LauraLeeWasHere I don't know if I can trump the rest of you with my age but I first saw this movie on TV in 1975. (some of you probably weren't even born yet). Anyway, it came on TV again a year later, 1976 (hey, I can add). Since then, I've just been waiting and looking. And remember a good 20 of those years "waiting and looking" there was no such thing as an the Internet. I searched through EVERY video rental store I could find (we didn't know what a DVD or CD was back then). In fact when I started looking for this movie there was NO where to look because video machines hadn't been invented yet. So as a 10 year old I got my pencil and loose leaf paper and started writing TV stations to please play the movie. I was in Canada so I wrote to the 2 Stations in Canada and the 3 in America. But nothing. Now here it is AND I discover there are people from all over the world who love this movie too. I feel like a black person returning to Africa. I have found "my people". Of course, it's about time this movie came into it's own. you wouldn't believe the weird looks a 10 year old gets when a bunch of grown ups are discussing their favorite movie stars (Richard Burton, David Niven, Gregory Peck, Charleton Heston) and I slip by with my glass of Kool-Aid and say, "my favorite actor is Rene Auberjonois." You'd have thought I had a banana growing out of my head! (I actually wrote to Rene Auberjonois about this movie because it had so many titles it was making it difficult to look for. He wrote me back a lovely note AND sent me a photo which he wrote the name of the movie and my name on it as well. By then he was on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and most people knew who he was. That renewed my vigor to keep looking) But I think what those who haven't watched the movie and are reading these reviews should notice something important. Almost all of us gave this move a 9 or 10 stars. Personally I WANTED to give it 10 stars but that would mean "perfection" and I just can't hold to believe that there is anything this side of heaven that doesn't have at least ONE FLAW.Which brings us to Doug McClure. HE AIN'T IT! They may make characters to spoof him on "The Simpsons" ("Hi. I'm Troy McClure"). But good old Doug redeemed his entire career of somewhat goofy movies with this one. Way to go Doug! And thanks to the rest of you who have reminded me that we are never alone. Just perhaps a little distant from those we belong to. Love Laura-Lee

251063 This is one of those world war two films that capture every boy's sense of adventure and remains with you into adulthood. It did get a theatrical release in both the USA and o/seas.NBC screened it on TV as has many other networks both in the USA and o/seas.However like many films as they are shown around the world on TV and then on VHS and DVD, the actual running time gets shorten considerably. Once upon a time it was due to commercial breaks but when these shorten versions of the actual film start to turn up on VHS / DVD and now Blu-ray it is very frustrating for the consumer.They are paying top dollar especially in the case of Blu-Ray for an inferior product being the severely edited film. For the first time, Escape Of the Birdmen has been made available on DVD and Blu-ray however it has suffered from the above fate of severe editing or at least poor mastering.The current DVD and Blu-ray release is missing a total of 10mins of crucial footage.The first involves Doug McClure when he consults the engineer "Fitz" played by Tom Skerrit in the library about a book on engineering specifically on flying. the second scene is when the scientist character "Volda" or "Brevick" has a flashback to how his first escape plan from a top secret facility run by the Nazis fails after an attempted rescue by British Commandos.The third scene missing from the DVD / Blu-Ray release is when the blind character called "Davies" an ex British commando has a flashback to the raid on the Nazis top secret facility and how he became blind due to an exchange of gunfire during the failed raid. All three scenes are crucial to the telling of the story and especially the establishment of the relationship by chance between Brevick and Davies.If by some chance you can watch an unedited version of this film based on a true story, you will be pleased.

rollo_tomaso This TV-movie adaptation of "Escape from Colditz" manages to pack all the action and intelligence from the book, fine pacing, and unforgettable emotional characterizations into 75 minutes of run time. Terrific pacing, unforgettable musical score -- another rarity for a TV movie. The best kind of history lesson -- well-told, well-acted, truly representative, and thoroughly enjoyable. See it if you get the chance.

shazza_woywoy I think this movie is one of the best made for the period and about the war. The determination of the POW's to escape and the importance of one man to the world, and the US government is shown in the drama. The actors include Chuck Connors, and others fit like a glove into their roles.