Escape to Victory
Watched a film.
I don't know why, but I seem quite fond of war films that aren't battles. Ones about Posh British Actors escaping from things are good, and I think that is probably a genre in its own right. So it's sci-fi, comedies, and films set in POW camps. Maybe it's that there's one setting for the whole time and usually not much violence until everyone is inevitably killed at the end. There's something though, that I can't work out, to explain why I can sit through Life Is Beautiful but haven't even tried some of the modern "Americans Die In Europe At Or Post-Normandy." Squeamish of mere blood? Anyway.
As usual in the genre, there is a Token American which I always assume is for funding reasons. No matter where it is set, no matter when in the war, there is always a Token American in the main cast. This time it was Sylvester Stallone of all people, and I find it metafunny that several scenes are dedicated to the fact that his character has no logical reason for being involved.
The death count is low, but there is Michael Caine who annoys me by being that sort of Londoner that became the Acceptable Face Of Non-Poshness in films for a fair chunk of 20th century British cinema. It also has Pele in it, and probably some footballers who were famous back in the day.
The plot is that Michael Caine is an England footballer in a POW camp, and this obvs leads to a football match being scheduled between the Wehrmacht and an Allied team. There's a true story behind it, sort of. The film runs with that true story to come up with an international football match where the Allied team plan to escape at half-time with the help of the Resistance. Only they don't, because they want to beat the Germans. Luckily they escape anyway because otherwise that's the stupidest plan ever.
I liked Caine's character in this because a) he was dedicated to not escaping on grounds that it was likely going to get people killed and b) carrying on with the match against orders to keep five Eastern Europeans out of the labour camps for the duration. Sadly we never see them again after they arrive, though presumably they escape at the end with everyone else. (It cuts on the actual escape, leaving us to assume the Resistance somehow got everyone out of France.) As so often happens, the American is allowed to escape only to be made to go back carrying vital information for the attempted escape. I was really glad they all escaped anyway cos otherwise the French risked everything for nothing. But the French were really happy that the Germans got beat, so that probably worked well for their morale.
The way they escape is a French pitch invasion that pulls the Allied team out of the stadium, which I think works very well as the idea that the only thing no one can control is chaos. That against the stereotype of Nazi efficiency worked for me. There's a certain number of people above which nothing can control them, as witnessed by god knows how many riots through the ages.
How plausible the whole thing actually is is always an issue with these films. I'm not that convinced by it but whatever. It taught me that the Germans always cheat at football even when they don't have to, and reaffirmed the fact that Americans in WW2 were miraculously untouchable until the Normandy Landings. Before that they could apparently wander Occupied Europe fairly easily as long as they knew two or three sentences worth of French.
It would be better if it had Will Smith in it, but it is very watchable even without him.
I don't know why, but I seem quite fond of war films that aren't battles. Ones about Posh British Actors escaping from things are good, and I think that is probably a genre in its own right. So it's sci-fi, comedies, and films set in POW camps. Maybe it's that there's one setting for the whole time and usually not much violence until everyone is inevitably killed at the end. There's something though, that I can't work out, to explain why I can sit through Life Is Beautiful but haven't even tried some of the modern "Americans Die In Europe At Or Post-Normandy." Squeamish of mere blood? Anyway.
As usual in the genre, there is a Token American which I always assume is for funding reasons. No matter where it is set, no matter when in the war, there is always a Token American in the main cast. This time it was Sylvester Stallone of all people, and I find it metafunny that several scenes are dedicated to the fact that his character has no logical reason for being involved.
The death count is low, but there is Michael Caine who annoys me by being that sort of Londoner that became the Acceptable Face Of Non-Poshness in films for a fair chunk of 20th century British cinema. It also has Pele in it, and probably some footballers who were famous back in the day.
The plot is that Michael Caine is an England footballer in a POW camp, and this obvs leads to a football match being scheduled between the Wehrmacht and an Allied team. There's a true story behind it, sort of. The film runs with that true story to come up with an international football match where the Allied team plan to escape at half-time with the help of the Resistance. Only they don't, because they want to beat the Germans. Luckily they escape anyway because otherwise that's the stupidest plan ever.
I liked Caine's character in this because a) he was dedicated to not escaping on grounds that it was likely going to get people killed and b) carrying on with the match against orders to keep five Eastern Europeans out of the labour camps for the duration. Sadly we never see them again after they arrive, though presumably they escape at the end with everyone else. (It cuts on the actual escape, leaving us to assume the Resistance somehow got everyone out of France.) As so often happens, the American is allowed to escape only to be made to go back carrying vital information for the attempted escape. I was really glad they all escaped anyway cos otherwise the French risked everything for nothing. But the French were really happy that the Germans got beat, so that probably worked well for their morale.
The way they escape is a French pitch invasion that pulls the Allied team out of the stadium, which I think works very well as the idea that the only thing no one can control is chaos. That against the stereotype of Nazi efficiency worked for me. There's a certain number of people above which nothing can control them, as witnessed by god knows how many riots through the ages.
How plausible the whole thing actually is is always an issue with these films. I'm not that convinced by it but whatever. It taught me that the Germans always cheat at football even when they don't have to, and reaffirmed the fact that Americans in WW2 were miraculously untouchable until the Normandy Landings. Before that they could apparently wander Occupied Europe fairly easily as long as they knew two or three sentences worth of French.
It would be better if it had Will Smith in it, but it is very watchable even without him.