![]() Goldberg argues the case for holding steady and resolutely serving their time. The political prisoners connect with each other and while Jenkin, Lee and Fontaine begin hatching their plot to escape. Locked up alongside Jenkin and Lee in Pretoria Prison is renowned anti-Apartheid activist and Mandela compatriot Denis Goldberg ( Ian Hart) and French national Leonard Fontaine ( Mark Leonard Winter). ![]() While telling the story of anti-Apartheid action from a white man’s point of view could wander into White Savior territory, the film does a great job establishing the solidarity among all members of the resistance, regardless of race, and what they were willing to sacrifice to achieve a democratic South Africa. South Africa under Apartheid is one of those historical blind spots for a lot of people and, while everyone knows Nelson Mandela, it’s interesting to see the resistance from another point of view. We know these guys as free men for all of five minutes before they are locked away in Pretoria Central Prison for white men and spend the rest of the film fighting tooth and nail to escape and continue their fight against the despicable South African government. Frances Annan’s Escape From Pretoria deserves a spot alongside those films and, while that is high praise, this is a damn fine film.Įscape From Pretoria opens with activists Tim Jenkin ( Danielle Radcliffe) and Stephen Lee ( Daniel Webber) being arrested by South African authorities for distributing anti-Apartheid leaflets in 1978. The Grand Illusion, The Great Escape, Le Trou, Stalag 17, The Shawshank Redemption, Down By Law and A Man Escaped are all classic escape movies that come to mind, and classics in any genre for that matter. They don’t always succeed, but the subgenre is perfect for highlighting the human spirit and the lengths those in captivity will go to reclaim their freedom. ![]() You take some scrappy dudes, you put them in a jail cell and you watch them use the meager means at their disposal to get one over on the villainous guards. It’s hard to think of a cinematic formula that works better than the prison escape movie. MPAA rating: PG-13 for violence, language and some disturbing material Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Daniel Webber, Mark Leonard Winter and Ian Hart
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