It's seldom you meet with a film so full of natural cheer as this one and under the direst circumstances. It's almost like a yarn of Munchhausen all the way, but this is actually a true story, truer than "The Great Escape" some year later, concentrating on the titbits of the adventures of the constantly escaping prisoner sergeant-major Charles Coward (However did he get his name?) and his exploits and mates during the second world war, four years of imprisonment and finally making it just in time for the end of the war. Dirk Bogarde is perfect for the job, all his mates help in keeping up the show whenever necessary, the keyword is inventiveness which is practiced to extreme levels, and there is even a lovely woman with at least a moment's romance by the way. The Germans are not overly ridiculed, only just enough to keep you happy, they actually do their best to keep up war prison standards, although they can't really see the fun the prisoners are having. After 55 years this film is still as fresh and exhilarating as new as if the war just had finished, and it's ideal entertainment for anyone who needs some cheer-up.

THE PASSWORD IS COURAGE is a likable British WW2 movie featuring Dirk Bogarde who gives a winning performance as the indomitable Charles Coward, a man who refused to stay captured by the Nazis after being chucked in a string of POW camps. Like all the best war stories, it's best on a true story too, giving it an added frisson of interest.This film has a noticeably lighter touch than most POW movies and there's plenty of humour arising from the camaraderie between the prisoners. The stand-out set-piece is when a lumber yard is burned to the ground, a sequence that plays out with much hilarity. Bogarde plays his character as an ordinary fellow who just so happens to have such a strong spirit that it refuses to be broken. The escape attempts are well portrayed, especially at the climax which feels like a neat forerunner to THE GREAT ESCAPE.Supporting actors include Richard Marner, of 'ALLO 'ALLO fame; Lewis Fiander, later of DR JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE; Maria Perschy, who is well known for appearing in Spanish horror of the 1970s; and British character actors Alfred Lynch, Reginald Beckwith, Ferdy Mayne, and Nigel Stock.

This is truly a classic black and white British film and for those that claim it is just a poor version or copy of The Great Escape.maybe people should consider that the film was made and released a year before the great escape.And is in fact more factual than the more popular Hollywood version.For its age the copy of the film is very good and is still a nice and crisp print that shows some fantastic shots.The cast line up is the standard British stock for this era but you can spot many actors who only played extras or very small roles that went on to be stars of British TV and film.

Of course this movie is being often compared to "The Great Escape". The similarities between the story lines are striking and some of the sequences are almost exactly the same. Only keep in mind that this movie was actually released a year before the great escape and this movie its story is based on the real events as lived by Charles Coward, who also served as a consultant for this movie, while "The Great Escape" is based on a totally other true story.The movie is not an heavy confronting WW II POW movie. Instead its more of a comedy at times with almost slapstick like events and characters. It does make the movie a bit unbalanced and silly to watch but for me it also made the movie very light and easy. I'm not really sure though what for a movie this was supposed to be; A comedy or a drama. It's too incoherent and unbalanced to really say.The movie is obviously low-budget but they used some creative solutions to hide this, in the movie. The main character is really fascinating. He is being played by Dirk Bogarde, who of course is always a pleasure to see as the main lead, regardless of the role he plays. The rest of the characters are a bit muddled in and simply not interesting enough. The movie also changes often of setting with as a result that new characters get introduced and old ones abandoned.All in all its not a terribly memorable movie and certainly no classic. The movie is too incoherent for that and the most of the character too uninteresting. Nevertheless this is a great movie to kill some time with. Nothing heavy, just some good old fashioned light-entertainment, with some good moments. Worth seeing if you get the chance.7/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/