Escape From Pretoria, a political thriller starring Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Ian Hart (Professor Quirrell) debuts in U.K. and U.S. cinemas tomorrow, March 6th. The jaw-dropping story of how two men broke out of the infamous maximum-security Pretoria Prison - and eventually on to the UK - has been given the Hollywood treatment in new blockbuster 'Escape From Pretoria', starring Daniel Radcliffe as Tim. Alex Moumbaris was born in Egypt to Greek parents and grew up in Australia. We walked out as if we had every right to be there.". . [2], Moumbaris was still living in Normandy as of July 2017[update]. We started just before the Soweto uprising in 1976 and carried on for three years. [15], At 3am the morning of 2 March 1978, Jenkin and Lee were both arrested, after being seen moving their printing equipment into their own dwelling. [4] He had not grown up in a political family, but when in Britain associated with Communists there and he was inspired by the communist resistance to the Axis occupation of Greece during World War II. I still have it in my toolbox and still use it as a normal tool. He escaped with fellow activists Stephen Lee and Alex Moumbaris. Using an ingenious homemade wooden key attached, like a crankshaft, to the end of a broomstick, Tim had just got through his outer cell door. As Stephen explained in a previous interview with The Daily Mail, he came up with the solution to end all of their woes during a lonely, quiet night in his prison cell. There was only one guard on duty and he was chatting to Denis. He tells how Tim had been given a 12-year sentence and he had got eight years inside. Something went wrong, please try again later. The only languages allowed to be spoken during visits were the two "official" languages, English and Afrikaans, but as Boris only spoke French and was deemed too young to be a security risk, allowed them to converse in French. Stephen and Tim began devising ways to break out as soon as they arrived. Lying on his bunk one night, he gazed at the lock in front of him and had a flash of inspiration. This virus has brutally disrupted many cinematic dreams. Tim, the technical expert of the pair, had devised a way of scattering banned leaflets by using explosive linked to a timer and detonator inside a carrier bag. "[This] was hugely emotional," Stephen described The Daily Mirror how the first breakthrough made him feel. We got through the nine doors and then at the final door, we found we couldnt open the lock. Francis Annan, a young and gifted British director, had hoped his debut film would be seen on the big screen. Once the plan is set in motion, the film itself feels unlocked: As a re-eenacted chapter of anti-apartheid history, Escape from Pretoria may not feel entirely authentic, but it knows its prison-movie terrain, from Alcatraz to Shawshank, inside out. All Rights Reserved. It's not intended as a . But, he says, they were determined to break free. ', Super Mario Bros. 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However, after the escape plan had captured his imagination, he cleaned up and changed his attitude, and was soon promoted to the "A" group. While their revolutionary deeds helped to change the course of history, their prison escape was that which garnered them real fame. [5] He later wrote that he had "grown up a 'normal' complacent white South African" who "unthinkingly accepted the system and for twenty-one years never questioned it". In the 1990s he and others created an association dedicated to the memory of Joseph Stalin, later dissolved but re-formed, for his role in creating socialism, with free health and education. Escape from Pretoria is a 2020 Australian prison film co-written and directed by Francis Annan, based on the real-life prison escape by three political prisoners in South Africa in 1979, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Daniel Webber. [9] When an escape committee of three prisoners was set up, Moumbaris (and not Jenkin or Lee) was selected as he was "the most vociferous" and a good negotiator. Luckily, the warder blamed one of his colleagues. After the escape, the prison was refurbished to improve security. Through reading material banned by the government, they came to see the "naked reality" of apartheid and the undemocratic behavior of the ruling party, and felt a burning desire to effect positive change, which, Jenkin concluded, was only possible using unconstitutional means under the current regime. They caught us with printing equipment. Escape From Pretoria chronicles their journey, shedding new light on how they managed to escape from prison. [24], In May 2017, it was announced production would start on a film of Jenkin's book, produced by David Barron and starring Daniel Radcliffe as Jenkin and Ian Hart as Goldberg. I started to carve a few little pieces of wood, one for the shaft and one for the bit of the key, Tim told National Geographic. "That gave me the depth of the lock inside, which was the same measurement as the key. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Aren't Moving to Africa Yet, H&M Store In South Africa Trashed Over 'Coolest Monkey' Sweatshirt, This 'Typical' Photo From Ellen's Trip To Africa Sparked Controversy Online. When the night came, Denis Goldberg, a political prisoner who would serve 22 years, distracted the guards. [11] The wardens were all Afrikaans-speaking and were not fluent in English, and while most of the prisoners were fairly fluent in Afrikaans, they were not familiar with the topics they talked about. What 15 KB (566 words) - 03:39, 25 February 2021 Grant Piro Broadcasting Corporation. Once Tim had cracked the third door, inmate Alexis Moumbaris, pictured, joined the escape effort Each night after lights went out, the trio sneaked out of their cells - once Tim had used the. Nathan Page. From the jail they took trains, hitchhiked and walk 25 miles to make it to the border of Swaziland - now called Eswatini. Tim and Stephen were hauled off to a special "European" section called "The Local" for white inmates which housed up to 22. To make this possible, they befriended another inmate, Alex Moumbaris. [4], After leaving school, he avoided conscription into the South African Defence Force, and worked at a variety of jobs for two years, with no particular interest in anything except motorcycle racing. Escape From Pretoria (2020 ) Directed and Written: Francis Annan He's best known as the anti-apartheid activist who. . This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. On 9 January Moumbaris left for France and was welcomed upon arrival in Paris by Marie-Jos (whom he had not seen for seven years), his mother, 7-year-old son Boris, and many friends and well-wishers. I took the file that I brought, and I had the lock in front of