The Great Escaper *****

STARRING : Sir Michael Caine, Glenda Jackson, John Standing, Wolf Kahler, Danielle Vitalis, Jackie Clune, Brennan Reece, Carlyss Peer, Victor Oshin, Will Fletcher, Laura Marcus, Elliot Norman

DIRECTOR : Oliver Parker

DURATION RUNNING TIME : 1 Hour 36 Minutes (96 Mins)

CERTIFICATION RATING CERTIFICATE : 12A

DISTRIBUTION : Warner Bros Pictures (UK) - A Discovery Media Company), Pathe Film, Ecosse Films, Film i Vast, Filmgate Films, BBC Film

On Friday October 21, 2021, Sir Michael Caine, an Oscar-Winning English actor, gave a radio interview on 'Kermode and Mayo's Film Review' - a 'ninety-minute' show hosted by Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo - and broadcasted on BBC Radio Five Live - and in which he explained to the two interviewers - Kermode and Mayo - that he would announce his forthcoming retirement at the grand old age of 'eighty-eight' years - and also that he's spent over at least 'fifty years' getting up at 06:00 am in the mornings simply to make movies' and also 'not getting rid of his alarm clock', - but he also continued to say that 'he preferred writing to acting - because with writing 'that you don't have to get up at 06:30 am in the mornings and go to the film studio'.

The following day, - Saturday October 22, 2021, Caine appeared on Fox News, a News TV channel - in a exclusive interview stating 'that he won't be ending his 'seventy decade years in showbusiness' - as 'an actor' - Caine, at the time, was promoting 'BEST SELLERS' alongside Aubrey Plaza, Scott Speedman, Ellen Wong and Cary Elwes and is a 'comedy-drama' about Harris Shaw, 'a cranky, reclusive and also a cantankerous retired author' (Caine), who's about to go on a publicity tour with Lucy, (Plaza), his desperate publisher, - this would be 'his final film performance' - or - 'so we thought'.

But at the time it was during many interviews promoting 'BEST SELLERS' that Caine himself suggested 'that he would not make another film - due to the fact - that is cited as Caine had in fact suffered difficulty in walking' - but according to 'VARIETY' - AN AMERICAN MAGAZINE - originally published in 1905, by Sime Silverman in New York City - first as 'a weekly newspaper' on theater and also vaudeville, and by 1933, it was launched as 'THE DAILY VARIETY' - basically to cover 'the motion picture industry' - their representative explained 'that he was not retiring from acting', also both these claims about his retirement turned out to be false.

Now 'two years later' - 2023 - Caine announces that at the 'grand old age of ninety years' he's embarking to appear which they say could be his last ever movie - before retirement - which by the way - that on Saturday October 14, 2023, it is official - that he would announce his retirement - in 'THE GREAT ESCAPER' - alongside Glenda Jackson,CBE, an Academy Award winner and also a former Labour MP - 'MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT' for Hampstead and Highgate (1992-2010) and also Hampstead and Kilburn (2010-2015) - this was also due to constituency boundary changes - at the time, - plus during this time Jackson was appointed Junior Transport Minister - lasting 'two years' under Tony Blair's New Labour government, then in 2015, after politics Jackson returned to acting and had completed 'THE GREAT ESCAPER' opposite Sir Michael Caine in September 2022.

This was 'their second appearance on the big screen' their first appearance together was in 'THE ROMANTIC ENGLISHWOMAN' back in 1975, Jackson sadly 'passed away' on June 15, 2023, aged eighty-seven years old, - however don't be mislead by 'the title' - as this has no reference to ' THE GREAT ESCAPE ' - the 1963 'epic war classic' - directed by John Sturges, also based on Paul Brickhill's 'non-fiction' novel - and features an 'all-star cast' headed by Steve McQueen about Allied POW's planning to escape from a German POW camp Stalag Luft III during the 'Second World War' - 'WWII',- Brickhill also wrote 'THE DAM BUSTERS'- published in 1954, about Royal Air Force -RAF 617 Squadron commanded by Guy Gibson, a Wing Commander - WC - who as a result was also awarded the Victoria Cross - VC - during World War II - and that the Squadron - in -question - became known as 'The Dam Busters' - the film version directed by Michael Anderson came out in 1955 - starring Richard Todd as Guy Gibson and Michael Redgrave as Barnes Wallis but Caine - prior to this - also announced that during the Pandemic his career would also involve writing novels during this time as one of his new interests.

