Subtitles: Esp, Fra, PTBR

In his lengthy and eventful career, Billy Wilder created many films thathave rightly attained classic status, but his WWII prisoner of warcomedy-drama Stalag 17 is arguably one of his best. The scripting is aperfect example of how to marry a tight plot with sharp dialogue and greatcharacters, and the acting is flawless on all counts. While WilliamHolden'sperformance as the cynical American sergeant rightly won him an Oscar, itisthe comic antics of Robert Strauss and Harvey Lembeck that steal the show.And if there was ever a more entertaining ensemble of previously unseen(andsadly subsequently unheard of) supporting players - with the possibleexception of Casablanca - I would love to see it. This film predates themore famous WWII pow film The Great Escape by more than a decade, but hadWilder, Holden and company not caused havoc in Stalag 17, the world wouldnever have seen Steve McQueen play the cooler king with such wry aplomb.Stalag 17 is easily one of the finest films of its time, if not of alltime,and I would encourage anyone who has never experienced its unique blend ofcynicism, comedy, suspense and drama to check it out at the earliestavailable opportunity.