Classic war drama.

When people look back at the classic World War II movies there is one indisputable fact: most of them are a story about the fighting or being in the trenches. Most Hollywood WWII films are just about the combat and the drama while on the front line. The opening narration states quite clearly that no films are made about the camps that housed the prisoners of war.

Celebrated writer/director Billy Wilder succeeds in creating one of the first movies about the prisoner of war camps that operated while the combat was occurring in a different part of the world. Stalag 17 is a film set in a German POW camp as we follow a cavalcade of fascinating character portrayed by a group of interesting actors.

The American prisoners held captive spend most of their time scheming ways to escape. But after an unsuccessful escape attempt resulting in the death of two prisoners, there is mourning among the Americans who are being treated unfairly by the cynical Col. von Scherbach (Otto Preminger). It soon becomes obvious that there must be a traitor among the prisoners; a mole that is feeding the Germans information regarding plans and the location of hidden items.

Stalag 17 is one of Billy Wilder's earlier movies. This was before The Apartment and Some Like It Hot; films that are even now held in high regard. Despite this being a reasonably early film, Wilder still manages to insert some great black humour and sharp dialogue mixed within all the drama that is also happening.

Like most of Wilder's movies I think the screenplay is exceptional. Realistic dialogue, funny lines, an interesting host of characters and a very engaging set of events. Stalag 17 may be a comedy but it also has a high level of authenticity in its replication of the POW camp. It looks like every last costume, set or prop was manufactured with the uppermost quality in mind. It would be very hard to replicate such a realistic and engaging atmosphere even using contemporary filmmaking technology.

William Holden was awarded an Oscar for his exceptional performance as the cynical, sharp-tongued POW who is deemed suspicious among the prisoners due to the amount of privileges he is awarded by the German soldiers. Holden's character is a slick soldier who isn't as fearful as his fellow prisoners. There was much acclaim towards the other cast members as well. Like I previously stated, each character is in possession of their own distinguishable personality. The result is simply a bunch of intriguing, multi-faceted characters that are excellently conceived and implemented.

Stalag 17 is unquestionably a war movie that is well made and very entertaining. I held my breath during some of the suspenseful scenes during which a daring escape was occurring or a tense situation was unfolding. There is also great emphasis on the dialogue. The script is so well written that there are several clues that can be picked up more easily after seeing the film several times. The script's greatest strength is also its unpredictability. I had no idea what was going to happen next. I was completely in the hand of the filmmakers wondering what was to follow. This is one of the greatest compliments you can grant a film of the war genre.

Before watching Stalag 17 I had seen several episodes of the classic TV sitcom Hogan's Heroes. Of course this film is a lot more serious than the light-hearted classic TV show; however both of them have the common setting of a POW camp.

Stalag 17 is a classic war drama that is unconventional, suspenseful and brilliant. A must if you're a fan of Billy Wilder movies.