There are some epic POW movies set in World War 2, many of which focused on Americans, from Hart’s War to King Rat. But there’s also some real gems, mainly focused on British prisoners-of-war, or at best Allied ones.
One classic that’s on TV this weekend is 1950’s The Wooden Horse, directed by Jack Lee and based on the book of the same name by Eric Williams. Williams was a World War 2 RAF pilot who wrote about his various escapes from POW camps, with the most famous being recounted in this novel.
Leo Genn, David Tomlinson and Anthony Steel star in The Wooden Horse’s fictionalised retelling of the true story of an escape attempt at Stalag Luft III. The structure was rebuilt in the British zone near where the Germans surrendered. Interestingly, the actor Peter Butterworth, who was a POW at Stalag Luft III in real life, auditioned for a part in the film, but producers said, “He didn’t look convincingly heroic or athletic enough.” The film’s title refers to the gymnast’s apparatus, which the POWs used to hide their escape attempt, while also being a reference to the Trojan Horse.
The Wooden Horse is on BBC Two this Saturday at 12:15pm and will be streaming on BBC iPlayer for a limited time.