Powerful theme in tense film
ESCAPE From Pretoria tells the true life experiences of Timothy Jenkin and Stephen Lee based on the book by Jenkin.
Both were young university graduates in South Africa in the 1970s under apartheid who rebelled against the regime, joining the outlawed African National Congress and actively taking part in distributing leaflets denouncing the government.
They were arrested and sentenced to significant periods of incarceration, Jenkin (Daniel Radcliffe) got 12 years, Lee (Daniel Webber) eight.
They were sent to the Pretoria Prison for political activists where they both felt as conscientious objectors that it was their duty to try to escape, much against the advice of long-time political prisoner Denis Goldberg (Ian Hart) who had been sentenced along with Nelson Mandela at the Rivonia Trial to life in prison.
Jenkin used his initiative to forge keys out of offcuts of timber, gradually working through the various doors that stood between them and freedom.
He and Lee were soon joined in their plan by Leonard Fontaine (Mark Leonard Winter).
The situation was fraught with danger; if they’d been caught their sentence would have increased by 25 years. Their suspicious guard Mongo (Nathan Page) was on to their every move.
If some of those names are familiar to Australian audiences – Nathan Page from the Miss Fisher series and Mark Leonard Taylor from various television series including Pine Gap and Cleverman it’s because Escape From Pretoria was an Australian/United Kingdom co-production.
It was shot in South Australia, the cinematographer was Geoffrey Hall, the composer David Hirschfelder.
The film is truly tense at times as the men venture further and further out of their cells, testing their escape route.
It’s been nicely performed by all cast members and well directed by Francis Annan who co-wrote the script with L. H. Adams.
The film’s theme of individual responsibility to stand up and be counted when living under an inhumane regime is powerful.