The Great Escape
“Put a fence in front of these men... and they'll climb it!”
Synopsis
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.
Part of the The Great Escape Collection
Stream the entire interconnected saga and experience every installment in chronological storyline order.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Official SizzleOfficial
Type: Trailer • Published 2024-12-16
Top Cast
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Steve McQueen
Hilts 'The Cooler King'
James Garner
Hendley 'The Scrounger'
Richard Attenborough
Bartlett 'Big X'
James Donald
Ramsey 'The SBO'
Charles Bronson
Danny 'Tunnel King'
Donald Pleasence
Blythe 'The Forger'
James Coburn
Sedgwick 'Manufacturer'
Hannes Messemer
Von Luger 'The Kommandant'
David McCallum
Ashley-Pitt 'Dispersal'
Gordon Jackson
MacDonald 'Intelligence'
John Leyton
Willie 'Tunnel King'
Angus Lennie
Ives 'The Mole'
Nigel Stock
Cavendish 'The Surveyor'
Robert Graf
Werner 'The Ferret'
Jud Taylor
Goff
Hans Reiser
Herr Kuhn
Harry Riebauer
Stratwitch
William Russell
Sorren
Release History & Theatrical Window
London
Festival / Special Debut
July 4, 1963
Wide Cinema Exhibition
June 3, 2013
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$4M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$11.7M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
2.92x
+$7.7M net gain
Theatrical Status
Profitable
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- John Sturges
- Screenplay & Story
- James Clavell, W.R. Burnett
- Original Score
- Elmer Bernstein
- Original Title
- The Great Escape
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English, German, French, Russian
- Runtime
- 2h 53m
- Production Budget
- $4M
- Worldwide Gross
- $11.7M
- Production Studios
- The Mirisch Company, United Artists
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
John Sturges
James Clavell, W.R. Burnett, Paul Brickhill
Elmer Bernstein
Daniel L. Fapp
Ferris Webster
John Sturges, James Clavell, Walter Mirisch
Department Leadership Roster
John Sturges
Producer
John Sturges
Director
James Clavell
Screenplay
W.R. Burnett
Screenplay
James Clavell
Producer
Elmer Bernstein
Original Music Composer
Daniel L. Fapp
Director of Photography
Ferris Webster
Editor
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
NR: Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
Parental Guidance — Recommended for mature viewers.
FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.
Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.
Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The Great Escape.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The Great Escape.
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Letterboxd's Top 500 Films
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TSPDT - 1000 Greatest Films
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? (TSPDT) - The 1,000 Greatest Films. A definitive meta-list aggregating thousands of critics' polls, historical rankings, and director top 10s to represent the ultimate critical consensus in cinema history. TSPDT 影史最伟大的1000部电影： 全球最权威的电影元榜单，由该网站汇总世界各大电影刊物历史评选结果及数千名影评人、学者的个人十佳榜单，通过算法加权计算得出的终极共识。 *片单说明：* 本片单只收录纯电影，以下剧集或迷你剧不予收录： • [#335] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#514] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#614] Edvard Munch (1974) • [#703] The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) • [#890] Elephant (1989) • [#925] Heimat (1984) • [#968] Doomed Love (1978) 以下作品在 TMDB 被拆分为多个独立电影条目；本片单按作品/章节顺序连续收录，且每个分拆条目均沿用同一 TSPDT 名次： • [#171] Dekalog (1989) — 展开为 10 部电影 • [#988] Olympia (1938) — 展开为 2 部电影 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:33:14 UTC+8)*
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Frequently Asked Questions About The Great Escape
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The Great Escape about?
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.
Who directed The Great Escape?
The Great Escape was directed by John Sturges.
Who stars in The Great Escape?
The principal cast of The Great Escape includes Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Charles Bronson.
When was The Great Escape released and how long is it?
The Great Escape was released in 1963 with a total runtime of 2h 53m.
What was the box office and production budget of The Great Escape?
The Great Escape had a reported production budget of $4M and grossed $11.7M at the worldwide box office (2.92 return on budget, classified as a commercial hit).
Who composed the musical score for The Great Escape?
The original motion picture soundtrack for The Great Escape was composed by Elmer Bernstein.
Is The Great Escape based on a book or true story?
The Great Escape is adapted from the following source material: Novel: "Paul Brickhill".
What is the age rating and content advisory for The Great Escape?
The Great Escape holds official age classifications: AU: PG (Parental Guidance — Recommended for mature viewers.); CA: 14A; DE: 12 (FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.); FR: TP; GB: PG (Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.); US: NR (Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.).