STALAG 17 (1953)

Name: STALAG 17 (1953)
Item: STALAG 17 (1953)
Author: Review

"A Classic World War II Movie"

Family Content: -2 Extreme caution for older teenagers and adults.

Entertainment Quality:

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

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What You Need To Know:

STALAG 17 is a World War II comedy-drama movie from 1953 about American prisoners of war plotting to flee a German camp. After being accused of being a German informant, cigarette gambler Sergeant Sefton (William Holden) tries to find the culprit within his compound full of American soldiers. Meanwhile, the Nazi soldiers hold a maniacal leash over Sefton and his allies. Will the prisoners be able to make that daring escape?

STALAG 17 is a well-made war movie that still holds up decades later. The movie focuses on teamwork, patriotism, and the struggle against the Nazis. It’s well written and superbly acted. Moreover, the American characters celebrate Christmas Day. However, the movie has moderate violence, men becoming obsessed with Russian women, and onscreen smoking. So, MOVIEGUIDE® recommends caution for teenagers and their families.

Content:

(CC, BBB, PPP, VV, S, N, AA, DD, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

Very strong Christian moral worldview that values patriotism and brotherhood amongst American POWs, the prisoners do everything in their power to undermine the Nazi camp guards, the characters celebrate Christmas day and sing hymns about the Birth of Jesus, the main character puts his selfish behavior away for the greater good, the prisoners try to keep each other happy and sane during the stressful occupation, and the American characters succeed at an escape plan ;

Foul Language:

No foul language;

Violence:

Moderate violence but no blood or gore, three men are gunned down by German soldiers, an American prisoner is beat to a pulp by his allies, a spy is “dogpiled” by a cabin of men, and a man bombs an ammunition train off-screen;

Sex:

No on-screen sex, but the prisoners gaze over a line of Russian women from across the camp through a telescope, two Americans try to peep into a women’s “decontamination” facility, and two comic relief characters discuss wanting to marry girls back in the States;

Nudity:

A man holds a “pin-up” poster of his girlfriend in a 1950’s bikini (but no private parts are shown);

Alcohol Use:

An American POW drinks a bottle and gets drunk during a Christmas party, and some of the prisoners drink homebrewed wine;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

Various scenes of the main characters lighting and smoking cigarettes, the prisoners use cigarette packages as a form of currency, and two scenes of men gambling their items for a rat race;

Miscellaneous Immorality:

A man wears a wig and a dress to pretend to be a woman, a German spy sows distrust within a cabin, an American is left sleep-deprived for three days, and the Germans purposely lie to a human rights inspector from the Geneva Council.

More Detail:

STALAG 17 is a World War II comedy-drama movie about American prisoners of war trying to flee a German camp. After being accused of being a German informant, cigarette gambler Sergeant Sefton (William Holden) tries to find the culprit within his compound full of American soldiers. Meanwhile, the Nazi soldiers hold a maniacal leash over Sefton and his allies. Will the prisoners be able to make that daring escape?

Initially released in 1953, STALAG 17 is based on the Broadway play of the same name. In December 1944, German soldiers held a cabin of Sergeant-ranked US airmen hostage in a German compound. Following the fatal shooting of two American escapees, the prisoners of Barracks 4 hatch a new plan to escape. As the Americans inch closer to their goal, the Germans reveal that they are aware of the secrets. The prisoners try to uncover the informant before it’s too late.

While STALAG 17 was critically acclaimed at the time, a more pressing question remains. Does this movie hold up in the twenty-first century? In terms of production value, STALAG 17 holds up incredibly well. The movie is well-shot and superbly directed. The movie is in black and white, but the shot composition and use of real-life landscapes are excellent. The acting amongst the American and German characters feels genuine. This effort extends to the moral worldview.

In terms of worldview, STALAG 17 has a strong Christian / America-first philosophy. The American prisoners are rowdy and chaotic but pledge their loyalty to the United States first and foremost. The ensemble cast values teamwork, sticking together, and working together to overcome a common enemy. In one subplot, Sgts. Animal and Shapiro are class clowns who put their friendship above everyone else. Moreover, the American soldiers celebrate Christmas Day by singing various Christian hymns. The men exchange presents with one another. However, this joy is somewhat soured.

STALAG 17 has a fair share of objectionable content. There is no blood or gore, but moderate violence abounds. German machine guns brutally shoot three men. The protagonist gets beaten to a pulp by his allies and is later seen getting bruised. A man admits to blowing up a Nazi ammunition train. The American soldiers are shown to be “girl crazy” and howl at Russian women prisoners from outside the camp. Lastly, there is a scene where a drunken man mistakes his best friend for his future wife.

The most unique aspect of STALAG 17 is its morally grey main character, Sgt. Sefton. The Americans are depicted as “completely good” while the Nazis are represented as “complete evil.” Sefton is depicted as gambling with his cigarettes, cheating men out of their bets, and predicting that his allies might die during escape. Sefton’s superiority complex leads the cabin to distrust him. Sefton later redeems himself when he uncovers the German informant. In a way, Sefton gets redeemed by his colleagues.