While the World War II German-set Prison-of-War movie THE GREAT ESCAPE was being filmed, and would eventually make Steve McQueen a superstar, he was doing everything possible to ruining that potential since he wanted as many lines as other cast members, and would often storm off the set and at one point flew back home...
Being especially envious of James Garner as Scrounger, the token sneaky resilient fella who can get anything, and -- teamed with polar opposite Donald Pleasance as a completely vulnerable Forger slowly going blind -- he's the most interesting and overall entertaining character...
But McQueen didn't need more lines than Garner since, as The Cooler King, he's the maverick set up as a hero's hero from the very start... always looking for a way-out while constantly being sent to solitary confinement i.e. The prison within the prison... and his inevitable motorcycle jump finale would adorn the posters, so, words didn't make his character any more important...
Especially since McQueen's always been a better actor when he doesn't try being the character, but simply IS the man of the hour -- yet neither McQueen or Garner are the genuine central leads...
Director John Sturges's THE GREAT ESCAPE mainly belongs to Richard Attenborough by creating and leading the titular breakout, which first involves a lot of sneaky digging behind the German's backs and then, where most of the film takes place, horizontal tunnels that feel a bit too convenient for the dangerously claustrophobic reality to matter...
But don't tell that to Charles Bronson who, as a Polish Tunnel King teamed with British digger John Leyton, is the one guy who gets stuck -- and it's Bronson the intensely-expressive character-actor here, not the future action star who would, unlike McQueen, prefer tough looks to dialogue...
Overall making THE GREAT ESCAPE pretty darn good if somewhat overrated, and, with an iconic yet overly cheerfully-patriotic Elmer Bernstein score, the Germans never seem like a real threat as the Allied prisoners are able to treat Hitler's Nazis like teenage campers playing tricks on flabbergasted camp counselors...
Ironically, the best thing about this ESCAPE is afterward when the group -- also including a laidback yet determined Australian James Coburn, British lads Gordon Jackson along with David McCallum -- attempt to get away after the getaway, providing an edgy sense of tension and suspense, far exceeding the varied path of getting there.
Being especially envious of James Garner as Scrounger, the token sneaky resilient fella who can get anything, and -- teamed with polar opposite Donald Pleasance as a completely vulnerable Forger slowly going blind -- he's the most interesting and overall entertaining character...
But McQueen didn't need more lines than Garner since, as The Cooler King, he's the maverick set up as a hero's hero from the very start... always looking for a way-out while constantly being sent to solitary confinement i.e. The prison within the prison... and his inevitable motorcycle jump finale would adorn the posters, so, words didn't make his character any more important...
Especially since McQueen's always been a better actor when he doesn't try being the character, but simply IS the man of the hour -- yet neither McQueen or Garner are the genuine central leads...
Director John Sturges's THE GREAT ESCAPE mainly belongs to Richard Attenborough by creating and leading the titular breakout, which first involves a lot of sneaky digging behind the German's backs and then, where most of the film takes place, horizontal tunnels that feel a bit too convenient for the dangerously claustrophobic reality to matter...
But don't tell that to Charles Bronson who, as a Polish Tunnel King teamed with British digger John Leyton, is the one guy who gets stuck -- and it's Bronson the intensely-expressive character-actor here, not the future action star who would, unlike McQueen, prefer tough looks to dialogue...
Overall making THE GREAT ESCAPE pretty darn good if somewhat overrated, and, with an iconic yet overly cheerfully-patriotic Elmer Bernstein score, the Germans never seem like a real threat as the Allied prisoners are able to treat Hitler's Nazis like teenage campers playing tricks on flabbergasted camp counselors...
Ironically, the best thing about this ESCAPE is afterward when the group -- also including a laidback yet determined Australian James Coburn, British lads Gordon Jackson along with David McCallum -- attempt to get away after the getaway, providing an edgy sense of tension and suspense, far exceeding the varied path of getting there.