In the end, it was the selfless actions of a fourth prisoner, Denis Goldberg - who had been sentenced alongside Mandela, and who would ultimately serve 22 years - who made their bid for freedom a reality. Moumbaris was fully involved in the preparation of landings on the East Coast of South Africa. Escape From Pretoria is in cinemas Friday. [37][38] Jenkin spent some time in Adelaide, advising Radcliffe on accent and other aspects of the film, as well as playing as an extra, playing a prisoner next to Radcliffe in the visiting room. This was legal under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act, which allowed detention without trial for up to 60 days, and was extendable. But he needed to create another one to make it into the next part of the prison. The French Communist Party published a press release in his support on 20 May 2011. As the former prison inmate told The Daily Mail, this memory was to transform his life, and soon enough, he had begun to test out various plans that could help him and Tim get out of the horrid institution. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. 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. It took them months to crack the fourth lock. Just supporting the liberation movement was deemed to be terrorism.. [31][32] 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. I knew it was curtains for us. [5] As Marie-Jos was pregnant at the time and under pressure from the French ambassador, she was not charged but instead deported back to France[3] after four months. [2], He and Jenkin carried out a first trial run of the escape plan, and were involved in a couple of scrapes which nearly led to discovery in the lead-up to the escape. Moumbaris and Jenkin, by a variety of means, travelled overland to Swaziland and went to United Nations High Commission for Refugees, who were sympathetic to their plight and took them to an ANC representative. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. Ready to find out more about the real story Escape from Pretoria is based on? In December 1979, Jenkin, Lee, and fellow inmate Alex Moumbaris successfully escaped from the prison with Jenkin unlocking nine of its doors while Goldberg distracted the warden. Its when it shoots for more historical import that it falls somewhat short. Jenkins was not going to help the cause by sitting in prison, and he set about planning an escape. [2], In March 1988, Moumbaris was at the side of ANC Chief Representative Dulcie September in 1988 when she was shot and killed outside the office in Paris. Why? 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. "[This] was hugely emotional," Stephen described The Daily Mirror how the first breakthrough made him feel. [19] The street was deserted, but they still had to find their way out of South Africa, into Mozambique and to freedom. After that they made it to Mozambique, Angola, and then on to Europe. Escape from Pretoria makes an ideal everyman out of Daniel Radcliffe The actor plays Tim Jenkin, a real-life political prisoner during apartheid-era South Africa, who made a daring escape in 1979 He is known for his political activism against the apartheid rgime in South Africa in the 1970s, and his subsequent incarceration in, and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local Prison (within the Pretoria Central Prison complex) with Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee. "I wanted to run but we just kept walking to the railway station, where we used our money to get in a taxi," Stephen said. How? 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[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. He worked as a trade unionist and came to South Africa in 1973. Francis Annan, a young and gifted British director, had hoped his debut film would be seen on the big screen. [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. Jenkin and Lee, furious about being imprisoned for their thoughts, wanted to escape to prove to the world their differences, and of course, to fight for democracy in their country. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. In my early years I had learned to pick the back door lock at home with a piece of wire, he says. Others were also caught, but they succeeded in infiltrating a number of trained militants. On 11 December 1979 the three escapees managed to execute their master plan, against all odds, and found themselves outside the prison, in civilian clothes. Stephen deliberately engineered a trip to the dentist that allowed him to pick up vital information for their potential route out. They had to leave it untested until the actual night of their escape, December 11, 1979 - 18 months after their conviction. why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoriavsters friluftsomrde. It was hugely emotional, Stephen recalls. On December 11th, 1979, three white activists, Tim Jenkin, Stephen Lee and Alex Moumbaris, escaped from Pretoria Central Prison. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Escape From Pretoria chronicles their journey, shedding new light on how they managed to escape from prison. They were very big locks so you could see the marks on the inside. Watch on. In 2006 a dangerous inmate, Annanias Mathe (a serial rapist charged with 51 counts of murder), got out but was caught again two weeks later. In June 1978, Stephen Lee and Tim Jenkin were sentenced to eight to 12 years in prison for producing political pamphlets during the Apartheid. [19], In 2014 a documentary film called The Vula Connection, about Jenkin and his part in the creation of an ingenious secret communication system that enabled Vula operatives to penetrate South Africa's borders in secret, ultimately smuggling messages to the imprisoned Nelson Mandela, was made by Marion Edmunds. Alex Moumbaris was born in Egypt to Greek parents and grew up in Australia. The film will be especially endearing to viewers who love to hone in on how to, for example, make tools that look innocuous and can be easily hidden. We has skype chats, he wanted to learn about the character and the accent, Jenkin, now-71, explained of the study Radcliffe did to ace his portrayal. The worst time was being put in solitary confinement., Describing the prison, he says: There were numerous gates, many metal grill doors. It was not until the following morning that the warders realised the three men were missing. 2020 PG-13 1h 46m DVD . People said how can you make keys out of wood, they wouldnt be strong enough, but when we broke them up it was quite a mission, we had to use the chisel.. Nathan Page. This was how he knew how long the key needed to be. ; nyexaminerad lnespecialist ln; kallades en flygare webbkryss; lud zbunjen normalan 9; bands with moon in the name "You get back to your cell and youd think, 'OK, its over, I can relax' but you couldnt.". Offers may be subject to change without notice. At first the wooden key didnt turn the inner cell door lock. At this point, a third prisoner, Alex Moumbaris joined the escape effort. Submitted by Mary Christine Part 1: Intro Part 2: The wasteland Part 3: Societal collapse Part 4: Final outcome Part 5: Doing good 2. We had . Speaking from his home in North London, dad-of-two Stephen, now 62, says they had been determined to escape from the moment they arrived at notorious Pretoria Prison. [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. Especially the ending of the film we had to break the final door, we were hoping to pull off the ultimate escape without leaving a trace. 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.. But near doors five and six was the night warders office. lindbacken fastigheter 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. We had to make these parts under the noses of the guards. [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. Lee worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, while Jenkin ran the "cell" on his own in Cape Town. [23], In December 1979,[7] Jenkin, Lee and fellow inmate Alex Moumbaris[24][17] broke out of Pretoria Central Prison using handmade keys to ten of the doors leading out of the prison, after several hair-raising moments when encountering unforeseen obstacles. Jenkin was born in Cape Town and educated at Rondebosch Boys' Prep and Boys' High School, matriculating aged 17. Director Francis Annan and his co-writer L.H . It was gut-wrenching the length of time we were given, he says. 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. 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