‘THE GREAT ESCAPER' - in question tells the 'remarkable true story' of Bernard Jordan, (Caine), who lives at 'The Pines' - a care home situated in Brighton, Hove, East Sussex, with his wife Irene 'aka' Rene, (Jackson), their loyal marriage to each other marked at least sixty years.

Jordan's day began everyday around 10:30 am, and would set out for a walk. He'd kiss his wife, Irene, aged eighty-eight years on the cheek, put on his grey raincoat and also unlatch the gate of 'THE PINES', the redbrick residential home situated in Hove, East Sussex, where the couple lived.

First, Bernie, as he was well known - would pop into 'ICELAND' to buy some fruit and also 'a bar of chocolate' for Irene.

Next, he'd pick up a newspaper and stroll down to the seafront, past the pastel beach huts, stopping at a cafe for a cup of tea.

Then just after lunch, he would return home, kiss Irene on the cheek again and also spend the rest of the afternoon by his frail wife's side.

Now when Jordan aged eighty nine years, a veteran in WWII and also served in the Royal Navy as an officer in the Royal Navy went to serve his country on June 6, 1944,- 'D-DAY' - to France - and saw tens of thousands of his fellow service members killed in battle on the shores of Northern France, but also Jordan even once seized an Enigma machine from a Nazi U-Boat.

However in June 2014, 'seventy years later' Jordan, known as 'THE GREAT ESCAPER' who's original plan to go to Normandy had failed to get included on an official group excursion suddenly had 'a back-up plan' and decided to go to on his own mission of a 'great adventure' by slipping out in the early morning - not telling anyone- and also wearing a grey raincoat with his proud war medals went back to Normandy - via taxi and also the ferry and meeting up with other WWII survivors to join in the 70th anniversary celebrations and remember his comrades in the graveyards of France.

However en route to Normandy Jordan bumps into Arthur (Standing), an elderly ex-RAF officer on the ferry - both Standing and Caine last appeared together on screen in 'THE EAGLE HAS LANDED' - 1976,- Caine portrayed Colonel (Oberst) Kurt Steiner - For the record, Oberst is in fact a senior field officer rank in several German - speaking and Scandinavian countries that is equivalent to Colonel - and Standing portrayed Philip Verecker, a parish priest - and based on the novel by Jack Higgins, (his 'pen' name) aka Henry 'Harry' Patterson, (his real name) and which also featured Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, Jenny Agutter, Anthony Quayle, Donald Pleasence, Jean Marsh and even Larry Hagman - J.R. Ewing in 'DALLAS' - the TV Series - plus it was directed by John Sturges - which was ironically - 'his final movie'.

Anyway back in October 1974, Paramount Pictures, the film studio, had purchased 'the original film rights' and this was in partnership with Jack Wiener - a former executive at Paramount, Wiener also produced the movie along with David Niven Jnr, - the son of the British actor who along with Wiener was also a former executive of Paramount Pictures and also Columbia Pictures as well.

Both Wiener and Niven Jnr also produced 'ESCAPE TO ATHENA' - originally released in 1979 - and featured an all star cast consisting of Roger Moore, David Niven Snr, Telly Savalas, Claudia Cardinale, Sonny Bono, Stefanie Powers, Richard Roundtree and Elliott Gould - this is a wartime comedy action -adventure film directed by George Pan Cosmatos and is set during WWII on a German-occupied Greek Island - the film was shot entirely of location on the Island of Rhodes - plus this was also that Moore and Niven Snr, 'had appeared together' for the first time and by 1980, they 'reunited' again in 'THE SEA WOLVES' alongside Gregory Peck, Trevor Howard and Barbara Kellermann, 'THE SEA WOLVES' produced by Euan Lloyd and directed by Andrew Victor McLaglen - the son of the Irish actor Victor McLaglen who had appeared in many John Wayne movies.

