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Movie Trailer Analysis:

Stalag 17(1953)

            Movie trailers can either make or break a film’s success at the box office. Who hasn’t gone to the movies and enjoyed the thrill of 15 or so minutes of previews before the feature presentation. I would argue that the best part of going to the movies is the previews. I mean, unless you are some kind of sociopath that arrives 15 min late for something they paid to see. I would go as far to say that on some occasions the previews looked better than the film I was there to see. Movie trailers get people excited and either entice them or sway them away. A “bad” trailer can be the death of an otherwise good movie.

The movie trailer created by Movies TV Network for “Stalag 17” is very well done. (Stalag 17 - Trailer - Movies TV Network - YouTube ) At just 59 seconds, it encompasses everything you need to know about the movie before watching it without giving away to many details. Released in 1953, “Stalag 17” is a movie set in a German P.O.W. camp housing American soldiers during World War 2.  The focus is on one particular barracks after two soldiers are killed while trying to make an escape. The deaths of these two soldiers lead to the suspicion that there is a spy in the barracks working for the Germans. Is there a spy, or is it just paranoia? Either way the main suspect is our leading man Sgt. J. J. Sefton, played by William Holden.

 

            I have seen some other studio made trailers for this movie and they just don’t do it justice. They always ride and push on the comedy aspect of the movie, that to me always seems to take away from what this movie is really about…P.O.W.’s.

          Here’s a little fun fact, the film was shot in chronological order so that the actors wouldn’t know who the spy was until the very end.

            If the studio thinks they will make more money by pushing the comedy theme, well they are going to do it. Even if that means including scenes that may spoil the mystery of the storyline. As I said earlier, the movie trailer by Movies TV Network was very well done. What I think makes this a good trailer is how short it is and the score that they added.

            The trailer starts just like the movie does, with the escape attempt by the two American soldiers. You can’t help but feel this anxiety build up in the pit of your stomach when you see these two men pop out of a tunnel they have dug (almost like holding your breath underwater). As soon as you can see the machine gun station just beyond the hill, you are immediately filled with dread. The two men are then killed almost immediately after barely getting there footing in what appears to be planned ambush. The score builds this tension up then quickly cuts to black when the two men are about to be killed.  The very next clip is the German camp commander addressing the P.O.W.’s after this failed escape attempt, in which we see our main man, William Holden, who stands stoic with the other men as they look upon their fallen friends in the mud. The first 20 seconds of the trailer has already set the scene for how tense this movie is going to be. They didn’t have to show any blood and guts for us to know that life as a P.O.W. is awful.

             Following the German commander’s address to the P.O.W.’s, the score lightens up a bit with some whistling from soldiers, akin to what you might hear in a Jerry Lewis film but in a slightly darker tone, as we see Sefton frying up an egg on the barracks stove, while others look on with jealous amazement. The next 10 seconds shows us that Sefton is trading cigarettes with the German guards for better food and how he acquires so many cigarettes to trade with. Which I might add, doesn’t look good.

            It’s the last 20 seconds of the trailer that cements the dark possibility of a spy in the barracks. After a quick cut to black, the score slows, and Sefton is seen crossing a gate and waving to an armed guard. Later we see that all the men of the barracks are staring at Sefton with disdain and hate; they think he’s the spy. The added score adds so much to the scenes. It really builds up the tension, and quickly. The same tension we feel after an hour into watching this movie, is brought to fruition with the score.

            The trailer, being only around a minute long tells everything we need to know about the movie. If it was any longer, I think it would take away from the tension building. The simple added score is the same way.

 

Rhetorical Reflection 

            The intended audience for this Post is someone who enjoys going to the movies and watching all the previews before the feature presentation. This Post is also for people who like to read some random strangers’ thoughts and perceptions on the way movies are marketed to the masses to bring in the most revenue.

            The Persona I am taking is a laid-back blogger, who loves movies. Someone who likes to breakdown movie trailers for little easter eggs. And even likes delving down to the little tidbits about the production.

            The Purpose of this Post is going to be praising this particular movie trailer made by Movies TV Network for the movie “Stalag 17”. I feel like it actually did the movie justice, by building up the tension and minimizing the comedy aspect. Giving the movie a real chance to be enjoyed by serious movie goers and casual viewers alike. And not be passed off as another slap stick comedy akin to a Jerry Lewis film. This is a serious movie with a dark subject matter that does have some comedy in it, only to break up the tension. It’s a movie about P.O.W.’s having to deal with the possibility of a spy that is trading the lives of other prisoners for some personal benefit.