Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Stalag 17 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 23, 2023

Billy Wilder's "Stalag 17" (1953) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the it include new audio commentary by critic Steve Mitchell and author Steven Jay Rubin; new audio commentary by author and critic Joseph McBride; archival featurettes; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Billy Wilder’s film Stalag 17 is based on the popular 1951 Broadway play by Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski, both of whom were captured by the Germans during WWII and sent to the notorious prison camp Stalag XVII B, where they spent two years. It is one of only two war films Wilder directed.

A few days before Christmas, 1944, inside Stalag 17 two brave American prisoners from Barracks 4 bid farewell to their mates and enter the secret tunnel they have dug together. When moments later they are captured and executed, the men in Barracks 4 conclude that someone must have informed the Germans about the planned escape. Then they all agree that it must have been the cynical Sgt. J. J. Sefton (William Holden, The Bridge on the River Kwai), who has correctly predicted that the two men will fail. Sefton swears that he isn’t a mole, but is promptly beaten and isolated.

Meanwhile, someone continues to supply the camp’s commandant, Oberst von Scherbach (Otto Preminger), with valuable information about all important activities inside Barracks 4. The information is delivered through the shady guard Schulz (Sig Ruman, To Be or Not to Be), who closely monitors the prisoners and their mail.

Sefton gets a chance to prove that he is innocent when two new prisoners, both pilots, arrive and reveal how one of them (Don Taylor, The Naked City) destroyed a large ammunition train on their way to the camp.

The overwhelming majority of the film takes place inside the barracks, where the prisoners try to figure out how the Germans always manage to be a few steps ahead of them. Interestingly enough, the tension that emerges is countered with plenty of laughs that create numerous very odd contrasts. For example, Shultz and the rest of the guards that interact with the prisoners are often portrayed as clueless clowns that can be so naive that it is hard to imagine that they have any sort of control over the camp. (There is a scene in which a guard actually gives his rifle to one of the prisoners so that he could play volleyball). The supposedly serious conflicts between the prisoners are also accompanied by such massive overreactions that at times it literally feels like one is viewing a giant farce.

Arguably the biggest issue, however, is that various cast members appear undecided whether they are in a serious war drama or a witty comedy. Holden, the best of them, impresses with his believable cynical attitude, but Robert Straus’ (Animal) silly overreactions are borderline unbearable. Halfway through the film a supposedly prominent gentleman from Geneva also arrives to inspect the camp and his often surreal behavior and questions nearly collapse the entire film.

The closing twenty or so minutes, where Holden really shines, give the film some credibility, but the finale delivers yet another odd surprise. Holden’s last words to the prisoners ring true, but before he disappears in the tunnel, they are quickly placed in a much safer context.

Director of photography Ernest Laszlo’s (Logan's Run, The Star) lensing is wonderful. The panoramic shots from the camp, in particular, look terrific. The film’s soundtrack was created by multiple Oscar-winning composer Franz Waxman (Sunset Boulevard, A Place in the Sun).

Stalag 17 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Stalag 17 is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-1 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #14-27 are from 4K Blu-ray.

The native 4K presentation of Stalag 17 can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I viewed it in its entirety with Dolby Vision and did not test the HDR grade.

I think that the native 4K presentation is an all-around winner. On my system, a lot of the visuals, regardless of whether they were darker or not, had a much more attractive organic appearance, and often noticeably better delineation and depth. I would definitely not describe the difference as dramatic because the previous Blu-ray releases of the film offer very pleasing technical presentations as well, but there are improvements in density, delineation, depth, and the overall dynamic range of the visuals even untrained eyes will easily appreciate. With Dolby Vision, the grayscale looks very attractive, too. The grays, in particular, appear more nuanced, adding to the better delineation and depth. Grain is very tight and nicely exposed. Some fluctuations remain, but they are part of the original cinematography. The important point here is that the surface of the visuals looks very solid, so on a larger screen you will definitely see the uptick in quality if you transition from 1080p to 4K. Fluidity is very good. To sum it all up, the move to 4K comes with good, meaningful improvements in visual quality that are easy to appreciate as well.

Stalag 17 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I revisited Stalag 17 very late last night, had the volume of my system lowered a bit more than usual, and was still able to hear everything that was said throughout the film. This did not surprise me because even on the previous Blu-ray release the audio was fantastic. I did not notice any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Stalag 17 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Steve Mitchell and author Steven Jay Rubin (Combat Films: American Realism).

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by author and critic Joseph McBride (Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge).

• Commentary Three - in this arrival audio commentary, actors Richard Erdman (Sgt. 'Hoffy' Hoffman) and Gil Stratton (Sgt. Clarence Harvey 'Cookie' Cook) and co-playwright Donald Bevan discuss how various sequences from the film were shot, Otto Preminger's performance and some of their interactions with him during and after the shooting of the film, the comedic overtones, etc. The commentary initially appeared on the R1 Special Collector's Edition DVD release of the film.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Steve Mitchell and author Steven Jay Rubin (Combat Films: American Realism).

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by author and critic Joseph McBride (Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge).

• Commentary Three - in this arrival audio commentary, actors Richard Erdman (Sgt. 'Hoffy' Hoffman) and Gil Stratton (Sgt. Clarence Harvey 'Cookie' Cook) and co-playwright Donald Bevan discuss how various sequences from the film were shot, Otto Preminger's performance and some of their interactions with him during and after the shooting of the film, the comedic overtones, etc. The commentary initially appeared on the R1 Special Collector's Edition DVD release of the film.

• Stalag 17: From Reality to Screen - this archival featurette focuses on the production history and success of Billy Wilder's Stalag 17. Included in it are clips from interviews with William Holden biographer Bob Thomas, actor Richard Erdman, Billy Wilder biographer Ed Sikov, playwright Donald Bevan, and writer/director Nicholas Meyer (Company Business), amongst others. The featurette was also included on the DVD release of the film. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• The Real Heroes of Stalag XVII B - in this fantastic archival featurette, veteran/playwright Donald Bevan and veterans Edward McKenzie and Ned Handy recall their experiences at Stalag XVII B after they were captured by the Germans. Also included are clips from interviews with Capt. Dale A. Dye (USMC Ret. military advisor for film and television) and military historian/author Phillip Kaplan. The featurette was also included on the DVD release of the film. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Stalag 17. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Stalag 17 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Stalag 17 became one of Billy Wilder's biggest hits, but I find it to be one of his least convincing films. The balance of humor and drama in it is very awkward, and despite William Holden's excellent performance, I think that the end result is rather underwhelming. The two films Wilder directed before it, Ace in the Hole and Sunset Boulevard, are vastly superior. Kino Lorber's 4K Blu-ray release offers an outstanding presentation of Stalag 17, so if it is one of your favorites, give yourself an early Christmas present. RECOMMENDED to the fans.