Escape From New York Special Edition Dvd Review

The Great Escape: Special Edition

Studio: MGM
Year: 1963
Rated: Not Rated
Film Length: 172 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 16X9 Enhanced Widescreen (ii.35:1)
Subtitles: English, French, and Castilian
Audio: English - Dolby Digital 5.ane; English language, French, and Castilian – Monaural

Release Date:
May 18th, 2004

Based on the actual escape of 79 Centrolineal POWs from the "escape-proof" German detention facility, Stalag Luft Iii, The Groovy Escape tells the emotionally resonant story of a group of Centrolineal officers who bravely orchestrated one of the largest prison house breaks of World War II. Essentially, the story begins before their arrival, when the Nazi regime elected to place POWs accounted to be flying risks into the new high-security facility. In most cases, these prisoners had attempted to escape previously, sometimes on several occasions, so putting these "rotten eggs into one handbasket" seemed to be a good idea.

Unfortunately for the Germans, placing these escape artists into a single facility did non give them the kind of control they had sought. On the reverse, it actually immune these escape artists to work together on an elaborate multi-pronged scheme to break out of the prison. It has likewise been argued that the escape was devised not just to free a big number of prisoners, but also to tie up as much of the German military machine every bit possible in tracking escapees down, while their allies connected to fight the Germans on the outside.

While it took the concerted endeavor of a bully many POWs to execute the plan, a small group of individuals, such as Roger Bushell and Wally Floody, did nearly of the mental gymnastics involved. These men coordinated the digging of tunnels (affectionately known equally "Tom", "Dick", and "Harry"), the efforts to craft the uniforms and papers the men would need afterward escape, and helped keep the men focused on their sworn duty to either escape or impede the High german military machine as best they could.

At present undoubtedly, most of you reading this either know this story well, or have seen the movie by at present, but I intend to go along plot details as vague equally possible, in the consequence you lot have not. Equally such, I volition now turn my attending to the brilliant acting by the ensemble cast. Specifically, in addition to the magnificent performances from Garner and McQueen, the film also benefits immensely from the talents of the other screen legends that round out the cast. Seriously, only take a expect at this group of actors: Richard Attenborough (every bit Roger "Big X" Bartlett); James Coburn (as Louis Sedgewick); Donald Pleasance (who plays Colin Blythe); James Donald (every bit Rupert Ramsey); and Charles Bronson (who plays Danny Velinski) could easily headline almost any picture, and all practise a great task hither. Equally an aside, Garner really was a "scrounger" in the Army, and Donald Pleasance really did time in a German Prisoner of war camp (Stalag Luft I).

Arguably, nevertheless, Steve McQueen's character is the focal point of this film, and he outshines his swain actors by turning in a operation that is cocky, heady, and truly memorable. From the conviction and resolve he displays in helping his swain officers escape, to the evidence-stopping exhibition of his motorcycle-riding prowess in the German countryside, McQueen is the prototype of unrelenting courage and selfless bravery. As I mentioned higher up though, the other guys exercise a very skillful chore as well, and their effectiveness as an ensemble influenced after films like The Dirty Dozen , and Kelly'southward Heroes .

To be sure, while The Swell Escape is a pretty accurate interpretation of the titular effect, the filmmakers and performers did accept some dramatic license with these men's story. In particular, the sheer number of those involved in the escape made it necessary to make the principal characters composites of the POWs involved in the breakout, by combining elements of several real life officers into them. Additionally, although the prison housed mostly Australian and English officers, a pair of American officers (using the pic characters' names), named Captain Virgil Hilts (Steve McQueen) and Lieutenant Bob Hendley (James Garner) figured prominently in the movie version of the escape. Obviously, the wild motorcycle escape and chase never happened either, and all of the other discrepancies are covered exhaustively in the supplemental materials.

Suffice it to say that the vast majority of movies are made to make money, and this one was no exception, so the story was tweaked a flake. Yet, virtually of the story is factually audio, according to some of those who survived a stay in Stalag Luft 3. This is due in large part to the filmmakers having access to those who had survived. For instance, former POW Wally Floody played a large function in helping to ensure the sets were as accurate as possible. More than importantly, even though the truth was stretched in some instances, the way the filmmakers stayed truthful to the spirit of the story, and paid tribute to the dauntless souls who carried out the aggressive plan to pause out of Stalag Luft Three, was remarkable (at to the lowest degree to me).

