Colditz (miniseries)
Encyclopedia
Colditz — sometimes mistakenly referred to by its working title
Escape from Colditz — is a 2005
British
two-part television film produced by Granada Television
for ITV
, written by Peter Morgan
and directed by Stuart Orme. Part one initially screened on that network on 27 March 2005. In 2006, it won the BAFTA Television Craft Award for best sound design
in a fiction or entertainment.
It is based on two sources named by the end credits: Henry Chancellor's book Colditz (also known as Colditz: The Definitive History) and the Channel Four television series, Escape from Colditz. It is not claimed to be historically accurate.
It tells the several stories of various, mostly British
, prisoners of war
in World War II
and their attempts to escape Colditz
. However, the main storyline of the production is one involving a POW who successfully escapes to Britain only to steal the girlfriend of a fellow prisoner who was not able to escape with him. Once in Britain, he is rewarded with a position at MI9
, which he uses to try to prevent his fellow POW from returning and reclaiming his girlfriend.
As of November 2010, Colditz has been released on DVD
and Blu-ray in Region 1 and on DVD
in Region 2.
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
Escape from Colditz — is a 2005
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
British
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
two-part television film produced by Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, written by Peter Morgan
Peter Morgan
Peter Morgan may refer to:* Peter Morgan , British sports car manufacturer* Peter Morgan , 1978 British Formula Ford champion* Peter Morgan , Wales and British lions international...
and directed by Stuart Orme. Part one initially screened on that network on 27 March 2005. In 2006, it won the BAFTA Television Craft Award for best sound design
Sound design
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
in a fiction or entertainment.
It is based on two sources named by the end credits: Henry Chancellor's book Colditz (also known as Colditz: The Definitive History) and the Channel Four television series, Escape from Colditz. It is not claimed to be historically accurate.
It tells the several stories of various, mostly British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and their attempts to escape Colditz
Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C, often referred to as Colditz Castle because of its location, was one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II; Oflag is a shortening of Offizierslager, meaning "officers camp"...
. However, the main storyline of the production is one involving a POW who successfully escapes to Britain only to steal the girlfriend of a fellow prisoner who was not able to escape with him. Once in Britain, he is rewarded with a position at MI9
MI9
MI9, the British Military Intelligence Section 9, was a department of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence, part of the War Office...
, which he uses to try to prevent his fellow POW from returning and reclaiming his girlfriend.
As of November 2010, Colditz has been released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray in Region 1 and on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in Region 2.
Cast
- Damian LewisDamian LewisLewis was born in St John's Wood, London, the son of Charlotte Mary and J. Watcyn Lewis, a City broker. His paternal grandparents were Welsh. His maternal grandfather was Lord Mayor of London Ian Frank Bowater and his maternal grandmother's ancestors include Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of...
- Cpl / Lt. Nicholas McGrade - Tom HardyTom HardyEdward Thomas "Tom" Hardy is an English actor. He is best known for playing the title character in the 2008 British film Bronson, the character of Eames in Inception, and the villain Praetor Shinzon in Star Trek Nemesis...
- 2nd Lt. Jack Rose - Sophia MylesSophia Myles-Early life:Myles was born in London. She is the daughter of Jane, who works in educational publishing, and Peter Myles, a retired Anglican vicar in Isleworth, west London. Her maternal grandmother was Russian, and she refers to herself as "half-Welsh, half-Russian". She grew up in Notting Hill,...
- Lizzie Carter - Laurence FoxLaurence FoxLaurence Fox is an English actor best known for his leading role as Detective Sergeant James Hathaway in the British TV drama series Lewis...
- Capt. Tom Willis - James FoxJames FoxJames Fox, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:James Fox was born in London, England to theatrical agent Robin Fox and actress Angela Worthington. He is the brother of actor Edward Fox and film producer Robert Fox. The actress Emilia Fox is his niece and the actor Laurence Fox is his son. His...
- Lt. Colonel Jimmy Fordham - Timothy WestTimothy WestTimothy Lancaster West, CBE is an English film, stage and television actor.-Career:West's craggy looks ensured a career as a character actor rather than a leading man. He began his career as an Assistant Stage Manager at the Wimbledon Theatre in 1956, and followed this with several seasons of...
- Bunny Warren - Jason PriestleyJason PriestleyJason Bradford Priestley is a Canadian-American actor and director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role which catapulted him to recognition in the early 1990s....
- Flying Officer Rhett Barker - Guy Henry - Capt. Sawyer
- Robert Whitelock - Flt Lt. Venning
- Charles KayCharles KayCharles Kay is an English actor.Kay was born in Coventry, West Midlands, the son of Frances and Charles Beckingham Piff....
- Colonel Henry Cartwright, Military Attaché in Switzerland - Juliet Howland - Mary
- Scott Handy - Mullan
- Alex AveryAlex Avery (actor)Alex Avery is an English actor who played SC Terry Knowles in The Bill in 2001, and played Carl in Holby City in 1999. He has also guest starred in Shameless and EastEnders.He has also appeared in the movie Quills and will be appearing in a Neil Jordan film in the future.- External links :...
- Collins - Eve MylesEve MylesEve Myles is an award winning Welsh actress of stage and screen. She is best known to Welsh audiences for her portrayal of Ceri Owen in the BBC Wales drama Belonging, and to audiences worldwide for her role as Gwen Cooper in the science fiction show Torchwood, a spin-off from Doctor Who.-Personal...
- Jill - Rüdiger VoglerRüdiger VoglerRüdiger Vogler is a German film and stage actor.-Biography:Rüdiger Vogler attended acting school in Heidelberg from 1963 to 1965...
- Maj. Fritz Werner - Robert Cambrinus - Tony de Jongh
- Morgane Slemp - Gina
- Werner DaehnWerner DaehnWerner Daehn is a German/international actor, who has worked with Vin Diesel and Samuel L. Jackson in xXx, with Jason Priestley in Colditz an ITV1 2005 miniseries, with Bill Pullman in Revelations and with Steven Seagal in Shadow Man...
- Ullman - Armin Dillenberger - Meisner
- Stephane CornicardStephane CornicardStéphane Cornicard, born in Normandy, France in 1964, is a multilingual actor and director , who trained in France with François David, French director and writer, at Colby College, U.S...
- Leblanc