Now 'THE SEA WOLVES' is based on the novel 'BOARDING PARTY' by James Leasor, centred on the true story of 'OPERATION CREEK' during WWII, when during the 'covert mission' involving 'THE CALCUTTA LIGHT HORSE' - originally raised in 1872, and also formed in the Cavalry Reserve in the British Indian Army, and which successfully sank a German merchant ship in Mormugao Harbour in Portugal's territory of Goa, India on March 9, 1943, also the ship - in question - had 'a secret radio' which was transmitting vital information about Allied shipping to 'U-Boats' - operating in the Indian Ocean, and by 1947, the regiment - in question -was disbanded following India's 'INDEPENDENCE' in 1947.

For Niven Snr and Peck, this was their 'second time' appearing together in this - their first time was back in 1961, when they both appeared in 'THE GUNS OF NAVARONE' - directed by John Lee Thompson and based on the novel by Alastair McClean originally published in 1957, - this epic action adventure also shared a plot with the best selling novel - this involves the efforts of an Allied commando unit to destroy a seemingly impregnable German fortress that threatens Allied forces situated in the Aegean Sea - the film apart from Peck and Niven Snr also had an incredible cast including Anthony Quinn, Sir Stanley Baker, Anthony Quayle - again - , Irene Papas, Gia Scala, James Darren, James Robertson Justice - who also provided the opening prologue of the movie and also featured Richard Harris - as an Australian - including his Australian accent, then in 1978, there was a sequel to the original film entitled 'FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE' directed by Guy Hamilton - this featured Robert Shaw as Mallory and Edward Fox as Miller - these two original characters appeared in the original film and also featured a young Harrison Ford, along with Carl Weathers, Barbara Bach, Franco Nero ( in a ''plastic surgery''role originally previously played by Tutte Lemkow ), and also Richard Kiel - also this was Shaw's final movie as he 'passed away' before the film's release.

This was also Euan Lloyd's and Andrew Victor McLaglen second feature as producer and director - their first was 'THE WILD GEESE' -back in 1978, and featured an all -star cast including Richard Burton, Sir Roger Moore - again - , Richard Harris -again, Hardy Kruger and also Stewart Granger - now the film produced by Euan Lloyd and directed by Andrew Victor McLaglen - was in fact - 'a long time ambition' by Lloyd himself - who originally wanted to make 'an all-time adventure movie' in the vein of 'THE GUNS OF NAVARONE' and also 'WHERE EAGLES DARE' (1968) directed by Brian G. Hutton featuring Richard Burton, - again - with Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure and Ingrid Pitt.

The plot of 'THE WILD GEESE' involves a group of European mercenaries consisting of Colonel Allen Faulkner (Burton), Lieutenant Shawn Fynn (Moore), Captain Rafer Janders (Harris), Lieutenant Pieter Coetzee (Kruger), and many others fighting in the extreme heat of Africa - and the screenplay by Reginald Rose, an American screenwriter, was based on Daniel Carney's (who was a Rhodesian novelist) 'unpublished novel' - 'THE THIN WHITE LINE'.

The film in question is named after the Wild Goose flag and also shoulder patch originally used by Michael 'MAD MIKE' Hoare's Five Commando, ANC, which in turn was inspired by a 17th-century Irish mercenary army 'WILD GEESE', and that Carney's novel was in fact subsequently published by CORGI BOOKS under the film's title.

The novel in question was 'based upon rumours and also speculation' - following the 1968 landing of a mysterious aeroplane in Rhodesia, which was to have originally said to have been 'loaded with mercenaries' and also 'an African president' - which has believed to be a dying Moise Kapenda Tshombe, - a Congolese businessman and also a politician.

