A prisoner with plenty of time, dedication, resourcefulness, courage, patience, equanimity, a purpose in life, a feared enemy, awaiting his execution squad and minimal resources can't be detained forever. That much becomes obvious.

The story is great. It shows history. Him commenting his actions is wonderful. I like how quiet and slow the movie is. Good they refrained from any action elements. It still looks good in b/w. The only negative aspect are the Germans: Nazis are pigs but even they managed to speak German. Some soldiers in that movie speak pseudo German - that's not very immersive.

Greatest scene: he kills the guard but it ain't shown. You can't even hear it. But his face tells everything. And then he and the boy he has saved just walk away. Without any further comment. Amazing. I wish every movie could end like that.