Despite a few very minor quibbles I had with the pic, like how like shooting fish in a barrel the life of the POWs seemed at times, or how effortlessly the POWs seemed to obtain contraband, the prisoners' battle to outwit their German captors was pulled off quite well. But where I call up The Great Escape really shines is how well the filmmakers capture the spirit of the historical result. Indeed, in my listen, this picture show stands equally an indelible archetype, featuring magnificent performances by the ensemble bandage, a fairly faithful rendering of a compelling and true story, tremendous attention to item, and excellent execution by the filmmakers.

Add to that an uplifting, memorable score by Elmer Bernstein, and this nigh three-hour film really seems to zip on by! To be honest, I by and large won't go out of my way to watch "war films", but this is i that has me in its hooks. If you oasis't seen it yet, I promise you savour information technology every bit much as I do! Information technology really does belong on the short list of the greatest war/adventure movies ever fabricated!

SO, HOW DOES It LOOK?
The Dandy Escape is a film that was badly mistreated on its previous DVD release, and was in dire need of "special edition" treatment. Thankfully, MGM has done John Sturges' picture show proud by creating a new high definition transfer, which offers this grand old epic in a smashing anamorphic widescreen (ii.35:1) presentation.

So, what was wrong with the previous disc anyway? Well, the biggest trouble was that information technology was poorly framed, but this result has been addressed, and the impress used to create this new two-disc edition is also very clean, not to mention being free from major defects. Colors were also less vibrant on the previous disc. Of course, if y'all are expecting perfection, you will exist disappointed, because the pic still shows its historic period a little bit. For instance, several scenes, peculiarly the opening credits sequence showroom a fair amount of grain, and some sequences await slightly softer than others. Honestly, however, neither of these issues detracts from the viewing experience besides much.

The really adept news is that image quality appears to be much sharper than it was on the previous bare bones DVD. To brainstorm with, texture and fine detail are as well much improved, and the visuals are much more than film-like every bit a issue. As I mentioned, colour rendering is likewise improved, with Stalag Luft III, the German locales, and characters skin tones looking more realistic and vital this time effectually. Similarly, contrast was well balanced, and blacks were deep and pure, so there is plenty of particular fifty-fifty in shadowy escape tunnels.

Further, I did not notice the presence of digital compression artifacts, or border enhancement halos. Indeed, compared to watching this film on cable or the previous DVD, this new transfer is a revelation, and to my eyes The Great Escape'due south paradigm quality has never been amend on a home video format! Fans of this film should be ecstatic, perhaps enough to forgive MGM for their transgressions on the previous DVD release of this film!!!

WHAT IS THAT Noise?
For the first fourth dimension on DVD, The Great Escape has been given the Dolby Digital 5.1 handling, but since virtually of this three-hour motion-picture show consists of dialogue and music, I exercise non think the new track is a giant leap above the original monaural recording. Look a minute, did I just write that?!?!

Getting dorsum to business concern, the film'due south soundstage is a little more than expansive, and dialogue sounds slightly cleaner in 5.1, just purists (or fifty-fifty 5.ane devotees like myself) could stick with the monaural track without losing too much sleep. On both tracks, frequency response is smooth and even, and dialogue is easily discernable. In terms of surround aqueduct use on the new mix, there is precious little, just some occasional ambient racket or subtle musical reinforcement.

In similar fashion, the subwoofer does not get likewise much of a workout, even though it does add together a picayune punch to the film's few action sequences and to the drums in Elmer Bernstein'south wonderful score. All in all, neither version of the soundtrack (monaural or 5.1) is especially dynamic, but they suit the source cloth just fine.

EXTRAS, EXTRAS!!!

Audio Commentary
War film expert Steven J. Rubin, who created "Return to the Great Escape", hosts this unconventional commentary track, which is comprised chiefly of archived interviews with the bandage and crew, including director John Sturges. Surprisingly, this concept actually works meliorate than one might expect it to. True, there is no mistaking the fact that most of the participants comments practise not relate to the whatsoever happens to be onscreen at the time they are speaking, just there sure are a lot of insightful stories told by Sturges, James Garner, James Coburn, Donald Pleasure, Jud Taylor, David McCallum, Bud Ekins, and Robert Relyea. Of course, Mr. Rubin has a lot to say virtually this moving-picture show (both his knowledge and passion about it are evident), only sadly, no interviews survived with Steve McQueen.

