The Great Escape (film)

"We have in effect put all our rotten eggs in one basket. And we intend to watch this basket carefully."

"[After reciting the extensive history of Allied POW escapes and the vast resources Germany has been forced to spend on the matter] This is quite close to insanity. And it must stop!"

"[To Hilts, after being relieved as camp commandant] It looks, after all, as if you will see Berlin before I do."

"Look, sir, you talk about the High Command and the Luftwaffe, and then you talk about the Gestapo and the SS. To me, they're the same! We're fighting the bloody lot! There's only one way to put it, sir: they are the common enemies of everyone who believes in freedom. If the High Command didn't approve of Hitler, then why didn't they throw him out?"

"Colonel Von Luger, it is the sworn duty of all officers to try to escape. If they cannot escape, then it is their sworn duty to cause the enemy to use an inordinate number of troops to guard them, and their sworn duty to harass the enemy to the best of their ability."

"Ah, Herr Bartlett. And Herr MacDonald. We are together again. You are going to wish you had never put us to so much trouble..."

"Put a fence in front of these men...and they'll climb it."

"Hours ago... Minutes ago.... These men were behind barbed wire."

"Steve McQueen – Capt. Hilts "The Cooler King""

"James Garner – Flight Lt. Hendley "The Scrounger""

"Richard Attenborough – Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett "Big X""

"James Donald – Group Capt. Ramsey "The SBO""

"Charles Bronson – Flight Lt. Danny Velinski "The Tunnel King""

"Donald Pleasence – Flight Lt. Colin Blythe "The Forger""

"James Coburn – Flying Officer Louis Sedgwick "The Manufacturer""

"Hannes Messemer – Col. von Luger"

"David McCallum – Lt. Cmdr. Eric Ashley-Pitt "Dispersal""

"Gordon Jackson – Flight Lt. Sandy MacDonald "Intelligence""

"John Leyton – Flight Lt. William Dickes "The Tunneler""

"Angus Lennie – Flying Officer Archibald Ives "The Mole""

"Nigel Stock – Flight Lt. Denys Cavendish "The Surveyor""

"Robert Graf – Werner 'The Ferret'"

"Jud Taylor – Goff"