Lake Park film society to show Billy Wilder classic ‘Stalag 17’
Lake Park High School's Film Appreciation Society will host its next screening on Wednesday, April 16. The free event will be held at 6 p.m. at the Lake Park High School West Campus auditorium, 500 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. in Roselle.
The “War in the 20th Century” themed selection for this month's film is the 1953 dramedy, “Stalag 17,” directed by Billy Wilder. The runtime of the film is 2 hours.
The film stars William Holden, Don Taylor, and Otto Preminger, with a broad supporting cast that includes Peter Graves. It is Christmastime 1944, and Holden’s character, Sergeant J.J. Sefton, is suspected of being a security leak within Barracks 4 of the World War II prisoner of war camp — for which the film is named — after two prisoners attempting to escape are shot dead by their German captors. Sefton’s carefree attitude regarding captivity and reputation as a wheeling-dealing black marketeer do not help to dissipate the cloud of suspicion growing around him. He must determine who the true turncoat is, clear his own name, and save the prisoners of the barracks.
Playwrights Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski wrote the 1951 stage production “Stalag 17,” upon which this Paramount Pictures feature film is based. Television viewers familiar with the program “Hogan’s Heroes” will easily detect similarities in the situation comedy that aired for six seasons, beginning in 1965.
Community film buffs are invited to attend the cinematic presentation and stay for an in-depth panel discussion regarding the background and history of the featured film. Patrons will also be able to suggest ideas for upcoming themes and film selections for the 2025-26 season of the Lake Park Film Appreciation Society.
The Lake Park Film Appreciation Society aims to engage the community in the presentation, exploration, interpretation, and critical discussion of classic cinema.
For information on the Lake Park High School Film Appreciation Society, contact Don Fulmer at dfulmer@lphs.org.