The Password Is Courage

"The Password is Courage" is a 1962 World War II film, directed and written by Andrew L. Stone. The film is a lighthearted take on the true story of Sergeant-Major Charles Coward, and the screenplay is based on the biography of Coward written by John Castle.

Plot

Charles Coward (Bogarde) is a British NCO incarcerated in the POW camp Stalag VIII-B. He encourages his fellow inmates to escape, and tries to humiliate the German guards at every opportunity.

He first attempts to escape by masquerading as a wounded German soldier. He is taken to hospital, where his identity is revealed, but not before being awarded the Iron Cross as he lies in his hospital bed. He then digs a tunnel, and, using a map he has obtained from the Polish Resistance, escapes with fellow prisoner Bill Pope (Lynch). They are captured.

After the failure of the tunnel, they then attempt to escape by using a fire engine. Their plan works - German soldiers get off the road to allow the firetruck to pass through - and they drive the vehicle to freedom.

Reality

Although the film claims that it is "Based on a true story", it doesn't say how close (or distant) it is to that true story. The final escape in the film is obviously based on The "Great Escape" although Coward wasn't involved in that, he wasn't even in the same camp. People that served with him [http://www.prisonerofwar.org.uk/autumn_2006.htm] have claimed that a lot of the stories in his book actually happened to other people and it seems that the film has diverted from the truth even more by borrowing events that happened to other people.

Cast

*Dirk Bogarde — Sgt. Maj. Charles Coward
*Maria Perschy — Irena
*Alfred Lynch — Bill Pope
*Nigel Stock — Cole
*Reginald Beckwith — Unterofficer
*Richard Marner — Schmidt
*Ed Devereaux — Aussie
*Lewis Fiander — Pringle
*George Mikell — Necke
*Richard Carpenter — Robinson

External links

*imdb title|id=0056335|title=The Password is Courage