This film does rather play to the stereotypes a bit - the plucky Brits; disorganised French; stoic Dutch and generally enthusiastic Poles - and as such should be treated more as a piece of fact-based entertainment rather than some sort of documentary-style analysis. It does still, however, demonstrate clearly what must have been the feelings of despair and frustration when the gates are heard to close and the prisoners' freedom lies tantalisingly but inaccessibly close. Eric Portman and Lionel Jeffries steal this for me (I always found John Mills just a touch too arrogant and superior). Once t...