The One That Got Away – 1957 | 111 mins | Drama, War | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Based on the remarkable true story of Franz von Werra, The One That Got Away is the unique story of the only German airman to escape from British detention and return to his homeland. The One That Got Away stars real-life prisoner of war Hardy Kruger as the brash and charismatic von Werra, and the actor in his first UK production makes a surprisingly sympathetic enemy protagonist. What begins as a good mixture of boys-own-adventure and chase movie is improved upon by the vividly photographed scenes of von Werra battling both the harsh elements and the partly-frozen St Lawrence River in Canada. Roy Ward Baker‘s direction is appropriately straightforward and the black and white photography of veteran cinematographer Eric Cross’s is suitably crisp and energetic.

With the Battle of Britain at its height in 1940, German Luftwaffe pilot Oberleutnant Franz von Werra (Hardy Kruger) is shot down over Kent and captured by British soldiers. After interrogation in London, von Werra is imprisoned in a camp in the Lake District and brags to his interrogators that he’ll escape within six months. Captivity cannot deter him from the single aim of escaping back to his homeland and he makes two unsuccessful attempts while in England; once by slipping away over wall, the second time whilst masquerading as a Dutch pilot he comes perilously close to commandeering a Spitfire.

The German flyer is then transported to Canada, where he makes a daring escape from a train bound for Montreal. The course of his escape takes him through the snow-covered Canadian countryside until von Werra finally reaches the frozen St Lawrence River; once across he’ll be in New York state and the still-neutral United States. But von Werra is greeted by a final obstacle, the river has thawed in places and he must manhandle a canoe to the river’s edge before finally making the crossing. Canada apply for his return to the US authorities, but some two years after first being captured von Verra makes it back to Berlin by way of South America and Spain. But this is not quite the end of the Franz von Werra story.