Synopsis:
(1950) A group of Allied POWs held captive by the Nazis in Stalag Luft III hatch an audacious plan (inspired by Greek mythology) to use an exercise vaulting horse to disguise their escape tunnelling activities.
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Analysis:
Based on Eric Williams' novel The Tunnel Escape, The Wooden Horse (d. Jack Lee, 1950) brought one of World War II's most famous escape stories to the cinema only five years after the end of the war, and established a model for many similar films that followed.
Lee cut his cinematic teeth on wartime documentaries for the Crown Film Unit, and the influence of John Grierson, Harry Watt and Humphrey Jennings can be seen in the structure of his film, in its austere realism, and the documentary 'look' on screen, offering a convincing feel for place.
This is particularly evident in the tunnelling scenes, where there are resonances of some of the earlier Grierson industrial documentaries, and in the 'hut' scenes, where the camera lingers on inactivity and the minutiae of the POWs' actions.
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