Escape to Victory

[Merton Park]

If you can't enough football at the moment , then this is for you. A portly Michael Caine plus Silvester Stallone!!!!!! in goal and of course Anton Diffring, plus some great football faces from the 70's and early 80's including the wonderful Ossie Ardiles, the incomparable Pele and the late great Bobby Moore.

Sunday afternoon 17 June at 4:55pm on ITV4

[GRAEME]

And weirdly sort of based on a true story (a much more tragic one).

[Steve Crook]

And weirdly sort of based on a true story (a much more tragic one).

Which particular "true story" do you mean? There are a couple of contenders. It could make it more interesting if it was based on a true story, and if that "true story" really was true

Steve

[Andy H]

Wow, I always end up watching this to the end, despite the fact I could probably act all the parts myself. War, football, escape and most of the iconic footballers of our generation. And IMO it's one of the few films in which Michael Caine doesn't resemble a piece of solid oak.

Stallone spoils it a bit for me. I realise there had to be an American actor in it so the film could be flogged in the US, but surely there was someone a bit more suitable. Having said that I'm struggling to think of any American actor of the right age range who wasn't too glamorous or smooth.
I'm not a football fan by any stretch of the imagination, but this remains one of my all-time faves.

[Mr Sloane]

Which particular "true story" do you mean? There are a couple of contenders. It could make it more interesting if it was based on a true story, and if that "true story" really was true

Steve

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_Match

[Steve Crook]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_Match

Yes, that's one of the contenders, but there's nothing to support it being true that all the players were killed.

Another contender is that a group of allied POWs challenged to a football match by their German captors. The deal was that if the Germans won the match, the POWs would be set free in Switzerland. However if the POWs won, they would be shot. But there's no support for that story either

Steve

[Rowdon]

Yes, that's one of the contenders, but there's nothing to support it being true that all the players were killed.

Another contender is that a group of allied POWs challenged to a football match by their German captors. The deal was that if the Germans won the match, the POWs would be set free in Switzerland. However if the POWs won, they would be shot. But there's no support for that story either

Steve

Surely the other way round? Otherwise it's not much motivation to win on either side is there? ("Komm, Fritz! If vee beat zese prrrisoners, vee can set zem FREI!!!" // "Come on Chalky, put your back into it! There's a bullet in the gut for you if you play your best game!"

[Mr Sloane]

Yes, that's one of the contenders, but there's nothing to support it being true that all the players were killed.

Another contender is that a group of allied POWs challenged to a football match by their German captors. The deal was that if the Germans won the match, the POWs would be set free in Switzerland. However if the POWs won, they would be shot. But there's no support for that story either

Steve

No one has suggested they were, the article mentions that the incident was exaggerated by the Russians for propaganda but being sent back to work camps were certainly some died is hardly a happy outcome.

[Steve Crook]

No one has suggested they were

Check Graeme's post on the 15th. Although that was filled with caveats. But it made me wonder if it could be based on a true story because that would have made it interesting to me. More interesting than some people kicking a ball around

Steve

[GRAEME]

Check Graeme's post on the 15th. Although that was filled with caveats. But it made me wonder if it could be based on a true story because that would have made it interesting to me. More interesting than some people kicking a ball around

Steve

I would say the ending of the putative true story it may be based on is more tragic than the happy ending of ETV, wouldn't you?

Do you have to try and contradict everything I ever write - even purposely misreading or jumping to conclusions in order to allow you to do so?

Is it fun for you?

Not much else in your life, hmm?

[Steve Crook]

Do you have to try and contradict everything I ever write

I didn't contradict you. Don't be so touchy

Steve

[sidney bliss]

Just thought it was a damn fun film myself.

[markrgv]

Definitely one of those films that is pretty bad - but a very enjoyable watch none the less. Great sunday afternoon action.

[GRAEME]

I didn't contradict you. Don't be so touchy

Steve

Yeah. OK. Sorry, you're right.

[Tom Bennett]

Not the greatest film Michael Caine or Stallone has done......fun to watch Pele though.

[Amethyst_Isle]

I wonder if the beginning of the film was cut ? there is a scene where POW's escape and get shot,when this was shown on both BBC1 and CH4 this scene was cut.

The film has it's laughable moments....

The vast majority of the extras in the soccer stadium have hairstyles and wear clothes associated with the late 1970s and early 1980s (long hair, flares and wide-collared shirts etc.).

When the POW's come out to play they are all wearing Adidas or Puma (? ) style sports gear that wasn't even around that time.

[Windthrop]

It remains for me a naffly entertaining movie. Not one of John Huston's best but a competant yarn. A film actors that can't play football and footballers who can't act plus a tubby Michael Caine, too fat to have ever been a footballer let alone in a prison camp. Sunday afternoon hokum.

[GRAEME]

It remains for me a naffly entertaining movie. Not one of John Huston's best but a competant yarn. A film actors that can't play football and footballers who can't act plus a tubby Michael Caine, too fat to have ever been a footballer let alone in a prison camp. Sunday afternoon hokum.

Indeed. Good fun if not taken seriously.

A mile better than the utter drek that is Escape To Athena!