"I've just been down to the mail room" " What's it about?" "About the army is it?" "I might at that" " Good night" "Hauptmann Ulmann and see that they go directly to the next of kin" "Sir" " I'll see them in the morning" " Come!" "but I have learnt that" "I'm sorry that I haven't been a good husband or a good soldier" "" and be happy with him." "I can't put it into words anymore than you can" " "If anything should happen to me I want you to find somebody else" " Attention!" "Everyone out of here!" " Search everything!" "Herr Kommandant" "Sir" " I want the French and the British quarters searched" " Get me the French officer immediately!" "Sir" " You may go" " I can not pity fools!" " I do not even pity you Colonel" " That may not be played with me but members of the SS" " And prepare yourself for your next game you can bury your dead" " The only difference between your games and the real facts of life is that we use real bullets" " That you can play and break the rules only to satisfy your misguided sense of honour" " That war is a game!" " Because that's what your behaviour today suggests" " But do not make the mistake that I've brought you before me to play the headmaster to one of your public school games !" " A mouth less to feed here at Colditz" " It's a valuable contribution to the British war effort!" "eh?" " A man...an officer under your command has been killed!" " You have now achieved your ambition." " You are undoubtably expecting me to congratulate you" " Brilliant Colonel!" "but which one?" " Only one" " Go!" " Back again!" "they must" " Press on!" "Go!" "I'll manage" " Go on!" "too much..." " Let's crawl to the end" " Turn the lights over in that direction!" " ALARM!" " ALARM!" " I'm sure that I heard something" " The same here!" " What's happening?" " I don't know!" " 50 seconds" " What's going on?" " 5 - 4 - 3 - 2" " GO!" " 10 - 9 - 8" " One minute" " Three minutes" " Moral looks bad" " It might help someone else's pack hanging up in the hall" " who went on a tremendously long journey and went to find... but I knew a chap once..." " Everything goes to those who push I'm told" "I suppose he has" " He has a lot to get home for" " Especially McDonald" "I hope so too for both of them really" " I think they're ok." "I hope it works for them not unless it's hard wind" " There's the weight factor" " Money?" " Food for 3 days if he doesn't gorge himself in good shape" " The preparations have been very thorough" " Have you read it?" " It's an amazing idea they prefer nothing" " So they need a diversion" " It's tomorrow night or never" " That's right" " I see" " So on the next scheme we have to give up a place for the French" " That's right!" "and McDonald is going!" "And that's it!" " I just told you the reason!" " We've all got reasons not bad let's try it again!" " Ready?" " Yes!" "Go!" "to accomplish what we have to in the time" " It's 57 seconds to be on the safe side" " And then the search lights come on?" "" " You mean the maximum period of maximum darkness.." " So the maximum period of darkness never less than 57" " We've been timing these changes for 3 months" "Just before the search lights are switched on" " The change of guards coincides with a short blind period at dusk" "59 seconds - 59 seconds tonight" " 5 - 4 - 3 - 2" " Now!" " Ok" " Relax!" " Right!" "Now!" "He'd be perfect if he could speak English how's the new recruit coming along?" "he makes first class polish" " And the papers?" " They'll be ready." "Anything else you need?" "some of the materials didn't survive the test" "I've to consult the others" " They're yours if you need them" " We thought that we'd like to make a contribution so we made up these it's going to be dark when we do this" " Good good" " Be ready!" "10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 aye..." " Come on!" " Do you feel good about it?" " I'm on the top of the world!" "We're practising all the time a beautiful opportunity So mad that it's going to work" " What do you think these are?" " The first thing...do you have a good head for height?" " You must do everything that he tells you he's the one going with you eh?" "Will take a little time..eh" " Please!" " Which one do I thank?" " I'll leave you to it" " What do you think?" " He's lost his nerve hasn't he?" " Good luck!" " Thank you!" "Thank you very much!" " When would you like to see our man?" " As soon as possible of course" " Yeah" " Why don't we just leave it like that?" "no?" "if a man tells you he can't walk because he has broken his leg but my mistress is leaving with a German sergeant" "I had a Dear Francois letter and French marriage in particular it's obvious from our previous conversation that you have a limited knowledge of Frenchmen why you?" " Who made the decision?" " I have decided it's merely a decision that's wonderful!" " In the special circumstance..." "we have... eh.. my companion have given further thought to the proposition made by Lt Carrington" " I haven't seen him post a letter yet" " What do you mean?" " He just puts them in a tin box under his bunk he never posts them he wants to get back before the baby is born" " I could try to get them in with Downing and Muir" " That plan depends on a exact second on a particular night" " Can't they move it up?" "they've got another 5 weeks... but they can't start until the French go" " Is it any good?" "Do you think it will work?" " Downing and Muir came up with an idea" " They have?" " Haven't we any plan?" " Nothing that will help him at all" " Good luck!" "that's true." "Thanks very much!" "eh?" "Like your unfortunate friend" " It is not possible!" "We are