Albert RN [Break to Freedom] **** (1953, Anthony Steel, Jack Warner, Robert Beatty) – Classic Movie Review 9159

Director Lewis Gilbert’s 1953 Albert RN [Break to Freedom] is a deservedly famous British Fifties World War Two prisoner-of-war camp movie, with notable stiff-upper-lipped acting, in which the true Brits, fed up with escapes that are rumbled, build a prisoner mannequin designed by artistic lieutenant Ainsworth (Anthony Steel) that they can use to take the place of an escapee and hide a prison break in 1944.

Jack Warner also stars as Captain Maddox, while Steel, Robert Beatty, William Sylvester, Michael Balfour, Paul Carpenter, Geoffrey Hibbert and Peter Jones all give stalwart service as lieutenants in the German POW camp.

Also in the cast are Anton Diffring as Hauptmann Schultz, Eddie Byrne, Guy Middleton, Moultrie Kelsall, Frederick Valk as Camp Kommandant, Frederick Schiller, Walter Gotell, Jack Sharp and Peter Swanwick,

Based on the play by Guy Morgan and Edward Sammis, the film is a bit static but still rousing, patriotic entertainment.

The character played by Anthony Steel is based on John Worsley, who created Albert both in the the real POW camp in the true-life story and then again for the film.

The events in the film took place in the prison camp Marlag O for Naval Officers in North West Germany, during the spring of 1944.

Albert RN [Break to Freedom] is directed by Lewis Gilbert, runs 88 minutes, is made by Dial and Angel Productions, is released by Eros Films (1953) (UK) and United Artists (1955) (US), is written by Guy Morgan and Vernon Harris, based on the play by Guy Morgan and Edward Sammis, is shot in black and white by Jack Asher, is produced by Daniel M Angel and Anthony Nelson Keys (associate producer), and is scored by Malcolm Arnold, with Art Direction by Bernard Robinson.

It was made for £80,000 at Nettlefold Studios, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England. A POW camp set was built on Headingley Heath for the film.

It was cut for a U classification in 1953.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9159

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