Stalag 17 [Paperback]

Billy Wilder (Author), Jeffrey Meyers (Introduction)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0520218574 | ISBN-13: 978-0520218574 | Publication Date: June 24, 1999 | Edition: 1

Stalag 17 (1953), the riveting drama of a German prisoner-of-war camp, was adapted from the Broadway play directed by José 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 Wilder's, collaborated on the screenplay but found working with Wilder an agonizing experience.
Wilder's 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 Meyers's introduction enriches the reading of Stalag 17 by including comparisons with the Broadway production and the reasons for Wilder's changes.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Billy Wilder was born in 1906 near Cracow in Polish Galicia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His first career was journalism, but he soon moved into the German film industry as a scriptwriter. When Hitler came to power, Wilder fled to Paris and came to Hollywood in 1934. His fifty-year career there--as both director and cowriter--was one of astonishing versatility and genius, encompassing films about war, murder, alcoholism, Hollywood, sensational journalism, prison camps, criminal trials, love stories, and romance as comedy. Billy Wilder has been nominated for twenty-one Academy Awards and has won six Oscars. He lives in Los Angeles. Jeffrey Meyers, a renowned biographer, has written many books and articles on modern American, English, and European literature. He lives in Berkeley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (June 24, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520218574
• ISBN-13: 978-0520218574
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,307,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cinematic Magic., April 30, 2002

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tvtv3 "tvtv3" (Sorento, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Stalag 17 (Paperback)

Billy Wilder adapted the stage play of STALAG 17 and improved it every way he could. This is a copy of the original screenplay for the movie so all of the scenes are here, including a few snippets that were deleted in the final version of the film. The story is brilliantly put together and it only takes about an hour to ninety minutes to read the whole thing, including the informative introduction. This is a wonderful example to explore for anyone who wants to write or is writing screenplays and it is also great for any movie buff or fan of Wilder.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite Simply- Brilliant, December 11, 2000

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[e-mail] (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stalag 17 (Paperback)

If you enjoyed just one episode of Hogans Heroes then you will love Stalag 17, which was the inspiration of that show. Although I must admit that I am not a big fan of the Animal character the script itself is darn close to perfection. Stalag 17 is one of the funniest films of all time. The plot is simple and is basically just several episodes in a german prisoner of war camp in world war II as the prisoners suspect that they have an informer in their midst. The scene where they find out who the informer actually is, is one the best scenes that you can watch or read. William Holden won the best actor oscar for his performance in this film and with material like this too work from it is not hard to understand why.