Stalag 17

Stalag 17 (1953), the riveting drama of a German prisoner-of-war camp, was adapted from the Broadway play directed by Jos Ferrer in 1951. Billy Wilder developed the play and made the film version more interesting in every way. Edwin Blum, a veteran screenwriter and friend of Wilders, collaborated on the screenplay but found working with Wilder an agonizing experience. Wilders mordant humor and misanthropy percolate throughout this bitter story of egoism, class conflict, and betrayal. As in a well-constructed murder mystery, the incriminating evidence points to the wrong man. Jeffrey Meyerss introduction enriches the reading of Stalag 17 by including comparisons with the Broadway production and the reasons for Wilders changes.