise ending.System Requirements:Running Time: 120 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 097360412048 Manufacturer No: 041204
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Black comedy and suspenseful action inside a German POW camp during World War II--a setting that was later borrowed for the TV sitcom Hogan's Heroes. The great director Billy Wilder adapted the hit stage play, applying his own wicked sense of humor to the apparently bleak subject matter. William Holden plays an antisocial grouse amid a gang of wisecracking though indomitable American prisoners. Because of his bitter cynicism, Holden is suspected by the others of being an informer to the Germans, an accusation he must deal with in his own crafty way. Holden, who had delivered a brilliant performance for Wilder in Sunset Boulevard, won the 1953 Best Actor Oscar for Stalag 17. Very much his equal, however, is Otto Preminger, an accomplished director himself, who plays the strict, sneering camp commandant. --Robert Horton