altogether prisoners that you might consider the fact..." " Ahhh!" " And I thought that if I came to you personally and..." " Captain Grant went to your escape officer and got a turn down that's sad for him he won't lose her He believes that" " He feels that if he can get back to her soon yes" " Pregnant?" "saying she was pregnant by another man in this particular case" " Do you know what that is?" " No got a " Dear John" letter" "Francois" " May I sit down?" " Please we'll hear your reason you might ask why I had the nerve to come and ask you in the first place" " So what else should we talk about?" " It's a lousy one" " Exactly!" " What sort of bargain is that?" "and we'll cut you in on our next one" " I owe it to this man to ask" " Ask what?" "and we know we have no rights but..." " I just felt...well ..." " Who doesn't?" " And we've a man that wants to get out of here in a hurry" " What's it about?" " Cpt Grant told me about your escape plan" " The first time I've heard a proposition from a Frenchman" " Come to our quarters" " My pleasure" " That would lead to something practical" " I'd like to catapult you into some really deep thinking we think alike" " He is only concerned with the practical aspect of his two favourite subjects" " Why don't you think it would work?" " I don't see that would work either have an opinion on everything sex and food not necessarily in that order he's very limited" "I never learned that subject at school" " The weather?" "Monsieur Roosewelt?" "Paris in the spring?" "what would you like to talk about?" " Can we talk?" " Bravo!" "me too" " I think it's important not to blame anybody does he?" "Doesn't blame" " It says that all good soldiers are sentimentalists must have been he was a soldier himself" " Yes" " Like "fireships afloat on a lagoon he does it is all a darkness" "And why?" "For what purpose?" "agony of the mind and death where two noble natures drifting down life like fire ships drifting afloat in a lagoon" " There's one bit in this book in more ways than one... she probably still does ever heard of her?" " Have you heard of them?" " No and the Sexton Bleaker Tinker proper books it's a wee bit heavy going to begin with how do you like it?" "I'm doing fine and we live by the facts" "I know I shouldn't" " I feel sorry for him" " No we haven't nothing ahead of the French" "I'll let you know" " We haven't got anything coming up let me know because I could do some talking one of us could talk to them personally we..." "I know" " How many men are there?" " Two and it's a pretty wild scheme" " We can't blame them either" " Not even considering it?" " No" " Yes or no?" " No and you'll have to find the moral courage to live with that" "I understand that more than you realise" " Shut" " All I'm saying is that you both know what was in that letter" " I didn't say that!" " You implied that I merely went through the motions you're mistaken!" " Because I say so!" "and turned down" " How the hell do I know they're forcefully put?" "that grounds for appeal has been properly put... and we're not without sympathy for it" " You will never the less do me the courtesy of hearing me out" " We understand.." " I don't consider this a conversation!" "I don't think this is a very rewarding conversation" " You were supposed to plead as hard for what you know about me and my wife and our marriage" " I wasn't asking you to go in there and swap a few bars of my chocolate ration!" " You're the escape officer!" "they won't hand it over on a plate they needed a bit of a push and they said no" " I merely said that I'd make an attempt on your behalf and I did" " You said that you had every confidence to fix it for me!" " No!" "You had the confidence" " But I don't accept it!" " Someone wants to jump the queue meets all the exceptional circumstances that there are exceptional circumstances" " Hey...hey..." " But I had to ask you" " Good!" "You've asked and I've given the answer" " I appreciate that and I'm fully aware of the extent of the favour I asked and the two men who thought of the priority obviously but the rules are yours as much as ours." "It's our turn!" " But to get out!" " I understand and our instructions are not to ask for favours you're giving someone special priority if we're going to change it!" " There's no point of having a selection committe" " NO!" "Impossible!" "you'd better go and chat to the French." "but for everybody's sake" "Pat." "Do you think it's right to put him on the top of the list?" " Then I think we could be turned down but I think morally that we have to put it to them" " That means that you have to talk to the French." "And I can't see them impressed with your reasons" "Sir nothing ahead of the French have we?" " Donald being special command unit comes under that heading" "I suppose we could say that certain categories are to be given priority" " Maybe he has but it doesn't justify him going to the top of the queue" " We're dealing with a not very articulate man who has suffered a tremendous emotional blow" " What do you mean?" "More or less" " He wasn't being very rational.." "that's out of the question!" "Have you told him yet?" " More or less and I'm getting him on the top of the list" "Sir I'd tried to reason with him but he's made up his mind dont you agree?" "I've made a decision." "I have every confidence that you will" " And you'll push it?" " I'll do what I can" "I'll put it forward but you're that count" " I don't think that it count that much but it's not up to me alone" " You know as well as I do that this procedure..." " Ach!" "I know all that!" "But this is no ordinary request" " That's