Fast-talking wheeler-dealer Corporal King is stuck in a Malaysian P.O.W. camp during World War II and uses bribery and larceny to take de-facto control of the camp.Fast-talking wheeler-dealer Corporal King is stuck in a Malaysian P.O.W. camp during World War II and uses bribery and larceny to take de-facto control of the camp.Fast-talking wheeler-dealer Corporal King is stuck in a Malaysian P.O.W. camp during World War II and uses bribery and larceny to take de-facto control of the camp.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 3 nominations total
- Dino
- (as Joseph Turkel)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDue to the cast, director and setting, this is often assumed to be a British movie, but it was entirely filmed in California.
- GoofsAt the end of the opening credits, a medic folds the arms of a newly-deceased prisoner and covers his face with his blanket. As the medic does so, the dead prisoner moves his own fingers as his hands are placed on his upper arms.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Peter Marlowe: [speaking about King] It wouldn't have occurred to you would it, Grey, that you're only alive because of what he gave you?
Lt. Robin Grey: What are you talking about? I never took anything from him. He never gave me anything.
Peter Marlowe: Only hate, Grey. Only hate.
- Crazy credits[Prologue] This is not a story of escape. It is a story of survival.
It is set in Changi Jail Singapore, in 1945
The Japanese did not have to guard Changi as a normal prison of war camp. The inmates of Changi had no friendly Swiss border or any other neutral country within reach. They were held captive not so much by high walls, or barbed wire, or machine-gun posts, but by the land and sea around them - and the jungle was not neutral, nor was the ocean.
They did not live in Changi. They existed. This is the story of that existence.
- ConnectionsFeatured in A Walk on the Moon (1999)
- SoundtracksAdeste Fideles
(uncredited)
Written by Frederick Oakeley (1841)
Variation sung in distant background by POWs
James Fox also gives an outstanding performance as Segal's British counterpart who come under Segal's spell and begins to do alot of his dirty work for him. This is a movie you will not soon forget. Now, keep in mind that since this movie was made in 1965, it is tame in terms of its depiction of violence but that does not take away from its overall message. Great movie!
- kevin-167
- Dec 21, 2000
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Details
- Runtime2 hours 14 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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