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War thriller

Escape from Sobibor (1987): Cast & Plot

Escape from Sobibor (1987) movie poster

Escape from Sobibor is a 1987 war thriller directed by Jack Gold, starring Howard K. Smith as Narrator (voice), Hartmut Becker and Alan Arkin. It runs 2 hours 49 minutes.

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Escape from Sobibor (1987) movie poster
Released
Runtime
2h 49m (169 min)
Director
Jack Gold
Genres
War , Thriller , Drama
Original language
English
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Escape from Sobibor About?

The premise of Escape from Sobibor without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

The true story of WWII’s notorious Sobibor Nazi death camp, where a courageous inmate orchestrates and leads the escape of over 300 prisoners.

Escape from Sobibor Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • escape
  • sobibor
  • nazi
  • concentration camp
  • shoah
  • jewish resistance
  • prisoner of war
  • mass murder
  • uprising
  • extermination camp
  • nazi uniform
  • brutality
+38 more
  • male frontal nudity
  • world war two
  • holocaust
  • ss uniform
  • foreigner playing russian character
  • ss officer
  • jewish
  • sobibor death camp
  • death camp
  • nazi death camp
  • nazi extermination camp
  • nazi occupied poland
  • nazi occupation of poland
  • the holocaust
  • schutzstaffel
  • extermination
  • human extermination
  • concentration camp escape
  • mass killing
  • jew
  • nazi germany
  • nazi concentration camp
  • concentration camp survivor
  • polish jew
  • starving
  • dead body
  • beaten to death
  • war violence
  • violence
  • baby killer
  • stabbing
  • stabbed to death
  • place name in title
  • undressing
  • shower
  • dead children
  • nudity
  • labor camp
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Cast & crew

Escape from Sobibor Cast & Characters

Howard K. Smith leads the cast as Narrator (voice), with Hartmut Becker as Hauptscharführer Gustav Wagner and Alan Arkin as Leon Feldhendler. Directed by Jack Gold; 45 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Escape from Sobibor

· 41 more
Show all 45 cast members
From the director

More from Jack Gold

More films directed by Jack Gold, best-rated first: The Medusa Touch, Goodnight, Mister Tom, Into the Blue and Heavy Weather.

Full filmography
Plot

Escape from Sobibor Plot Summary

What happens in Escape from Sobibor from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

The film opens with a new trainload of Polish Jews arriving for processing at Sobibor, narrated by Howard K. Smith. The German Commandant greets the newcomers with a polished speech, presenting Sobibor as a work camp and trying to set a tone of routine. As officers move along the assembled lines, they select a small number of prisoners with specific trades—goldsmiths, seamstresses, shoemakers, and tailors—while the rest are sent to a different section where a constant plume of smoke signals the grim fate awaiting those who are not kept in the loop. The difference between appearance and reality becomes stark quickly: Sobibor is really a death camp, where the vast majority are exterminated in gas chambers and their bodies are cremated in large ovens.

Full summary

The whole story of Escape from Sobibor, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Escape from Sobibor?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

Who provides the narration for the film?

Cars

Cars in Escape from Sobibor

2 cars on screen: the 1962 FAP 1314 and the 1940 Volkswagen Kübelwagen Typ 82.

  • 1962 FAP 1314 in Escape from Sobibor 1962 FAP 1314 Minor role
  • 1940 Volkswagen Kübelwagen Typ 82 in Escape from Sobibor 1940 Volkswagen Kübelwagen Typ 82 Minor role
Details

Escape from Sobibor Also Known As

25 alternative titles, including “Fuga de Sobibor” and “Szökés Sobiborból”.

Also known as
  • Fuga de Sobibor
  • Szökés Sobiborból
  • Escapada final
  • La escapada de Sobibor
  • Flykten från Sobibor
  • Flukten fra Sobibor
  • Escape de Sobibor
  • Ucieczka z Sobiboru
  • Powstanie w Sobiborze
  • Bunt w Sobiborze
  • Απόδραση Από το Sobibor
  • Fuga da Sobibor
+13 more
  • Flucht aus Sobibor
  • La escapada de Sobibor (Escapada final)
  • Побег из Собибора
  • Les rescapés de Sobibor
  • 逃离索比堡
  • הבריחה מסוביבור
  • Бягство от Собибор
  • 소비버 탈출
  • Pako Sobiborista
  • Flugten fra Sobibor
  • 逃離索比堡
  • Evadarea din Sobibor, გაქცევა სობიბორიდან
  • Útěk ze Sobiboru

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FAQ

Escape from Sobibor FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date

Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Escape from Sobibor, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Escape from Sobibor?

Escape from Sobibor runs 2 hours 49 minutes (169 minutes).

When was Escape from Sobibor released?

Escape from Sobibor was released on April 12, 1987.

Who directed Escape from Sobibor?

Escape from Sobibor was directed by Jack Gold.

More films by Jack Gold

Who is in the cast of Escape from Sobibor?

Escape from Sobibor stars Howard K. Smith as Narrator (voice), Hartmut Becker as Hauptscharführer Gustav Wagner and Alan Arkin as Leon Feldhendler, among 45 credited actors.

Does Escape from Sobibor have a post-credit scene?

No. Escape from Sobibor has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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