The Great Escape used to be on British TV pretty much EVERY Christmas afternoon. That’s how I remember it.

The film is a heavily fictionalised account of a real mass escape from a POW camp.  It’s undoubtedly one of the all-time classic war movies. Rarely if ever has such a fantastic cast been assembled, and there are few movies with as many iconic moments.

Steve McQueen’s turn as ‘the cooler king’ is perhaps the most memorable, notably his attempt to outrun the German army on a motorcycle by jumping over a barbed wire fence.  

The ingenuity of the prisoners firstly in digging and concealing the escape tunnels and then kitting out the would-be escapees is remarkable. What’s worth remembering is that in the end only 3 of the POW’s successfully escape. The majority don’t make it, and end up being executed.

This is a great little Belgian poster from the 70s. It is available to buy here.