The Great Escaper

"Inspired by a true love story."

2023 1h 36m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 182

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Synopsis

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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.

“Inspired by a true love story.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Michael Caine
Bernard Jordan
Glenda Jackson
Irene Jordan
John Standing
Arthur
Will Fletcher
Young Bernard
Laura Marcus
Young Irene
Victor Oshin
Scott
Danielle Vitalis
Adele
Joe Bone
Tim

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Oliver Parker
Writers: William Ivory
Languages: English, French, German
Countries: France, Sweden, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: France, Sweden, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Oliver Parker, shot by Christopher Ross. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Craig Armstrong. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Paul Tothill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson and John Standing carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Inspired by a true love story.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Oliver Parker directs. Christopher Ross behind the camera. Craig Armstrong scores. Paul Tothill cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Sweden, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, French, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 3 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, German.
3International production across 3 countries: France, Sweden, United Kingdom.
4Directed by Oliver Parker, shot by Christopher Ross. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Craig Armstrong. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Paul Tothill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson and John Standing carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Inspired by a true love story.".
9IMDB entry: tt14124080 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Christopher Ross
Original score: Craig Armstrong
Editing: Paul Tothill
Makeup / hair: Jacqueline Fowler
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): M
IMDB: The Great Escaper (2023)

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Oliver Parker

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-10-08
★ 7/10
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.

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