The Colditz Story (1955)

The Colditz Story was a 1955 Prisoner of War film that starred John Mills and Eric Portman and directed by Guy Hamilton.

It was based on the book written by P.R.Reid, a British army officer who was imprisoned in Oflag IV-C, Colditz Castle, in Germany during the Second World War and who was the Escape Officer for British POWs within the castle.

British, French, Dutch and Polish Prisoners of War (POW's), of many other nationalities who have repeatedly made escape attempts but have been recaptured, are sent to Oflag IV-C, a supposedly secure castle or schloss, in Saxony in the heart of Nazi Germany during World War II. At first the different nationalities try to initiate their own plans until the Senior British Officer (SBO) steps in and suggests co-operation between the different contingents. At first, the coordination fails because one of the prisoners is supplying information to the German guards. After he is discovered, plans remain secret. There then follow a number of escapes; some successful, some not.



The prisoners of Colditz are high-spirited and eager to needle the Germans. The escape officer of the British contingent, Patrick Reid (Mills), assists in the escape of other prisoners and finally carries out his own escape. The culmination of his escape, his successful crossing into Switzerland, is not depicted in the film.

• John Mills as Pat Reid
• Christopher Rhodes as Mac McGill
• Lionel Jeffries as Harry Tyler
• Bryan Forbes as Jimmy Winslow
• Guido Lorraine as Polish officer
• Anton Diffring as Fischer
• Richard Wattis as Richard Gordon
• Ianm Carmichael as Robin Cartwright
• Eric Portman as Colonel Richmond
• Frederick Valk as Kommandant
• Denis Shaw as Priem
• Theodore Bikel as Vandy, 
• Keith Pyott as French colonel
• Eugene Deckers as La Tour
• Anthony Faramus as British officer
• Peter Swanwick as Lutyens