The Password Is Courage

1962
Approved
1h 56m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

1.6K

YOUR RATING

Dirk Bogarde and Maria Perschy in The Password Is Courage (1962)

British N.C.O. Sergeant Major Charles Coward (Sir Dirk Bogarde) escapes from the Stalag VIII-B P.O.W. camp, and is mistakenly awarded with the Iron Cross by the Germans.

Play trailer2:12

1 Video

30 Photos

Comedy Drama War

British N.C.O. Sergeant Major Charles Coward (Sir Dirk Bogarde) escapes from the Stalag VIII-B P.O.W. camp, and is mistakenly awarded with the Iron Cross by the Germans.British N.C.O. Sergeant Major Charles Coward (Sir Dirk Bogarde) escapes from the Stalag VIII-B P.O.W. camp, and is mistakenly awarded with the Iron Cross by the Germans.British N.C.O. Sergeant Major Charles Coward (Sir Dirk Bogarde) escapes from the Stalag VIII-B P.O.W. camp, and is mistakenly awarded with the Iron Cross by the Germans.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

1.6K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Videos1

Trailer 2:12

Official Trailer

Photos30

+ 25

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Nigel Stock, who plays Cole, mentions digging the tunnel 25 feet deep to stay hidden from the microphones. In The Great Escape (1963), he played Cavendish, the surveyor, who miscalculated the length of the tunnel.

Goofs
When Sergeant Major Coward is discussing linking up with the Polish Underground, he is told that the agent is an optician somewhere in Poland, in Breslau. Breslau was, in fact, a German city and did not become Polish until after WWII when the boundaries of Poland were shifted westwards and the name changed to Wroclaw.

Quotes
Narrator: There's a man named Charlie Coward, an ordinary soldier with an ordinary background. But sometimes there's a man that stands out from the crowd. He's more resourceful, more daring and more determined than the others. Sergeant-Major Coward was one of these - this is his story.

Crazy credits
Opening credits: Certain of the characters depicted in this photoplay are fictitious and any similarity between such characters and actual persons is purely coincidental.

Alternate versions
The original cinema version of The Password Is Courage (1962) contained a sequence set in Auschwitz Concentration Camp, illustrated by drawings. This sequence has been cut from television broadcast prints, but a credit for the drawings remains listed in the film credits.

Connections
References Oh, Mr. Porter! (1937)

Soundtracks
I've Got Sixpence
(uncredited)
Written by Elton Box, Lawrence Hall and Desmond Cox

User reviews51

Review

Featured review

8/10

Would like to see it again

I saw the movie back in the early '60s and really enjoyed it. I thought, when Hogan's Heros came out that they had based the series on this movie. I really didn't even think of TGE. It is great entertainment and good for some laughs and clean fun. A rare thing these days in movies. The fact that it was based on a true story makes it even better as far as I am concerned. One of the other reviewers says, the film isn't quite sure whether it should be serious or not. Perhaps it is supposed to be both. The fact that it tells a true story is great and that some fun could be had in the midst of all the war surely helped pass the time and elevate the spirits of the prisoners. One of the other reviewers noted that "The village scenes are quite obviously filmed in England" with little attempt to disguise any telltale signs. Probably very true - I go to the cinema to be entertained not to be critical of the movie. As a non-Brit I wouldn't be able to know about the carriages etc so it would not affect my appreciation of the film as it did his. Since it was such a long time ago I would very much like to view the film again. If any one knows where I can get a copy of it please let me know. Thanks. kansaskat33@yahoo.com