The Great Escaper

Both Michael Caine(? Last film) and Glenda Jackson (her last film)give touching performances as husband and wife, in this nice, decent drama based on a true story.

I hope both Laura and I see out our days in a residential home by the seafront, like the one they live in here!!!

After a slew of hard going thriller/horrors- Nowhere, The Passenger it's nice to see something light and friendly- like a hot chocolate under the duvet on a cold wet day.

I took Mum to see this at the Curzon and she enjoyed it- seeing it at home with Dad in a fugue of cigarette smoke and heavy atmosphere would have dimmed the experience.

The general consensus of the elderly patrons at the screening was that it was a nice, moving film, well acted- I agree.

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.

A fabulous cast with amazing performances demonstrating why Jackson and Caine are so highly regarded. Covers many difficult topics - longevity, friendship, guilt, trauma, illness, alcoholism, forgiveness and redemption. My husband and I both cried on a number of occasions, but there was also some great humour - we laughed, we cried, we enjoyed the cinematography. I'm not sure it was a true reflection of the average care home, it all seemed a bit too lovely. An effective juxtaposition with the couple as their younger selves, which was well cast. My only criticism was I felt the shoe horning into the plot of the traumatised much younger modern soldier didn't really work and for some reason those scenes jarred. It felt like an editor had requested the writers add them in later and it didn't quite work. A lovely film, but take some tissues.

Having missed an organised trip to the 70th anniversary of The D-Day landings, 90 year old Bernard John makes his own way to France, leaving behind his wife and care home.

I suppose I'd start by saying that I didn't want this film to end, magical from beginning to end. Bernard's story touched many people, I remember it being on The BBC news back in 2014.

They could have made the film overly sentimental or too sobre, but they struck the perfect mix, it's heartfelt, touching, inspiring and amusing, it's such a moving, real life story.

Several times it tugged away at the heart strings, the most powerful moment for me where Bernard say with The Germans, I had a lump in my throat.

The acting was truly incredible, it's the best I've seen from Michael Caine for many years, the emotion he put into this was quite something. What a send of for the late, great Glenda Jackson, again, a superb performance, the chemistry between her and Caine was noticeable.

John Standing also added to the mix, another actor who'd graced our screens for so long, wonderful.

One I'll happily watch over.

10/10.

The great escaper is a new release this week and is based on the true story of Bernard Jordan played by the iconic Michael Caine. Whilst living in his care home in Hove, England with his wife Irene played brilliantly by Glenda Jackson (RIP) WW2 veteran Bernie wishes to attend the 70th anniversary D day event in France. Unfortunately though he misses the deadline to go with the other veterans and due to being 90 years of age he would perhaps be ill advised to go on his own. That is until Irene convinces him that it's something he must do and so off he embarks on his adventure.

This film is exactly what you'd expect it to be an at times emotional and yet heartwarming story about not letting age stop you from living your life helmed by two icons of cinema. Michael Caine for me is up there in a class of legendary British acting talents like Jim Broadbent and Maggie Smith. It's such a difficult industry to get into to even appear on one film but to have the longevity in this industry that those actors have made for themselves is nothing short of remarkable and should be commended. That being said however it is Glenda Jackson who steals this film. Her character stays behind at the care home whilst Bernie goes off on his adventure and some of the witty lines she has can't help but bring a smile to your face. Whilst at home she reminisces about the past and how she met Bernie and we get flashbacks to the young couple. Whilst away Michael Caines character is still struggling with PTSD like symptoms from the Second World War and whilst I think it's important to remember how horrific war is and the impact it has on peoples lives for years in the future it is perhaps Irene's story that gives us hope. It's the fact that after all these years they've stayed together and looked after eachother. There's a lot of lines of dialogue in this film that I loved but one of my favourites was when Irene says something along the lines of 'we haven't done extravagant things, we've done simple things but we did them bloody well'. Sometimes just finding that right person and getting to spend your entire life with them is enough.

A great film with a lesson of love not war that should be seen on the big screen by people of all ages.

Rating: 7/10.