11/10/23

Cineworld, Edinburgh

This poignant film, written by William Ivory and directed by Oliver Parker, relates the true story of pensioner Bernard Jordan (Michael Caine), who, when we first encounter him in 2014, is living a life of quiet desperation in a care home in Hove. He and his wife of many years, Rene (Glenda Jackson, in her final film role), have become used to the daily grind of meals and medication. Bernard is a veteran of World War 2 and like many others, he’s applied to go over to France to commemorate the seventieth anniversary of D Day, but is disappointed to be told that he’s left it too late.

Bernard and Rene have a heart-to-heart discussion about the situation. She’s not mobile enough to travel these days, but realises that Bernard has a long-held need to confront a particular ghost from his past. She advises him to go to France anyway, realising that this is something he really needs to do. He takes her at her word and slips away early one morning. When the care home staff finally start to notice his absence, Rene does an excellent job of stalling for time…

The Great Escaper is one of those stories that would seem ridiculously far-fetched if it weren’t true. Aboard the cross channel ferry, Bernard befriends Arthur, a former RAF officer (John Standing), who is haunted by his own tragic memories of the war; and he also encounters, Scott (Victor Oshin), a more recent veteran, who had the bad fortune to stand on a landmine in Helmand Province and is now struggling to adjust to his new life as an amputee.

These contemporary strands are punctuated by scenes of a young Bernard (Will Fletcher) and Irene (Laura Marcus), meeting during wartime and falling in love – and there are steadily unfolding sequences of the event that has haunted Bernard’s dreams for decades. The young actors who double for Caine and Jackson are perfectly cast in their roles.

This isn’t an epic film by any stretch of the imagination – it’s small and realistic and never afraid to show the darker side of ageing, the awful tragedy of it. Though the media interest in Bernard’s adventure actually happened, it’s never feels overblown; it’s measured and realistic. There’s also a refusal to glorify the bravery of the veterans.

The film’s strongest moment is the scene where a sobbing Bernard stands alone amidst a forest of white crosses in a military graveyard. ‘What a waste,’ he cries – and I’m pretty confident there’s not a soul in the audience that would disagree with him.

If eventually the film feels a little too sombre for its own good, there are still genuinely heartwarming performances from the two leads. Caine came out of retirement for the chance to work with Jackson again (they last appeared together in 1975’s The Romantic Englishwoman) and now, reunited for one final appearance, they make a winning team.

4 stars

Philip Caveney