Stalag 17 (1953)

Director Billy Wilder was known for making some of the most entertaining Hollywood films during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, and his major contribution to the war genre, Stalag 17, is no exception. Starring William Holden, who had previously acted in Wilder's Sunset Boulevard, it follows a group of American soldiers imprisoned in a German POW camp, who attempt to uncover a whistleblower within their ranks, after two fellow prisoners are killed during an escape attempt. Adapted from a Broadway play by Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski, which was based on their own experiences, Wilder's version was notable for being shot in chronological order, and to keep suspense at bay, the director did not let any of the cast know who the informant was until the climactic moment was filmed. Holden later won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance, and to date has the shortest acceptance speech in the telecast's history.