In my opinion, some of the many highlights from this extremely interesting track included:

--- James Garner talking well-nigh his days in the Ground forces (he served in Korea) every bit a "scrounger", and how information technology benefited the film.

--- Discussions virtually John Sturges' directorial style, his conclusion to get The Nifty Escape fabricated, and the casting process.

--- Debates virtually whether or not the "Great Escape" was really an effort to divert the Germans' attending abroad from the D-Mean solar day invasion.

--- Lots of information nearly the design of the camp, which was based on exhaustive research and information obtained from some of its "guests".

--- James Garner discussing 2 scenes that were cut from the flick, both of which featured his interactions with Donald Pleasance.

--- Mr. Rubin talking about how Sturges' utilization of a dandy ensemble bandage influenced later films, such as Kelly's Heroes , The Dirty Dozen , and A Bridge Too Far .

--- Frank comments about Steve McQueen from his boyfriend actors, including interesting thoughts about both his problems with the script and the development of the motorcycle chase sequence.

Trivia Track
A wealth of information on The Great Escape , its cast-members, and the real event that inspired the film is offered via pop-up text boxes. Some of this information will already exist know to yous if you lot take seen the featurettes, or listened to the commentary rail, only there is yet more detail provided, so it is worth a lookout man.

The Great Escape: Bringing Fact to Fiction
Narrated past Burt Reynolds, this 12-minute featurette contains a skilful discussion virtually the exploits of the courageous and "escape-crazy" officers imprisoned in Stalag Luft III, also as the cinematic license taken by the filmmakers to aid ensure box office success for The Great Escape . There is also a great deal of insight into the production offered by the coiffure and the ex-prisoners of state of war the film is based on, including the process of distilling the story to make it more compact, the casting procedure, location scouting, scripting (and scripting problems), and why the production was eventually moved to Germany from simply outside of Los Angeles.

The Dandy Escape: Preparations for Freedom
Also narrated past Burt Reynolds, and through interviews with erstwhile "guests" of Stalag Luft III, similar Albert Wallace, James Cullen, John Weir, and Alex Cassie, this featurette provides an overview of the POW camps operated past the Germans. These individuals, along with authors Arthur Durand and John Vance, talk well-nigh how the prisoners' escape endeavor became organized, the ingenious planning that led to the escape of 79 men from Stalag Luft 3, how the prisoners were able to dispose of the clay from the tunnels, and how they created costumes and papers that were to be utilized after their escape.

There is likewise a fascinating give-and-take of how secret government agencies would smuggle items to the POWs that might evidence helpful during escape attempts. Finally, the reasons why the filmmakers embellished the American part in the effort to escape Stalag Luft 3 are revealed. If you have any interest at all in Earth War II, or in this film, I believe y'all will detect this informative 19-minute featurette extremely enjoyable (not that the others are bad)!

The Great Escape: The Flying to Liberty
Continuing the theme of the previous featurettes, narration by Burt Reynolds and interviews with the bandage and crew provide the viewer with a greater understanding of the events that transpired during the actual escape. Specifically, author Jonathan Vance and several onetime POWs talk almost the picture show's depiction of how the men fared after their escape, and discuss Steve McQueen's demand that he exist allowed to showcase his motorcycle riding abilities and the inaccuracies in the ending sequence. This featurette runs for approximately nine minutes.

The Dandy Escape: A Standing Ovation
Again narrated past Burt Reynolds, "A Standing Ovation" chronicles The Cracking Escape'south premiere, its critical/audience reception, and the impact of the film on Steve McQueen's career. The investigation into the murders of the l officers who were "shot while escaping", which resulted in the subsequent executions and imprisonment of Gestapo officers
after the state of war, is likewise covered in detail.

The Great Escape: The Untold Story
Directed past Steven Clarke, this 50-minute long dramatization/featurette takes a look at the British pursuit of war criminals after Earth State of war 2 ended, particularly the Gestapo personnel that carried out the killings of fifty of the officers that took part in the "Great Escape". Former POWs Alex Cassie, Jack Lyon, and Jimmy James are once again on hand to tell this part of the story in their own words, which makes the details of their fellow officers lives and deaths that they provide so much more than powerful. As is the example with the other featurettes on this disc, this actress is very informative. A must watch, especially for those with an interest in Earth War II!