However when 'THE EAGLE HAS LANDED' - the original novel was published in 1975 and became a 'bestseller' but Higgins - the original author - had doubted that whether anyone would be interested in making a film based on his original novel because its protagonists were German soldiers, and was amazed that the rights were not only sold within 'two weeks', but also that the film in question was brought to production so swiftly - also Caine was originally offered the part of Liam Devlin but did not want to play a member of the IRA and so asked if he could the role of Steiner.

However Richard Harris, was then offered the role of Liam Devlin, but ongoing comments that Harris had made in support of the IRA and also the attendance at an IRA fundraising event in America had embroiled him in a scandal and also drew threats to the film's producers and so Harris was removed from the production and the role of Devlin was given to Donald Sutherland instead, - also this greatest adventure that Jordan went on and also which spanned 'a mere 48 Hours' - ie : two days - but also had sparked 'a major incident'.

Now, the care home - in question - had insisted that there was no question of forbidding Bernard to escape from the care home and also attend the 70th D-Day Anniversary celebrations in Normandy - 'which he did' - plus he stood with other war veterans, which also included 'the late' Her Majesty - HM - The Queen, U.S. President Barack Obama and also a host of other VIP's - remembering the 4,000 men who lost their lives - and so there was no escape as such, however, facetiously the staff at the care home are represented as 'busybody 'elf and safety' commandments in charge - including Adele, (Vitalis), a care worker, as well as Judith,(Clune), a care worker manager in charge, and also Martin, (Reece), also a care worker, and also tempting though what might have been - could have landed in hot water - and - 'as a result' - the police had to be called in to search for the WWII war veteran, who by the way, also served as a former Lord Mayor as well, and it was by then that he had reached Northern France, near Caen, where he had arrived in Ouistreham - this was the town - classed as a 'commune' situated in Calvados, France that was nearest to the celebrations and checked into a hotel.

This 'heartwarming' true story of one man's 'great adventure' made global headlines and also became a story that captured the imagination of the world and Jordan himself seemed to embody the defiant 'can do' attitude spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing - but this wasn't the whole story - for this story was the story that even we all tell ourselves how to make war and also old age bearable - a bittersweet screenplay written by William Ivory explores the reality of war told in flashbacks shot in pristine colour as we see Bernie and Rene in their younger years (Fletcher and Marcus) declare their feelings for each other in their own unique way - and for this story not only also explores the unique reality of wit and also with a very big heart - it also celebrates their love for each other without sentimentality - and also with a clear eye to the lessons that we can all learn from the greatest generation in our lives.

This true story in question - also has shades of the D-Day Celebration shown on BBC News coverage - of which is shown in the film - and that its also a kind of piety of poignancy in which the performances by all concerned - especially Caine and Jackson - are memorable in their unique way, however I'm inclined to wonder how many movie versions will there be of Captain Sir Tom Moore and his 'legendary lockdown walks' around his garden located in Bedfordshire, and raising at least ￡38m for NHS Charities Together during the pandemic were once in development during the same vein, that are combined together, with the same present-day/war-time flashback structure, could be reimagined in this superb movie with superior editing, stunning cinematography, and also a wonderful music score by Craig Armstrong.

This is one of those movie masterpieces about the life story of Bernard Jordan - a real-life WWII veteran that you have to see on the big screen - plus this is only 'the first movie' about Jordan in question - there's another movie about Jordan - also 'based on his story' in 'THE LAST RIFLEMAN' - this is a forthcoming action thriller featuring Pierce Brosnan, Jurgen Prochnow and John Amos -is about to be released - not in movie theaters- but exclusively on Sky Cinema - a movie channel.

Here what follows is a line from the ODE OF REMEMBRANCE - this is in fact - a poem that is commonly recited at Remembrance services in Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to commemorate wartime sacrifices - also this poem serves as a secular prayer -

'They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn'

'At the going down of the sun and in the morning we shall remember them.

LEST WE FORGET -ALWAYS REMEMBER - NEVER FORGET

One of the best films of 2023

Don't Miss It !

David M.G.Mitchell