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.

"The Great Escaper" is a riveting film that brilliantly portrays the indomitable human spirit and the resilience of those who lived during wartime.

Directed by Oliver Parker and starring Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson, it is based on the true-life story of a British World War II veteran – Bernard Jordan - who 'broke out' of his nursing home to attend the 70th anniversary D-Day commemorations in France, in June 2014.

Bernard made global headlines when he staged his 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.

It was a story that captured the imagination of the world as Bernie embodied the defiant, “can-do” spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing. But of course, it wasn’t the whole story. It was an inspirational but sanitised retelling of one man’s need to come to terms with the lasting trauma of war.

Bernie’s adventure, spanning a mere 48 hours, also marked the culmination of his 60-year marriage to Rene (Glenda Jackson) – this film celebrates their enduring love but always with an eye to the lessons we might learn from the Greatest Generation.

The film was to be Jackson's last: she died in June 2023, some nine months after she finished filming her part. At the time of filming, Caine was 89 and Jackson was 86. They had last made a film together some 47 years previously: The Romantic Englishwoman (1

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