'First-class' war film based on British officer's memoir on TV tonight

Released just 10 years after the ending of World War Two, this war film perfectly captures the true horrors of the time, with an all-star cast.

The Colditz Story is considered a classic film within British cinema since it first appeared on the big screen in 1955, and tonight it's making a big comeback. Based on a real-life memoir written by Pat Reid and his accounts as a British army officer imprisoned in Nazi Germany, this film retells the stories of WWII in a way that many viewers believe to be true to its brutality.

Directed by Guy Hamilton, a cinema legend of the era, The Colditz Story focuses on those imprisoned in Oflag IV-C, Colditz Castle, during the world war and specifically the story of Reid's heroic escape. It details the legendary breakout from the castle through a supposed escape-proof fortress as inmates did everything they could to fight for freedom - even if it meant wearing their enemies' uniforms to do it.

At the time of its theatrical release, the film was a huge hit and was thought to be the fourth most popular film at the box office that year. The legendary cast was made up of John Mills, Eric Portman and Lionel Jeffries, who fans of the film can't help but praise for their performances.

A viewer hailed the film as being accurate to the real accounts in a review on Rotten Tomatoes, writing: "The memoirs of the character played by John Mills were used for this film; it promises that it is a faithful adaptation of the memoirs and looks wonderfully of its time."

Another viewer shared: "A fine adaptation of Pat Reid's book - excellent acting, top-quality sets and just the right amount of humour to lighten a dark subject without belittling it." While someone else added: "This film gives a great insight to what happened at colditz. Its entertaining in its own right."

Picking apart the films detailing of the events, a viewer wrote: "One of a rash of WWII escape stories from the fifties, this is the classic tale of stiffer upper lips headed by the ever-reliable John Mills. It lacks the drama of Bridge Over The River Kwai and the action of The Great Escape, but it has a simple honesty that is probably the product of its roots as an adaptation of true-life memoirs.

"It's also happy to give screen time to the French, Dutch and Polish prisoners (something Hollywood would've been well served to take note of) and is even not entirely unsympathetic towards the German captors. A solid escape story all round."

In the 1950s, John Mills, who plays Reid in the film, was considered a true gem to see on screen, as he appeared across a huge array of projects, many of which were war films. His work in British cinema led him to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1976, and he also received a BAFTA Fellowship as well as the honourable title of Disney Legend.

A fan of the film claimed on IMDB that it was a "first-class prisoner of war tale", writing: "Anything with John Mills in is usually pretty good...and this is no exception... a good memorial to a tough place and some tough people that were prepared to risk machine guns and attack dogs to get over the wall to continue the war.

"While this type of movie always has many dramatic plus points built in, it is - still - one of the top hundred British movies ever made and one of my top two hundred (made anywhere) films."

You can catch these scenes on your own TV screens this evening for free, as The Colditz Story is set to appear on Film4 at 4.45pm. Alternatively, the movie can be purchased to watch through Amazon Prime.