Even after 53 years, Billy Wilder's classic is still one of the best blends of wartime drama and clever comedy ever made. Though I personally think "The Great Escape" is the definitive P.O.W. escape film, "Stalag 17" is still funny, dramatic and suspenseful enough to warrant repeated viewings. This Collector's Edition DVD includes a great transfer, as well as some pretty great bonus features, making it well-worth having in any serious movie fan's collection.

Based on a successful stage play, "Stalag 17" takes place entirely within the confines of a German prison camp during World War II. A band of American P.O.W.'s spend endless days & nights goofing off, confounding their captors and planning escapes. The problem is one of them is a mole, who has been informing the camp's commander (Otto Preminger) of all the goings on within barracks. The group initially accuse Sefton (William Holden), the cynical racketeer of the bunch, and brutally beat him one evening. Angry & bitter, Sefton tries to find out who the real spy is before the group attempts to spring a recently captured Lt. Dunbar (Don Taylor) from the prison before the Germans transfer him to an officer's camp, where he'll face charges of sabotage (he recently blew up a German ammunition train). The movie is well-paced, with plenty of light comedic moments (provided mostly by Harvey Lembeck & Robert Strauss) interspersed among the drama. The film is anchored by a fine ensemble cast; Holden does a fine job as Sefton (and won an Oscar), who keeps the character intriguing even when he isn't saying anything. Peter Graves (as Price) & Richard Erdman (as Hoffy, the group's leader) also turn in good performances.

I never saw the original DVD transfer, so I can't gauge whether or not the this edition is an improvement, but I was pretty impressed at the quality of the image, especially for a 53 year old film. There are some unavoidable signs of aging (scratches here & there), but for the most part, the lines are sharp and black tones are accurate. The soundtrack is rendered in Digital Mono. I must admit I was watching this one late at night, so I didn't have the volume cranked too high in fear of waking my family, but I had no trouble hearing the dialogue, the balance seemed okay, and I didn't notice any hissing or distortion.

The best extra is "Stalag 17: From Reality to Screen," which chronicles the germation of the original stage play through its adaptation to film, as told by several historians, biographers and a few surviving cast & crew members. "The Real Heroes of Stalag XVIIB" is a short feature about the real-life camp & prisoners who inspired the play. Also included is are audio commentaries by actors Erdman & Gil Stratton (Cookie, Sefton's sidekick who narrates the movie), and playwright Donald Bevan. Unlike a lot of commentaries of films this old, it's kind of nice they found guys actually involved in the production, rather than some analysis by a critic or author who wasn't there.

Even after a half-century, "Stalag 17" remains marvelous entertainment, and this Collector's Edition is worth owning, especially for the supplemental material. It may not reach the epic heights of "The Great Escape, " but it definitely stands up to repeated viewings, and provides plenty of suspense and surprises for those who've not yet seen it. Most highly recommended. Similar Movies: "The Great Escape" Useless Trivia: This probably comes from the "duh" file if you know anything about the film, but "Stalag 17" was the prime inspiration for the long-running series, "Hogan's Heroes."