The Great Escaper is a 2023 British-French dramedy film directed by Oliver Parker (2007's St. Trinian's).
It tells the true story of how Bernard Jordan (Michael Caine), a 89 year old British veteran of World War II and the D-Day Landings in Normandy, France in particular, escaped from the UK care home where he and his wife Irene (Glenda Jackson, in her final role) were living their last days to attend the 70th Anniversary commemorations of D-Day in June 2014, and honor his fallen comrades.
Around the time of the film's release on October 6, 2023, Michael Caine announced his retirement from acting.
The Great Escaper provides examples of the following tropes:
- 20 Minutes into the Past: The film, released in 2023, is set in 2014, the year Bernard Jordan made the trip to France for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
- Based on a True Story: The film has a "Inspired by a true story" card.
- Big "WHAT?!": At one point, Bernard pretends a male stripper will be brought for Irene, to which she answers with a big "What?!" (he then admits he made it up).
- Black Comedy:Adele: He's in France?! At 90?!Irene: Well, he has done it before... only then of course they were shooting at him.
- Casting Gag: Wolf Kahler plays the German Shell-Shocked Veteran Heinrich. It's something of a logical conclusion given Kahler's longtime typecasting as Wehrmacht soldiers/officers or SS officers such as in The Eagle Has Landed (which also happened to star Michael Caine), Raiders of the Lost Ark, sequels to The Dirty Dozen, The Winds of War/War and Remembrance, Band of Brothers, Cockneys vs. Zombies etc.
- Flashback: There are several flashbacks to Bernard's service during World War II, most notably one from the day he stormed Gold Beach and some from when he and Irene started their relationship.
- Forgiveness: Bernard starts the movie with some mild prejudice against Germans, but seeing some of the Axis veterans in France who made the trip to commemorate their allies who fell in battle, and recognizing that they are similarly traumatized from the D-Day skirmishes causes him to bury the hatchet with his former foes.
- Friendly Fire: Arthur confesses that he was part of the infamous Allied bombing runs during the "Battle for Caen", killing a number of French Resistance fighters, including his brother who had joined up with them after his plane had been shot down.
- Grave-Marking Scene: Bernard goes to a British cemetery in Normandy to honor his fallen comrades."What a waste...what a waste."
- Happily Married: Irene mentions that Bernard has spent 70 years loving her and that they never wasted one second of their time together.
- The Patient Has Left the Building: Bernard sneaks out of his care home to go to France to attend the 70th anniversary celebrations of D-Day.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Young Bernard is rather bashful when he admits to Irene that his dream dog is a poodle, as he considers them to be just the right size while having excellent temperaments.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Bernard shares memories from the day he stormed Gold Beach with German veterans. One of them, Heinrich, still shivers when thinking about it, and puts his hand on Bernard's for comfort.
- Shout-Out: The title is a reference to The Great Escape. Bernard's own adventure was actually called as such in the media in Real Life.
- Storming the Beaches: There are flashbacks to June 6, 1944 when Bernard was among the soldiers landing on Gold Beach.
- Survivor Guilt: Bernard has a bit of this when he says he's a "90 year old coffin dodger".
- Time-Shifted Actor: Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson played Bernard and Irene in old age, while in the World War II flashbacks Will Fletcher and Laura Marcus played the characters' younger selves.
