The Great Escape - Movie

The present movie I'm watching while doing my exercises (20 minutes a day) is 1963's "The Great Escape," starring Steve McQueen.

How many shows were there anyway about Nazi prisoner of war camps? "Stalag 13," "Hogan's Heroes," and this one are the ones I can think of. "Hogan's Heroes" of course is a heck of a concept for a sitcom. But somehow they made it work.

So far, I'm probably still in the first hour, I haven't seen any swastikas. So there must have been a reason for that. Wonder why. They're not saying Nazis all that often either. They use a couple words over and over for the Nazis: goons and ferrets.

The big thing about the movie is how they're constantly trying to escape, and the culmination of their efforts will be a "Great Escape," based on a true story.

Just watching the first 40 minutes or so, the goons don't seem very smart. They fall for every diversion and they don't seem to recognize all the dirt showing up in the prison yard (from digging a tunnel).

It might just be me, but if I'm in charge or a guard in a prison camp, and the prisoners we have are known for escapes, I'm going to be extra suspicious about everything. I'm going to be periodically emptying out the barracks and checking the floors, including under the stove (duh). And any kind of apparent diversionary tactics would be addressed as well.

If someone is able to dig a 335 foot tunnel, that means someone else wasn't paying very good attention up here.