"They used to boast there were only two ways to escape from Hitler's Beckstadt prison... to die...or to sprout wings."
Updated December 31, 2008
Guten Tag Kriegsgefangene, und willkommen zu Schloß Beckstadt!
This page is for the exchange on information concerning the 1971 movie "The Birdmen" aka "Escape of the Birdmen". The movie is based on the true account of British officers who were captured by Germany and imprisoned in Colditz castle during WWII. The prisoners built a glider in an attempt to escape the castle.
Since I wrote a plot synopsis for `The Internet Movie Database`, I have received many e-mails
asking if I have the video. Alas, the movie is currently owned by MCA/Universal, and they have never released it for domestic distribution.
We have sent many email inquiries to the studio, but they have never
responded in any way.
Recently we discovered the movie was released for what appears to be
European distribution by "Crown Enterprises" under the title "Codename:
Chessboard". Indications are that it was part of a WWII series called "Operation Braindrain". Emails to Crown have also gone unanswered so far.
If we ever hope to have a copy we will need to
collect the names and address of all interested parties, and then petition the studio.
Please email me with your vital stats if you
would like to be included in this effort.
Until then, please feel free to explore the site! If you have any new information about the film or the story it is based on, please forward it to me.
July 22, 2003
Copies of the film are now available from an outside source.
Email
me
at
jeffpopp@yahoo.com.
for more information.
November 28, 2008
A recent find is this movie poster from Japan.
[Click here to view full size image]
March 8, 2003
Ten years of effort may be about to pay off!
I believe I have found a source for decent copies of the film. It is
the long version released as "Escape of the Birdmen". It features the
long opening of the allied bombing mission the enables Cook and Brevik
to escape from the German Stallag. Essentially it is the same as the
European version "Operation Braindrain - Codename: Chessboard". The
great news is that the quality of this video is far superior to the
European videos I have seen. The picture quality, although not perfect,
is finally good enough for me to recommend.
Check back in a few days for more info. I will also email the "Birdbrains"
(the fan club) with information as it becomes available.
February 2, 2003
PBS' "Nova" series recently ran a program called "Nazi Prison Escape",
and of course the Glider was featured. The PBS
web site now has a page with details of the attempt.
NOVA - Nazi prison Escape - The Colditz Glider
Special thanks to Peter Saitta for bringing this info to my attention.
March 6, 2002
Want to own your own "Escape of the Birdmen" glider?
The web surfing skills of Peter Saitta discovered a
scale paper model of the "Colditz Glider" at
Fiddler's Green.
Here is the direct link to the glider:
https://www.fiddlersgreen.net/models/Aircraft/Colditz-Glider
If you decide to purchase the model, send me pics and I will post them!
February 21, 2002
We seem to be coming across more pics relating to the film.
I may have to put together a new picture page soon.
Thanks to Melany and Joe Shapiro we now this image from a lobby
card for the Mexican version of the movie.
I will be adding the translation as soon as I figure it out.
[Click here to view full size image]
February 7, 2002
Through the courtesy of fellow Ebay'er Mike Searle, I have obtained a pic of a Belgian
poster advertising the film!
[Click here to view full size image]
It appears that the poster is multi-lingual, with French in the upper
right and Dutch in the lower left. The English title "Escape of the
Birdmen" is in tiny writing below the French.
I believe the translations to be:
"In the claws of the SS" (French)
and
"In the claws of the Nazi's" (Dutch)
It's pretty funny how they made Kommandant Schiller
(Richard Basehart) look like the embodiment of evil. In the movie
he is portrayed as an officer and a gentleman who respects
the Allied officers for their flying skills.
Anything to sell movie tickets, I guess.
January 3, 2002
Since "Operation Braindrain - Codename: Chessboard" was made for
British and European distribution, our current efforts to obtain copies of the film are now focusing there.
I have a contact in Switzerland who is attempting to locate copies anywhere
on the continent. More info as it becomes available.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Ebay has recently hosted two auctions for the video
"Operation Braindrain - Codename: Chessboard". Inquiries have shown that
these are copies of copies of copies, and are of very poor quality. If
you are considering a similar purchase, please use caution and ask a lot
of questions of the seller.
December 12, 2001
Recent investigation has shown that the European video release of
the movie, "Operation Braindrain - Codename: Chessboard", is slightly
different from the original that was re-broadcast after the
debut in 1971.
The video release has several scenes that are not included in the
domestic version. Thrse is an extensive opening sequence of
Allied bombers and pilot briefings, the meeting of Cook and
Brevik in a Nazi workcamp and their escape, a flashback as Brevik recalls
failing to meet the commandos sent in to Norway to get him out,
and another flashback where Davies recalls the incident that caused his blindness.
The opening credits are overlayed on stock footage of aerial
bombardments and dogfights, and the closing credits are omitted
and replaced with an abupt "The End". All the extra footage
adds nearly 20 minutes to the runtime.
Thinking back, I can remember seeing the two flashback scenes in the
original broadcast, but I am not sure about the opening
sequence. I am also sure that the closing credits were shown in
the debut as well.
I have to think that the opening escape was NOT in the original
broadcast, since the runtime of 90 minutes would have allowed
no time at all for commercials. So, it appears that "Codename:
Chessboard" is something akin to the "director's cut", and includes
shots not used in the first TV showing.
August 21, 2001
The Hollywood Stock Exchange reports that Miramax Films is considering
making a film based on the exploits of the
prisoners of Colditz.
This may bode very well for us! With headliners
like Damon and Affleck, Universal could very well
want to jump on the gravy train and release The Birdmen.
Here is the blurb from the HSX concerning the film:
"Miramax honcho Harvey Weinstein of Miramax is looking to produce a World War II movie based on the exploits of POWs escaping from the Colditz castle. There is also word that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are being considered to topline the project. The Colditz castle was used by the 's to maintain prisoners, mostly those who attempted to escape from the other camps. The guards even outnumbererd the prisoners to prevent any potential escape. A 1955 film which covered the events was called The Colditz Story and directed by Guy Hamilton. The story was eventually made into a television series in the early 1970's. Colditz, which aired from 1972-1974, dramatically chronicled the lives of the prisoners."
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