me so I could keep testing it, he explained of the agonisingly slow process. [28], In 1987 his book, Escape from Pretoria, was published in London. [9], In February 1974, Jenkin and Lee left the country in order to join the ANC in London, with the intention of helping to bring about change in South Africa. My heart was racing. Tiene 72 aos y ha escrito varios libros. We just hoped that nobody would see us.". How does one who is an activist, not a locksmith even begin to fashion keys with no knowledge of the mechanisms? Locked up in a maximum-security jail for leaflets against apartheid, they embarked on one of the most audacious escapes in history. He left for the UK in 1970, where, working in a fibreglass factory under poor working conditions and little pay, found the system unjust and developed an interest in sociology. [20], In Paris, Moumbaris organised the opening of the ANC office in 1981[21] and continued to assist the struggle against apartheid in various ways, including recruiting comrades for missions in South Africa for MK. The key, fortunately, also worked for the door of Stephen's neighbouring cell. But fortunately the metal of the keyhole marked where it was getting jammed, meaning Tim could accurately file it down to size. [13] Jenkin went to London at the request of the ANC in May 1976, while Lee continued to plant leaflet bombs around Johannesburg. Shop Escape from Pretoria. Elated, they moved on to door three, which, incredibly, worked with the same key as the inner cell door. I felt so elated. They became friends and, in a South African version of Samizdat, Jenkins and Lee sought out literature banned by the ruling National Party. They both found their sociology course disappointing, as the material reinforced the status quo of apartheid. He was born in Egypt to Greek parents, grew up in Australia, lived and worked in the UK, was imprisoned in South Africa and now lives in France. In February 1974, Jenkin and Lee left the country in order to join the ANC in London, with the intention of helping to bring about change in South Africa. Alexandre Moumbaris is a political activist and former political prisoner. [22], In 2013, the story of the prison escape was dramatised in the 7th episode of the 2nd season of Breakout, a television series made by National Geographic TV channel dramatising real-life prison escapes. Goldberg distracted the warden while the three made their escape. The last 30-odd years have seen such a wealth of diverse, resonant personal histories emerge from the ashes of apartheid not least that of the actual, not-white Mandela that " Escape from. After his brainwave about fashioning a lock for his cell door while lying on his bunk bed, Tim felt confident the plan would work. In an area called "The Pot", therewas a legendary gallows where seven could be hung at once. But of course if you continue doing something long enough, you will make mistakes. Copyright 2023 Distractify. It took them months to crack the fourth lock. This one actually has its roots in a real-life story, as it'll be based on Tim Jenkin's autobiography Inside Out: Escape From Pretoria Prison. For three years they set off harmless leaflet bombs - explosive devices at the bottom of a shopping bag that could distribute 500 propaganda pamphlets in one 'bang' - spreading word of the liberation movement in public places. On arrival at Pretoria, a jail for white political prisoners, both men were so focused on escaping they even asked relatives to smuggle in money for taxi fares once they broke out. Stephen began to experiment with wooden keys the exact replicas used by prison guards during his compulsory shifts at the prison's wood workshop. "Just in case, we had brought a chisel. My heart was racing. [6], At the end of 1970 Jenkin enrolled at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science degree at the end of 1973. It was suspected South African agents may have raided the home for documents to use in Moumbaris' trial. They achieved this mission, managing to distribute hundreds of leaflets by means of several leaflet bombs, the text of which is reproduced in Jenkin's memoir. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. [1], Moumbaris was the only non-South African prisoner, and when Jenkin met him, he appeared as "a little aloof". Escape from Pretoria airs on Saturday, 4 July, at 20:00 on TNT (DStv 137) We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred. He is evidently based on the Egyptian-born French national, Alex Moumbaris, with whom the men actually broke out, although it isn't clear why his character has been fictionalised and the. Then I went to Australia to the set and we would often sit together and hed ask me about particular scenes, what was going through my head while this was happening. As he says, for me its just like going to the movies. In order to successfully escape from the prison in December 1979, Jenkin unlocked nine doors while Goldberg diverted the warden. [16][17][18][19], They were taken to Caledon Square Police Station, the head office of the Security Branch in Cape Town, where they were separated, interrogated and put into cells, without being informed of the charges or their rights. Its not intended as a compliment: The most deluded of them all, the warden adds, lest it be taken as such. Escape from Pretoria. [2] He started associating with African National Congress (ANC) exiles and beginning in 1967, he travelled in and out of South Africa transporting literature for the movement. His wife was detained during the same period of his detention, but was later released without charge. He lived and worked in UK and later moved to South Africa. Despite the feature film makeover, there is no embellishment of Jenkins recollection in the script, based on his 2003 bookInside Out: Escape from Pretoria Prison. Dirigida por Francis Annan y con Daniel Radcliffe en el papel principal, est basada en el libro que el mismo Jenkin escribi relatando la horrible experiencia vivida poco antes de los 80, cuando fue apresado. folktandvrden karlskoga flyttar . Radcliffe is playing a real-life person, Tim Jenkin, in a thrilling story based on a true story. Moumbaris is renamed Leonard Fontaine and played by Mark Leonard Winter.[27][28]. In July, four ANC operatives including author Jeremy Cronin were arrested doing similar work in Cape Town and were given prison sentences. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. We worked quite closely and he wanted to know what to emphasise, he was very keen to portray the mood and, well, me, I guess, as accurately as he could.. The film was released on 6 March 2020, first in the UK and USA and then in the rest of the world. He tells how Tim had been given a 12-year sentence and he got! 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