The legendary star and director of 1950’s Sunset Boulevard—William Holden and Billy Wilder—re-teamed three years later for the gripping World War II drama, Stalag 17. The result was a 1953 Best Director Oscar nomination for Wilder, and the elusive Best Actor Oscar for Holden. The iconic star of The Bridges at Toko-Ri and The Bridge on the River Kwai portrays the jaded, scheming Sergeant J.J. Sefton, a P.O.W. at the notorious German prison camp, who spends his days dreaming up rackets and trading with the Germans for special privileges. But when two prisoners are killed in an escape attempt, it becomes obvious that there is a spy among them. Is it Sefton? Famed filmmaker Otto Preminger (Rosebud) tackles a rare acting role as the camp’s commandant; Robert Strauss (The Seven Year Itch) earned the film’s third Oscar nomination (Best Supporting Actor) for his role as “Animal.” Here’s “the granddaddy of all World War II P.O.W. films” (Leonard Maltin), a powerful antiwar classic from the brilliant creator of Five Graves to Cairo, A Foreign Affair, Sabrina, Some Like It Hot and The Apartment.

For thoughts on Stalag 17, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/XVdHVOn5xZ0?si=Dzx-V6zu2t8GdF8t&t=911]

Video Quality

Stalag 17 appears on 4K UHD Blu-Ray in 1.37:1 courtesy of a spectacular 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative in 2160p/Dolby Vision that showcases this classic film as it was always intended. Warner Bros. first released this film on Blu-Ray in 2013 through their partnership with Paramount, and the film has since been re-released several times with that master. We have never seen that disc to compare, but by all accounts, it was a decent presentation for the film. This new presentation goes back to the source and unlocks subtle nuances that allow this film to look like the best version of itself. The slate of 4K UHD releases from Kino Classics continues to impress

The black and white cinematography captured by Ernest Laszlo has never looked better with consistent gradients and subtle textures showcased in the backgrounds of the encampment. The soldiers are actually allowed to look like they have been through some trials and tribulations at points. The transfer retains the filmic quality of the picture with natural film grain resolving favorably without a hiccup. The grain looks compact and natural with nothing veering into noise or compression artifacts. The Dolby Vision allows the black levels to be significantly deep without any intrusions such as crush or banding. Highlights are likewise robust with no clipping on display. The uniforms and environments exhibit a striking amount of textural detail. Nearly every shot presents with some tremendous depth to the image. The transfer does not showcase any specks or print damage. Kino Classics has delivered a top-tier transfer here.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that easily exhibits every sonic nuance it is supposed to. Dialogue comes through clearly with no significant moments of weakness. This is balanced capably with the background noises so everything works together in harmony. The environmental effects are not tremendously complex, but they come through to make this camp three-dimensional. The score does not exhibit any major instances of distortion or signs of damage. Age-related wear and tear such as hissing and crackles do not pop us as an issue. Kino Classics delivers in every way you could want from this one. There are optional English SDH subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentaries: This disc offers two new commentary tracks from film historians plus an archival commentary track from a more personal perspective from some key figures who were in the film. Throughout these tracks you come to learn where this fits into the career of Billy Wilder, how this film came together, how it fares as a feat of adaptation, the performances in the film, the shooting locations, the response to the film, and more.

- Audio Commentary #1: Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Combat Films: American Realism Author Steven Jay Rubin

- Audio Commentary #2: Film Historian Joseph McBride, Author of Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge

- Audio Commentary #3: Actors Richard Erdman and Gil Stratton with Co-Playwright Donald Bevan

Stalag 17 – From Reality To Screen: A 22-minute archival featurette in which film historians and creative figures discuss where this fits into the career of Billy Wilder, the success it had on Broadway as a play, the rewriting of the material for the silver screen, and more.

The Real Heroes of Stalag XVII B: A 25-minute archival featurette in which real-life POWs share their stories.

Trailers: The two-minute trailer is provided for Stalag 17. There are also trailers provided for The Bridges at Toko-Ri, The Counterfeit Traitor, The Devil’s Brigade, Five Graves to Cairo, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Time Limit, The Train, and The Great Escape.

Final Thoughts

Stalag 17 is somewhat of an odd bird from the great Billy Wilder. It takes a master of all genres to tackle this tricky tonal balance, and he very nearly walks the line perfectly. The ongoing threat of a traitor in the ranks provides some palpable tension, but the colorful characters often find something humorous to mine out of their terrible situation – healing through laughter. Where things stumble ever so slightly is in the degree comedy is utilized, as some comedic sequences are downright unbelievable and seem to be included for an easy laugh. Nevertheless, when the film is working it is terrific, and it works most of the time. The performances are really great, and the feature delivers some emotional moments that ring true. Kino Classics has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a fantastic A/V presentation and a nice assortment of new and archival special features. This is a must for any fan of the director. Highly Recommended

Stalag 17 is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.