The Great Escaper

2023

1h 36m

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

151

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History

Drama

War

In the summer of 2014, a World War II veteran sneaks out of his care home to attend the 70th anniversary commemoration of the D-Day landings in Normandy.

Directors

Oliver Parker

Writers

William Ivory(writer by)

Stars

Michael Caine

Glenda Jackson

John Standing

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Top cast

Bernard Jordan

Irene Jordan

Arthur

Young Bernard

Young Irene

Scott

Adele

Tim

Nathan

Vicky

LCT Commander Parker

Heinrich

Young Tour Guide

Douglas Bennet

Maurice (Patron)

Little Old French Lady

Graeme Dalling

Cyclist

Simon Darwen

Male TV Announcer

Directors

Oliver Parker

Writers

William Ivory(writer by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

This is one of those contemporary, really quite touching, dramas that we won't be able to make for too much longer. It centres around an elderly couple, who have been together for seventy years, and live a semi-independent life in a care home. During a routine chat with their nurses, "Rene" (Glenda Jackson) discovers that her husband "Bernie" (Sir Michael Caine) had wanted to go to the impending celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, but that all the tickets had gone. She makes it pretty clear that if he wants to go, well then he ought to just go! Armed with a only a carrier bag and a few quid, he takes a ferry and heads off on a trip that is going to induce some fairly horrific memories of events in 1945 - which we sparingly see in flashback - but is also going to provide him with a degree of fulfilment and closure on issues that have dogged him ever since. Snag? Well he didn't actually tell anyone he was going, so the home are worried, the police are looking and the media soon get hold of his tale of determination and a degree of celebrity beckons. It's a very characterful story, this, with a gentle chemistry between Jackson and Caine, and also between Caine and his newfound travelling companion "Arthur" (a proud performance from John Standing) as they both have to face their demons past and present. There's plenty of humour - a decent soupçon of sarcasm; along with a spirit of optimism and reconciliation that works well, without drifting into cheesy sentiment, for ninety minutes. It reminded me of the equally poignant BBC drama "A Foreign Field" (1993) and is a good, at times thought-provoking watch.

Geronimo196708 Oct, 2023