The Wooden Horse (1950)

Thanks for the memories!

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Peter, John, and Phil, (played by Leo Genn, Anthony Steel, and David Tomlinson respectively) are POWs with a plan to escape : make a vaulting horse that can carry a man inside, and while the other chaps are busy jumping, have that man work on a tunnel and when done, cover up the hole and get carried back in the horse-all right under the German's noses. This approach takes far less time, but is much more dangerous, as even a small cave-in could instantly bring the 'goons' down on the heroes. After months of of digging, vaulting, and planning, the three men escape. But now comes the really tricky part : getting out of Germany to a neutral country. Peter and John travel together, with John doing all the talking because Peter can't speak German or French. Several times, it looks like they've had it, as German police inspect their hotel, a French contact seems to rather do them more harm than good, and a mysterious man follows them through the streets. So yes, they may have escaped from the POW camp, but can they escape from Germany? The story is told in true British fashion : no-nonsense, crisp dialogue, and cutting-edge tension throughout the film. Not one moment in this film can be described as boring, and every scene flows. Some other reviewers have said that its 'shelf-life has expired', but for anyone who appreciates a good story, script, and acting over senseless compilations of scenes, scripts that are thrown together simply to make money, and more explosions and car chases than actual dialogue and acting, this movie is a gem. It really captures (pardon the pun) the spirit of a British POW : determined, calm in every situation, and bloody clever. Leo Genn, as Peter, delivers an impeccable, sincere performance which he deserves much credit for. Genn was, in my opinion, one of Britian's best actors, and his talents are more than evident here. His line delivery would make any speech teacher jealous, and his movements and reactions are always followed through. He steals the show from the beginning and never lets go. An excellent performance from one of the greats. Anthony Steel, as John, also gives a good performance. Younger than Genn's Peter, Steel is the one who comes up with the wooden horse idea, and is constantly pushing to get out. He's the young bull who says 'lets dash down!' while Peter is the old bull who says 'lets stroll down'. He and Genn have great chemistry, and their friendship seems quite genuine. Steel is believable, eager, and great to watch. David Tomlinson, as Phil, though not given much screen time, still manages to put in a solid performance. He is funny and charming, just like later on in 'Mary Poppins'. Not the brightest chap in the camp, or the bravest, but he shows his teethe when needed. A delight to watch, and you can't help but love the guy. In summary, this is a marvelous film of a true story. All involved clearly put their heart into this production. The acting is superb, the script excellent, and the art of suspense is mastered to a "T". It will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, and you'll also have a few good laughs in the process. They don't make them like this anymore, which is a real shame. "The Wooden Horse" will be a favorite of mine for the rest of my life.

Intriguing WW 2 POW movie.Set in a German POW camp, Stalag Luft III, in 1943, the story of a daring escape attempt. The British POWs, mostly airmen, have been searching for a way to tunnel out of the camp. Their huts are too far from the perimeter for the conventional methods. They hit upon the idea of setting up a wooden vaulting horse in the middle of camp, ostensibly for exercise, but in reality as a starting point for a tunnel...Quite interesting and exciting story. The use of the wooden horse is a bit far-fetched so it helps to suspend disbelief. Is quite an ingenious idea though and the planning, building, scrounging and subterfuge that goes on around it is quite engaging. The best part however is what happens once they're out - very suspenseful.However, The Wooden Horse will always be compared to The Great Escape, and this doesn't help The Wooden Horse. The Great Escape has more action, bigger names, the coolness of Steve McQueen and is based on a true story and has better production values. This all said, The Wooden Horse must claim some, if not all, credit for The Great Escape being made, as it started the POW escape genre and The Great Escape, 13 years later, was the high point of it.

Excellent P.O.W. adventure, adapted by Eric Williams from his own book (a paperback copy of which forms part of my father's library) that was inspired by true events; it may well be the first film of its kind and, therefore, has a lot to answer for – not just similarly stiff-upper-lipped examples such as ALBERT, R.N. (1953; which I'll be watching presently), THE COLDITZ STORY (1955) and DANGER WITHIN (1959) but higher-profile releases from the other side of the Atlantic, namely STALAG 17 (1953) and THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963). This, then, sets the basis pretty solidly: British soldiers interned in a German camp devise an ingenious plan of escape, borrowing a page from Greek legend – burrowing from under a vaulting horse used during physical exercise and in full view of their captors! Actually, the film is neatly split into two halves: the first deals with the slow process of digging the tunnel, culminating in the escape itself, while the latter stages depict their fortunes outside the camp as they try to make it to neutral Sweden. Typically of these British films, the cast showcases several established (Leo Genn), current (Anthony Steel) and up-and-coming (Peter Finch, David Tomlinson and Bill Travers) stars, to say nothing of innumerable reliable character actors (Anthony Dawson, Bryan Forbes, Michael Goodliffe and Walter Gotell). The three leads/escapees are Genn, Steel and Tomlinson: while the first two stick together, the latter goes his own way – only to run into the others on reaching safety. As can be expected, the narrative involves plenty of suspense and excitement; as with most male-centered P.O.W. sagas, too, female interest is kept to the barest minimum. Director Lee didn't have a lengthy career – with this and the somewhat similar (albeit with a change of both setting and viewpoint) A TOWN LIKE ALICE (1956) his most noteworthy achievements – but he certainly milked every gripping situation in this case (even if, reportedly, delays in filming saw Lee quitting his post prematurely…leaving producer Ian Dalrymple with the task of tying up loose ends!). Anyway, worth special mention is the exquisite lighting (particularly during night-time sequences) throughout.

Playing out as a sort of pre runner to The Great Escape some 13 years later, this smashing little British film plays it straight with no thrills and dare do well overkill. First part of the movie is the set up and subsequent escape of our protagonists, whilst the second part concentrates on their survival whilst on the run as they try to reach Sweden. The film relies on pure characters with simple, effective, and yes, believable dialogue to carry it thru, and it achieves its aims handsomely. No little amount of suspense keeps the film ticking along, and as an adventure story it works perfectly for the time frame it adheres to, so a big thumbs to the film that may well be the first of its type? 7/10