Stalag 17
Billy Wilder was a director that worked within genre, but out of structure of those genres. Yeah, “Some Like It Hot” is a straight farce, but “One, Two, Three” plays as a savage political satire; “Ace in the Hole” is an indictment of the press; “Sunset Boulevard” is a gothic romance dressed up as Hollywood drama; and “The Apartment” is equally effective as a potent drama or romantic comedy. In his 1953 WWII drama, “Stalag 17,” Wilder effortlessly mixes wicked humor into the story of POWs dealing with life in a German prison camp, as well as the possibility that there might be a traitor in their midst.
The film is narrated by one of the prisoners, Sgt. Clarence Harvey ‘Cookie’ Cook (Gil Stratton), one of the prisoners being kept in Barracks 4 at Stalag 17 in 1944. Sgt. Cook is a good individual to narrate this story, because he is the right hand of the cynical Sgt. Sefton (William Holden, reuniting with Wilder after “Sunset Boulevard” for his Oscar-winning role), who is a harsh realist when it comes to their chances of ever escaping, which is what we come in the middle of for a couple of POWs before they are immediately found and shot. Sefton’s certainty of their defeat makes some of the other people in the barrack think that he might be working as a mole for Commandant Scherbach (Otto Preminger). The rest of the barrack doesn’t really trust him, and we see- as daily life progresses for them- how Scherbach, through Sgt. Schulz (Sig Ruman), though we don’t see who is leaving them. That is a mystery where the stakes are high after an Allied Lieutenant (Don Taylor) gets placed in the camp, and he is found guilty of espionage by the Germans, possibly leading to his execution.
Wilder and his co-writer Edwin Blum, who are adapting a play inspired by real-life experiences, establish a template for POW movies that would continue for many years, but you also get a feeling that there is real emotion they are bringing to the table, as well- Wilder lost family in WWII. There are moments and characters that are truly comedic, such as Sgts. “Animal” Kuzawa (Robert Strauss)- who has a crush on Betty Grable- and Shapiro (Harvey Lembeck), and their desires towards female Russian prisoners in the next camp over, as well as the sharp tongue of Sefton, but Wilder is more interested in doing a character study in how people react in situations like this, as they are tested by the conditions both emotionally, and in their loyalties, than just making something like “Hogan’s Heroes” would later on TV. This is a work of insightful humanity and intelligent storytelling as we see Sefton is less a cynic, and more a person with the full picture in mind whose trust doesn’t come naturally. Holden is sly and engaging in the role, and it’s easy to see why he won the Oscar, as he and Wilder had a natural rapport together as actor and director that makes you feel as though Sefton is a natural extension of Wilder on screen. It’s interesting coming to this as someone more familiar with the type of war movies and POW movies that would come after it- and it’s a compelling bookend to watching David Lean’s “The Bridge on the River Kwai” earlier this year, which also had Holden in a POW camp, albeit on the Japanese front- but Wilder’s unique blend of wicked wit gives it a feeling and sense of fun that stands out even to this contemporary viewer.