right!" "So what I'm asking you is when?" "obviously that would be the perfect solution" " That's what I've decided." "I need to get out of here and back to her the important thing is that i've got to get back to her" "I've always known that she couldn't fend for herself without me but don't let us kid ourselves" " you know She's got no real family but..." " Hear me over..." " I'm sure you're right" " I know I'm right or the milkman delivering one or two pints too many" " First thing I'd do is to put one on him." "That's the way we sort things out from where I come from" " What you're saying is if you were there you could do something" " Exactly!" "I've been trained to do something" " But to do something..." " So as I see it...she wasn't just asking me for forgiveness" " She'd not bothered writing at all." "Do you understand what I'm saying?" " Of course... and she didn't care" " I mean..." "I can't expect you to know her as well as I did she had no bloody choice in the matter" "I did did you hear I got a letter?" "what can I do for you?" "no problem!" " In private..." " How do you feelin' ?" " Can I talk to you?" " Sure come on ..." " Can you lend me 5 pfennig of that Micky Mouse money?" " 5?" "What's gone up?" "Sir." "Good night" " Good night" "Phil" "I think he'll go quietly mad just like the rest of us around here isn't he?" " How did he take it?" "Sir I gave him the letter" " Come in!" "jumped the wire that's all a house without a man" " All of us..." "I'm in here" " We're in cells." "She and me isnt' it!" "Freedom!" " Sorry" " Don't be sorry." "What's there to be sorry about?" "Alice" " If I could bear your pain I should be happy and..." " worry over me much and forgive me for this letter and everything" " So I will close now with asking you not to..." " But I will always understand if you never want to see me or it ever again" " and that it wasn't anybody's fault but mine and what I have to write is that I've having a bairn by another man everything would be different" " and that I didn't mean to bring you extra sorrow in the place you're at and I wish I could write the proper words..." " I wish I was with you..." " This is Molly's place." "Molly's a friend at work and she's been a friend in more ways than one and as you'll see I'm sending this from a new adress" " Please.." " Please.." " It's your letter.." " READ IT!" "you go ahead and read it I'll be back in a few minutes" " I'd thank you if you would" " Read it for me" " He had to read it" " Who told you?" " Colonel Preston" " It's a " Dear John" letter" "I do that's what I asked him." "He thought I'd make it easier" " Why you?" "and he asked me to give it to you" "I've got some news for you." "You've got a letter" " It's a pretty good book when you get into it and I'll leave it for you anyway" "I'm not going to read it" " Everybody seems to be coming down with something" " You aren't sick are you?" " No" " You aren't playing either are you?" " No" " McDonald?" " Aye" "I think you'll find him in the bog." " The last time I played with you guys you about broke my back." " We'll try and break your nose this time how about some stool-ball?" " Stool-ball?" "What are you talking about?" " Is McDonald around?" " No idea?" "Sir" " Bad news is often easier coming from strangers wouldn't you agree?" "exactly that ought to be good" "I..." "I hardly know McDonald than he would from me" "I don't think so" " So I thought of you and I don't think I should do this one" " Under normal circumstances it is my duty and privilege to break that news to him" " And it contains very bad news it's what you'd call a "Dear John" letter" " This is a letter for McDonald" " is enough for itself without being paid much for it always considered that the privilege of dying it sounds like McDonald alright." "He came up through the ranks" " He's gotten on me by GIP a couple of times he's a bit touchy you know." "Lt. McDonald." "Do you know him?" "Sir" " but I don't seem to be making much of it" " The thing is that I have a problem that I normally should be able to deal with it's probably some misguided conception of the American character won't you you got me out of a lousy book again." "I did I'm sorry to bother you" " Come in!" "Phil..." " I see..." "Colonel" " The sort of news which might make a man desperate" " Or it would be to most men yes I think so" " But because of the contents he brought it to my personal attention" " It has of course been opened and read by my censor" " From England adressed to one of your officers" " I have here a letter ...covered by the book of rules we all live by" " That being so I have to exercise my judgement in matters not..." "Colonel?" " slender line known as the " Status Quo" " But also for preserving that... I am here" " I did not join the army to become part of the prison service" " May I speak now as a fellow officer?" " There are so many unattractive aspects to a command such as mine" " It's more like a horror story." "Like Muir over there" " Sounds like hot stuff" " Not really" " It's about people that destroyed themselves for love in one way or another" " That's really a very good book" "I understand you scored you greatest successes at Woolworths" " Why don't you tell them the story?" " I don't read fiction when you join up." "it's about passion really..." " Just kidding!" "I can see you're a literary man" " And found true happiness" " Maddox Ford?" "I thought that.." "it's all about he built the Model T" "Maddox Ford it's just a novel" " The best hopes to die young" " Postumus collections always sell better" " What are you going to do?" " Publish them after the war"