The film is based on a book of the same name published in 1954 chronicling the adventures and misadventures of British soldier Sergeant-Major Charles Coward who was a German prisoner-of-war beginning in 1940 when he was captured in the French northern port city of Calais.
Coward was a technical advisor on the film and has been credited with saving numerous Jews from extermination at Auschwitz. Controversy surrounds Coward's account with some of his stories credited to others as well as the number of Jews he saved being in dispute.
The Password is Courage stars Dirk Bogarde as Coward. Apparently, the scenes involving Auschwitz were cut from the final edit and it was decided that the narrative would take on a much lighter-hearted tone. Hence some have described the film as a comedy-drama.
Before arriving at POW camp Stalag VIII-B, the ineptness of the German soldiers is on display when Coward ends up in a German field hospital and a high-ranking officer pins the Iron Cross on his chest while Coward pretends to be injured.
Unlike the real Coward who spoke German, the fictional Coward doesn't speak German at all and his subterfuge at the field hospital is quickly uncovered.
On the way to the POW camp, Coward begins his campaign to debilitate the Germans whenever he can by setting stacks of hay on fire and throwing them on to a passing (and open) ammunition train resulting in massive explosions.
Like films such as Stalag 17 and The Great Escape, a good part of the narrative revolves around the construction of a tunnel in which scores of prisoners eventually escape. Bogarde as Coward was paired with fellow soldier Bill Pope (Alfred Lynch) and they end up eventually making their way through enemy lines to freedom at the end of the war.
The plot takes an interesting turn when Coward cons his German captors into giving him special favors after convincing them that he has knowledge of a secret allied bomb sight back in England. When the ruse is uncovered, Coward is transferred to a work camp in occupied Poland where the Germans have set it up for the soldiers there to believe Coward is a traitor.
Coward is almost killed by a fellow soldier but manages to best him in a hand-to-hand fight. Fortunately, he's able to convince the soldiers of the setup and then tricks the camp commander into believing he was responsible for starting a fire that he and his fellow soldiers engineered.
Coward earns the special privilege of going into town alone where he meets (the fictional) Polish resistance agent Irena (Maria Perschy) who later attempts to aid him at a train station after his escape through the tunnel.
Virtually all the men who escaped are eventually captured but there do not seem to be many deleterious consequences because of their decision. One can conclude that the narrative is riddled with low-stakes events.
Bogarde is particularly good in the role as the wily Sergeant-Major. "Password" isn't completely a light-hearted affair. The scenes involving the tunneling are suspenseful as there are threats of a cave-in as well as discovery by the Germans.
I found the film to be entertaining and wasn't so much upset by the "comic relief." Nonetheless Stalag 17 and The Great Escape have decidedly better plots.
"Password" is worth a look as at least some of the decorated Sergeant-Major's exploits happen to be true.
Coward was a technical advisor on the film and has been credited with saving numerous Jews from extermination at Auschwitz. Controversy surrounds Coward's account with some of his stories credited to others as well as the number of Jews he saved being in dispute.
The Password is Courage stars Dirk Bogarde as Coward. Apparently, the scenes involving Auschwitz were cut from the final edit and it was decided that the narrative would take on a much lighter-hearted tone. Hence some have described the film as a comedy-drama.
Before arriving at POW camp Stalag VIII-B, the ineptness of the German soldiers is on display when Coward ends up in a German field hospital and a high-ranking officer pins the Iron Cross on his chest while Coward pretends to be injured.
Unlike the real Coward who spoke German, the fictional Coward doesn't speak German at all and his subterfuge at the field hospital is quickly uncovered.
On the way to the POW camp, Coward begins his campaign to debilitate the Germans whenever he can by setting stacks of hay on fire and throwing them on to a passing (and open) ammunition train resulting in massive explosions.
Like films such as Stalag 17 and The Great Escape, a good part of the narrative revolves around the construction of a tunnel in which scores of prisoners eventually escape. Bogarde as Coward was paired with fellow soldier Bill Pope (Alfred Lynch) and they end up eventually making their way through enemy lines to freedom at the end of the war.
The plot takes an interesting turn when Coward cons his German captors into giving him special favors after convincing them that he has knowledge of a secret allied bomb sight back in England. When the ruse is uncovered, Coward is transferred to a work camp in occupied Poland where the Germans have set it up for the soldiers there to believe Coward is a traitor.
Coward is almost killed by a fellow soldier but manages to best him in a hand-to-hand fight. Fortunately, he's able to convince the soldiers of the setup and then tricks the camp commander into believing he was responsible for starting a fire that he and his fellow soldiers engineered.
Coward earns the special privilege of going into town alone where he meets (the fictional) Polish resistance agent Irena (Maria Perschy) who later attempts to aid him at a train station after his escape through the tunnel.
Virtually all the men who escaped are eventually captured but there do not seem to be many deleterious consequences because of their decision. One can conclude that the narrative is riddled with low-stakes events.
Bogarde is particularly good in the role as the wily Sergeant-Major. "Password" isn't completely a light-hearted affair. The scenes involving the tunneling are suspenseful as there are threats of a cave-in as well as discovery by the Germans.
I found the film to be entertaining and wasn't so much upset by the "comic relief." Nonetheless Stalag 17 and The Great Escape have decidedly better plots.
"Password" is worth a look as at least some of the decorated Sergeant-Major's exploits happen to be true.