The One That Got Away

Hardy Krüger as von Werra.

It'd be hard to make up a story as exciting and unlikely as The One That Got Away (1957), the true tale of a German prisoner-of-war (POW) who escaped from the British army in 1940. 

Lieutenant Franz von Werra's exploits begin when his plane is shot down during the Battle of Britain. After landing safely in the English countryside, he is captured, interrogated, and sent to a country manor being used as a POW camp. Von Werra's first escape glistens with simplicity: During a rest break during an exercise march, he rolls over to the other side of a stone fence. As his compatriots march away, he runs towards the forest in the opposite direction, partially hidden from view by the fence. Despite his efforts to reach the coast, the British capture von Werra five days later.

That does not dissuade the confident German from trying to escape again...and again...and again.

Based on the book by Kendal Burt and James Leasor, The One That Got Away seems like an unlikely film to be made in the mid-1950s. After a bitterly-fought war with Germany that ended barely a decade earlier, here's a British-made movie with a German officer as its de facto hero. To be sure, Lieutenant Franz von Werra was not a Nazi, but he did shoot down numerous British planes. Initially, the film's producers considered casting a British actor in the lead, specifically Kenneth More or Dirk Bogarde. Fortunately, a German actor--Hardy Krüger--was cast in the title role.

Krüger, who was fluent in German, English, and French, had acted in German films previously. His bigger-than-life performance as the unflappable von Werra is the heart of The One That Got Away. He manages to project complete confidence without coming across as smug and, most importantly, convinces the audience to root for his character. When von Werra reminds a British officer that it's his duty to escape, the German officer isn't throwing off a wisecrack. He's just being factual (though it lands him 21 days in solitary confinement).

His performance made Hardy Krüger an English-language star and he followed up The One That Got Away with the romantic comedy Bachelor of Hearts (1958). He quickly became the go-to actor for any international films with significant roles for a German character. His most notable movies are Hatari! (1962), Sundays and Cybele (1962), and The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)--which features my favorite Krüger performance.

Hardy Krüger is reason enough to see The One That Got Away, but it's also a rousing story that will hold your attention. Plus, it's the kind of fact-based drama that will have you researching to find further details of von Herra's amazing tale.

Hatari! (Swahili for "Danger"...English for "Howard Hawks on Vacation in Africa")

In Todd McCarthy's Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood, a quote from the famous director describes his 1962 action film Hatari! as: "It's what happens when a bunch of guys get together to hunt...you can't sit in your office and describe what a rhino is going to do." This is true and it's how Hawks rationalized the flimsy plot that comprises Hatari!. 

John Wayne plays Sean Mercer, who heads a "bunch of guys" that capture wild animals in Africa for zoos. Sean's comrades have colorful nicknames like Pockets (Red Buttons), The Indian (Bruce Cabot), and Chips (Gerard Blain). In between roping giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, and--yes--rhinos, the once-burned Sean falls in love with a female photographer (Elsa Martinelli). Meanwhile, the other men begin to notice that their co-worker Brandy (Michele Girardon), who owns Momella Game, Ltd., has grown into an attractive young woman. That's all that happens during the film's running time of two hours and 37 minutes.

Wayne and Martinelli.

Before you totally write off Hatari!, please note that the action scenes are impressive and the cast is charming. It took me awhile to warm up to Elsa Martinelli, but she and Wayne develop a sweet rapport. There's no romantic chemistry between them--he was twice her age when the film was made. In fact, young actresses were cast opposite Wayne in several of his 1960s films: Martha Hyer in The Sons of Katie Elder; Elizabeth Allen in Donovan's Reef; and Charlene Holt in El Dorado. Personally, I always thought the middle-aged Wayne seemed more at ease playing opposite veteran actresses (Rita Hayworth in Circus World, Maureen O'Hara in McLintock!) or as a father figure (True Grit).

Girardon, who committed suicide
in 1975, and Kruger.

Howard Hawks originally intended Hatari! as a serious vehicle starring Clark Gable and John Wayne as hunters vying for the same woman. However, Gable's salary demands were too steep, so the script was rewritten. Hardy Kruger, three years before his terrific performance in Flight of the Phoenix, was cast as Wayne's chum. The part was rewritten so that Kruger and Buttons competed for Girardon's affections (although this subplot inexplicably peters out).

There are several interesting trivia facts regarding the film's production:

• All the animals captured in Africa (in what is now Tanzania) were transported to California for additional scenes. When the movie was finished, the animals were donated to the San Diego Zoo.
• You can spend your vacation at the Hatari Lodge in Tanzania. The lodge used to be Hardy Kruger's farmhouse. The actor fell in love with Africa during the filming of Hatari! and bought a farm with a scenic view of Mount Kilimanjaro.
• Henry Mancini, who composed the film's score, wrote a snippet of music for the baby elephants. The playful tune became known as the "Baby Elephant Walk" and its fame far exceeded the rest of the film's soundtrack.

Finally, Hawks' fans will surely want to see Hatari! despite its limitations. In McCarthy's book, the author points out similarities between Hatari! and the director's other films. Martinelli befriends a leopard named Sonia and rescues an orphaned elephant who becomes her pet; Katharine Hepburn has a pet leopard in the Hawks' Bringing Up Baby. Sean and his friends engage in a dangerous occupation like Hawks' heroes in Ceiling Zero, Only Angels Have Wings, and Rio Bravo.

McCarthy even mentions that the famous French film critic and director Francois Truffaut once described Hatari! as a reflection on the filmmaking process. I think that's a stretch, but, really, who am I to argue with Truffaut?