這部經常被列入影史上十大之一的經典之作，是法國理想主義大師尚雷諾導演的作品，攝製於二次世界大戰前二年1937年。是時整個歐陸已彌漫風雨欲來之勢，他想借第一次世界大戰中法國戰俘逃獄的故事，指出人際關係中造成障礙的因素: 階級分歧、語言隔膜、種族矛盾。藉此希望人們對當時紛爭的成因作一反思，以免世界再陷入另一場戰爭中。

故事發生在1916年第一次世界大戰時的歐陸，法國空軍中尉馬勒夏（尚‧雷諾飾），開機出勤務載波杜亞上尉（皮埃‧佛瑞尼飾）赴德境偵察，飛機被德軍上尉勞芬斯坦（艾力克‧馮‧史托罕飾）擊落雙雙被俘，送至俘虜營，結識了猶太裔的軍官羅仙達，老資格的羅勸說他倆，一起密謀挖地道逃亡。當地道挖到差不多完成時，他們被移到近瑞士的一另個俘虜營，只好前功盡棄。新的俘虜營主管正好是勞芬斯坦上尉，他是貴族後裔。有了這層際遇，再加上波杜亞的貴族身份，惺惺相惜下，有感於貴族日漸式微，勞對另眼相看。馬與羅依然對逃亡不死心，再次計劃脫逃。到了逃亡那天，波決定不走，爬到城牆上吹笛子西引守衛注意，讓他們倆順利脫逃，卻遭勞射殺身亡，殘存的貴族頓時又減少一位。馬與羅拼命奔逃，饑寒交迫時來到一處農家，被孀居的女主人艾爾莎收留，不意與馬譜出一段戀情。但隨即又需分離，互道戰後重聚。倆人終於逃到瑞士國境，這時也傳來了停戰消息。

獲得1937年威尼斯影展最佳藝術貢獻獎

1937 Venice Film Festival Best Overall Artistic Contribution

Brilliant acting, an intelligent script and superior direction create a masterpiece of filmmaking. The story is about a group of French prisoners during World War I and the German commandant who shapes their destiny. Director Jean Renoir, one of France's most influential filmmakers, focuses on the bonds that bring men together, particularly those bonds of class. Erich von Stroheim and Pierre Fresnay are excellent in their roles as members of the aristocracy who are on opposing sides of the war but drawn together by their social status. Jean Gabin plays a working-class mechanic and Marcel Dalio plays a Jew; they are two of the handful to survive the experience, emphasizing Renoir's point that the aristocracy is a doomed class.

Directed by Jean Renoir
Produced by Ranmond Blondy
Written by Jean Renoir, Charles Spaak
THE CAST : Jean Gabin ( Marechal), Pierre Fresnay (Capt, de Boeldieu),
Erich von Stroheim (Von Raufenstein), Dalio (Rosenthal)

EVALUATION:★★★★★
Rrnning Time:112m
Language:French
Subtitle:Chinese English
B&W/Stereo/1937
4:3/DVD-5