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John Sturges’The Great Escapeis , without a doubt , one of the fine cinematic portraits of the Second World War ever put to screen . As the story of some prisoner of wardefying insurmountable odds to get away captivity , The Great Escapecaptures the disembodied spirit of the soldiers who fought for the Allies inWorld War II with more heart and grit than most moviesabout the conflict .
Steve McQueen leads a lead - studded ensemble cast consist of suchscreen legends as Charles Bronson , James Garner , and Richard Attenborough . Unsurprisingly , there are some interesting fib behind the fashioning of thisaction - packed war epic .
Kirk Douglas Was The First Choice For The Role Of Hilts
Originally , producer Walter Mirisch ’s top choices for the roles of Hilts and Hendley wereKirk Douglasand Burt Lancaster , severally , which could ’ve been passably awe-inspiring . wayward to Quentin Tarantino’sOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood , the pretended Rick Dalton was never under retainer for the role .
Richard Harris was initially cast to play Roger Bartlett , but he had to drop out of the labor due to his commitments toThis Sporting Life . The theatrical role was extend to John Mills , but he turn it down .
Steve McQueen Only Signed On To Show Off His Biking Skills
Steve McQueen did his own motorcycle stunt forThe Great Escape , having performed most of his own stunts inBullittandCHiPs . In fact , he only sign on to do the movie on the condition that he could show off his biking accomplishment in it .
As a outcome , the motorcycle chase that has become the motion picture ’s defining hallmark was added at the player ’s behest . John Sturges see compose out McQueen ’s case to avoid this , but the studio apartment considered him essential .
The Script Went Through 11 Drafts And Was Still Being Written During Filming
According to director John Sturges , the screenplay forThe Great Escapewent through 11 drafts across six unlike writers before he was well-chosen with it .
The script still was n’t finished when output began and was completed during motion-picture photography . Sturges would after say that this was the right mode to makeThe Great Escapeand helped the movie to become what it in the end became .
Former Coal Miner Charles Bronson Advised John Sturges About Tunneling
InThe Great Escape , Charles Bronson work the escapee nicknamed “ Tunnel King . ” He was capable to bring his own knowledge to the role , as he used to work as a coal miner before breaking into acting . He advised John Sturges about how to get the dirt out of the tunnel . Like his role , Bronson was claustrophobic .
The literal “ Tunnel King , ” Wally Floody , was transfer to another camp right before the safety valve . He attend to the filmmakers as a consultant for more than a year .
Studio Executives Tried To Organize A “Miss Prison Camp” Pageant To Add Sex Appeal To The Film
ahead of time in the production ofThe Great Escape , the studio United Artists began to broadcast memos to John Sturges asking him to add female roles to the movie . One executive even suggest adding an attractive char in a low - cut top to Ashley - Pitt ’s expiry scene .
to spue this part , the studio tried to organize a “ Miss Prison Camp ” smasher pageant in Munich , at which head Sturges stepped in to put a full point to the rage .
Donald Pleasance Was A Real P.O.W. During World War II
Donald Pleasance really plays against character inThe Great Escape , but he could relate pretty closely to his role because he was actually a P.O.W. duringWorld War II . He was an aircrewman in the Royal Air Force . His plane was shoot down and he was captured by German soldier and tortured as a prisoner of war .
When he throw technical advice to John Sturges , he was courteously told to keep his public opinion to himself . As presently as Sturges discover out from another histrion that Pleasance was a veridical P.O.W. , he began asking him for insight every step of the means .
The Barbed Wire Props Were Created By The Whole Cast And Crew
Whenever the cast of characters and crew had some downtime throughout the production ofThe Great Escape , they were all given little five - inch string of black arctic to tie together . From stars like James Garner to the craft inspection and repair employees , everybody got involved .
This eventually create the monumental amount of barbed wire prop that seem throughout the movie on the fences of the prison house .
Steve McQueen Played One Of The German Soldiers Chasing His Own Character
The most iconic second inThe Great Escapeis arguably the climactic chase in which the Germans hunt down Steve McQueen on bike , with a close second being the bounce of the testicle in lone confinement .
Director John Sturges let Steve McQueen to don a disguise and work one of the German soldiers chasing his own character . He played the soldier who runs into the wire .
Charles Bronson Joked He’d Steal David McCallum’s Wife, Then Did
While he was shootingThe Great Escape , Charles Bronson met his carbon monoxide gas - headliner David McCallum ’s married woman , Jill Ireland , and fell in honey with her . He joke to McCallum that he was going to steal his wife .
However , that change by reversal out to be no gag . In 1967 , Ireland got a divorce from McCallum and promptly married Bronson .
Elmer Bernstein Was Able To Live Off His Great Escape Royalties For The Rest Of His Life
Elmer Bernstein develop hisiconic scoreforThe Great Escapeby writing a rousing militaristic motif and surrounding it with emotional substance . He gave each main character an case-by-case theme riffing on the main theme .
This music became so pop that Bernstein was able to hold up off of his royalties fromThe Great Escapefor the rest of his life-time .
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