The Great Escape: The Untold Story – Additional Interviews
Running Time: ix minutes

--- "The Forger'south Tale"
In this short featurette, erstwhile POW Alex Cassie discusses how he fabricated documents that the escaping officers would need subsequently they were complimentary from Stalag Luft III. He also talks about the thoughts that were running through the minds of those who were preparing to escape. Interestingly, Mr. Cassie chose non to escape, as he did not fancy running nigh the German countryside in choppy weather.

--- "The Home Runs"
Onetime Pow Jimmy James dicusses the fate of the three escapees from Stalag Luft III that were non recaptured.

--- "The Survivors"
This segment reveals what happened to POWs Jimmy James, Alex Cassie, Jack Lyon, and Les Broderick after World War II ended.

--- "The Fifty"
The names of the fifty escapees that were coldly gunned down by the Gestapo are provided.

The Real Virgil Hilts
The 25-minute long "The Existent Virgil Hilts" featurette chronicles the exploits of David Jones, who served as the inspiration for the Hilts grapheme. In a fascinating interview, Mr. Jones talks near his entry into the war machine as an aviator, Roosevelt's response to the attack on Pearl Harbor, and his fourth dimension as a pw. He goes on to discuss the scope of the Great Escape, how difficult the men who carried it out worked, and his illustrious career after Globe State of war II (he retired as a ii-Star General). There is also some great footage taken from the Doolittle Convoy that David Jones was part of, and from raids by B-25 bombers.

Render to the Bang-up Escape
In this insightful featurette, which runs for 24 minutes, the birth of The Groovy Escape out of Paul Brickhill's memoirs is discussed, as are the characters in the film (including the real-life men they were based on). In interview excerpts, John Sturges talks nigh the difficulty he had in getting the film made, and actors James Garner and Donald Pleasance talk almost their experiences in the military. The participants are besides speak candidly almost the writing bug that led to an incomplete screenplay and Steve McQueen'south brief walk-out during product.

Photograph Galleries
There are a total of xiii photograph galleries, which comprise stills that have been grouped past subject area (i.due east. "The Tunnel" or "The Motorcycle Chase"). These galleries contain 107 still production photos, which are both black-and-white and color.

Theatrical Trailer
The theatrical trailer for The Great Escape is included.

Insert
The Great Escape comes along with a squeamish booklet that features v pages of exam on the story and the production, a comparing of widescreen vs. "total screen" , and a chapter list.

Other Dandy MGM Releases
There are trailers for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Collector'south Edition DVD , the Escape From New York: Collector'south Edition DVD , the Windtalkers DVD , and an "MGM Means Great Movies" promo. In improver, the cover art for Hart'south War , A Bridge Also Far , and Boxing for Uk .

SCORE Bill of fare

(on a five-bespeak scale)
Movie: :star: :star: :star: :star:

Video: :star: :star: :star: :star:

Sound: :star: :star: :star:

Extras: :star: :star: :star: :star:

Overall: :star: :star: :star: :star:

THE Terminal Word
The Great Escape is not a lot of things. It is not a completely faithful representation of the men involved in the titular result. It is not a highly decorated pic. Information technology is not without its fabricated "Hollywood" moments. However, despite all of this, John Sturges' The Neat Escape is one of the nigh gripping and entertaining war epics ever put on film!

In my opinion, Sturges did a remarkable chore of condensing the incredible scope of the escape operations into a story more than suitable for the picture palace, without beingness disrespectful. Indeed, the attention to detail that the entire filmmaking team paid, the care taken to assemble the ensemble cast, and the willingness to modify things on the wing to brand a amend pic impressed me a bang-up deal. I am sure I am not lone in feeling gratitude towards John Sturges for the monumental attempt he undertook to become the movie fabricated, and for his excellent treatment of the field of study.

This souped-upwards DVD gives The Bang-up Escape a whole new lease on life, via a brand-new loftier definition transfer, Dolby Digital v.i sound, and enough featurettes and other extras to proceed fans busy for a long while. The commentary track, cobbled together from interview excerpts, also works surprisingly well, not to mention being informative and entertaining.

Although I had not seen this movie in about ten years or then, I actually fell in dear with it during this review. So where does that leave us? Permit's see…a corking moving picture, overnice packaging, spiffy new transfer and remixed soundtrack, lots of quality extras…sounds similar a winner! If you were thinking of picking this upwards, rest assured, The Great Escape should not disappoint!!! Highly Recommended!

Stay tuned…

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Source: https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/htf-review-the-great-escape-special-edition-highly-recommended.177167/

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