The Great Escaper tells the true story of Bernard Jordan (Michael Caine) who made global headlines in the summer of 2014. He had staged a “great escape” from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades at the D-Day Landings’ 70th anniversary.
Bernie’s adventure, spanning a mere 48 hours, also marked the culmination of his 60-year marriage to Irene (Glenda Jackson). The Great Escaper celebrates their enduring love but always with an eye to the lessons we might learn from the Greatest Generation.
While Bernie is on his trip to Normandy, Irene recalls their younger days and falling in love during World War II. Bernie’s story captured the imagination of the world as he embodied the defiant, “can-do” spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing. But it wasn’t the whole story. The Great Escaper is an inspirational, but sanitized, retelling of one man’s need to come to terms with the lasting trauma of war.
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