The Great Escape is a 1963 film made by the Mirisch Corporation, released by United Artists, and produced and directed by John Sturges. It is based on the novel The Great Escape by Paul Brickhill, which tells the true story of a mass escape attempt by Allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp (Stalag Luft III) during World War II. The film stars Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, and David McCallum. James Donald appears in a supporting role as the head of the British POW's, and Gordon Jackson is Attenborough's second-in-command.