STORYLINE: It’s a dreary Christmas 1944 for the American POWs in Stalag 17. In Barracks 4 there’s a security leak – the Germans always seem to be forewarned about escapes; and in the most recent attempt the two men, Manfredi and Johnson, walked straight into a trap and were killed. For the men of Barracks 4, the snitch looks obvious: J.J. Sefton, a much-despised wheeler-dealer who doesn’t hesitate to trade with the guards and who has acquired goods and privileges that other prisoners can only dream about. Sefton makes it clear that he plans to ride out the war in what little comfort he can arrange, but denies giving the Germans any information. As tensions mount and mob mentality takes root, it becomes obvious Sefton will have to find the real German agent in their midst.  (IMDb)

   One can argue that 1994’s The Shawshank Redemption is the greatest movie to be set in a prison, and there would be no argument from me.  Clint Eastwood in the 1979 drama Escape from Alcatraz is well worth a watch.  From a certain point of view, the action film The Rock (1996), a personal favor of mine, is a prison film. Recently I attended a screening of 1953’s Stalag 17, an Academy Award winning motion picture, about a POW camp during World War II.

     Throughout my ramblings, on this blog, I have routinely talked about my preference for seeing movies in the theater, instead of streaming them.  In fact, I prefer physical media instead of streaming as well.  I collect my ticket stubs, and have been doing so for almost a quarter century.  They are split between an Amazon box, and the cases of the movies they represent. For example my Stalag 17 ticket, from that showing, is on display in the front of that case. Anyways, enough of that random ticket rant. One of the theatrical going  experiences I enjoy, if not my favorite, is seeing films from before I was old enough to appreciate going to see the movies, on the big screen.  Stalag 17 made it debut decades before I did, so naturally I eagerly took my normal seat to see the motion picture.

     I had seen the movie prior to the screening, as evident by the fact I just mentioned I owned a copy, as part of my movie library. I am a fan.  I like the fact that it is a war picture that shows a perspective of the war that deals with the an aspect of combat, without actually showing combat.  The Messenger (2009), starring Woody Harrelson, is very similar. in this regard. 

    Seeing Stalag 17 on the big screen created a different experience, for me, with the film. This is a movie that was made for a theater going audience, well before the invention of VHS, DVD, and STREAMING.   

    Watching it at home is more intimate. I get pulled into the story, and after two hours I am left with a positive emotional response. When I walked out of the theater I felt the full frustration, and the desperation, the characters were going through.  The movie had a greater since of power to it.  Yes, even the humor played better, on the big screen.  That could be I was not alone in watching the feature, but joined with about two dozen other film enthusiasts.

    Whether a motion picture is good, bad, something in between the experience of going is always a positive one. Stalag 17, which is a very good film, is a prime example.

    Until next time, I will see you at the movies!