mentioned in Paul Brickhill's book The Great Escape. There were in fact two such 'Swiss Commission' escapes from German POW camps holding RAF prisoners – Oflag IXA/H, Spangenberg, in 1941, and Oflag VIB, Warburg, in 1942. The escape in Very Important Person is based on the latter, which was an Army–RAF joint effort, and not the one mentioned by Paul Brickhill. Both escapes are described by Charles Rollings in his books Wire and Walls and Wire and Worse. The film's screenplay was later made into a novelisation with the same title by John Foley, which has erroneously caused John Foley to sometimes be credited as author of the novel upon which the film is based. However, it was the other way around: his novel is based on the film. Trivia The Windmill Theatre mentioned at the end of the film was a famous variety and revue theatre which featured tableaux vivants similar to the Folies Bergère and Moulin Rouge in Paris. It continued to operated throughout WWII despite blackouts and the Blitz on London, and boasted "We Never Closed." Critical reception The New York Times described the film as "trifling, even as modest British comedies go," and "burdened, rather than helped, by the presence of James Robertson Justice in a ponderous role," though Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter were found to be "particularly droll." The Radio Times however, noted a "winning comedy" with "witty script", "polished playing" - "Stanley Baxter gives one of his best film performances" - and "deft comic support from Leslie Phillips, Eric Sykes and the deliciously deadpan Richard Wattis." References External links 1960s war comedy films 1961 films British aviation films British war comedy films 1960s English-language films Films directed by Ken Annakin World War II aviation films World War II prisoner of war films Military humor in film 1961 comedy films 1960s British films