Hilarious, heart-tugging! You'll laugh... you'll cry... you'll cheer William Holden!

Starring: William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger, Robert Strauss, Peter Graves, Neville Brand, Harvey Lembeck, Richard Erdman, Michael Moore, Sig Ruman, Peter Baldwin

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"The first week I was in this joint, somebody stole my Red Cross package, my blanket, and my left shoe. Well, since then I've wised up. This ain't no Salvation Army - this is everybody for himself, dog eat dog." – J. J. Sefton

Why watch this? ... it's a very good WWII prisoner-of-war film, with lots of cynical comedic moments.

Plot Summary: During Christmas of 1944 at a German POW camp, American airmen in Barracks 4 suspect that one of their fellow prisoners is a Nazi informant after two escape attempts fail and result in deaths. The men’s suspicions are focused on Sgt. Sefton, a resourceful and cynical prisoner who engages in black market dealings and openly trades with the German guards. Sefton denies being the informant and resolves to find the real traitor.

Dad's Preview: This dark comedy dances the fine line between a rip-roaring comedy, and the fact that it depicts life in a Nazi-run prison camp. It is a miserable place to be, and nobody in the gulag can be trusted. In fact, there is a traitor among the captives. The film was a smashing success upon its release and William Holden won the Best Actor Oscar that year for his role as the shifty, wise-cracking J. J. Sefton.  

Billy Wilder; Paramount Pictures