This was going to let us out of the cells into the corridor.. Moumbaris was the only non-South African prisoner, and when Jenkin met him, he appeared as "a little aloof". He signalled his wish to be included in any possible escape plan to Jenkin even before the idea was presented to him, after Jenkin had mentioned he and Lee had brought some money into prison. There was only one guard on duty and he was chatting to Denis. 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. While the first step toward freedom might have been exhilarating, it was far from their most momentous achievement. How? All Rights Reserved. Luckily, the warder blamed one of his colleagues. He was accused of having published, in the Press Newsletter (BIP), the article "Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) 2010", summing up the activities and successes of the BDS campaign during 2010. Given the limited backstory filled in by Annan and L.H. We got through the nine doors and then at the final door, we found we couldnt open the lock. As clunkily deployed in the [] "You are the white Mandela," says a ham-faced warden, all but spitting in the face of anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin upon his arrival at Pretoria Local Prison in 1978. They were determined to fight the countys unjust apartheid regime which had enforced racial segregation since 1948. Rent EGP 29.99 Buy EGP 149.99 Trailers Trailer 14+ COMMON SENSE Why? For other inquiries, Contact Us. I made that within a week or two of being there, it wasnt that difficult.. Adapted from Jenkin's memoir of his time served and resourcefully cut short as a South African political prisoner in the country's darkest . Radcliffe is playing a real-life person, Tim Jenkin, in a thrilling story based on a true story. "We were right underneath an armed guard but he didnt see us. On December 11th, 1979, three white activists, Tim Jenkin, Stephen Lee and Alex Moumbaris, escaped from Pretoria Central Prison. Eenmaal onder de vleugels van politiek activist Denis Goldberg besluiten ze om, samen. But, as Tim noted, they were escaping from an imprisonment they never deserved. 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. Ready to find out more about the real story Escape from Pretoria is based on? It was dangerous, they did have regular inspections. [2], Moumbaris was still living in Normandy as of July 2017[update]. "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. 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. Shop Escape from Pretoria. I was so worried it was making a tremendous noise. All Rights Reserved. But Tim Jenkin did, and you may be surprised to learn one of the most daring prison escapes was executed right under the noses of Pretoria Prison guards back in 1979 and involved nothing but the keys made in Jenkins own cell. 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Jordan Meets Reporter at 'Creed III' Premiere Who 'Teased Him all the Time' in High School: 'I Was the Corny Kid, Right? 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. Tim was inspired by the book Papillon later made into a film starring Dustin Hoffman about a French convicts escape from a jungle island. el de su arresto y el de su escape. That last scene is about as accurate as you can make it, Jenkin says of the very real moment the escapees werent able to open the ninth and final door to freedom. 2020 PG-13 1h 46m DVD . Sneaking out of their cells at night, they soon managed to get through door four. Jenkins book of the same title was published in 1987, when he was still living as a fugitive from nominal justice in London. La historia del activista sudafricano Tim Jenkin inspira Fuga de Pretoria, . 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. After his brainwave about fashioning a lock for his cell door while lying on his bunk bed, Tim felt confident the plan would work. After a few tries, he managed to get the key to the right position and the door opened. Goldberg distracted the warden while the three made their escape. The leaflet bombs were effective in spreading the anti-apartheid message, Stephen says. 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. We started just before the Soweto uprising in 1976 and carried on for three years. My heart was racing. 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. Alex Moumbaris was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment on the 20 June 1973, which he started serving in the Pretoria Local Prison. The movie begins with their early days spent planting harmless pamphlet bombs across Cape Town, before plunging us into the tepid everyday life of political prisoners. Escape From Pretoria chronicles their journey, shedding new light on how they managed to escape from prison. "This was going to let us out of the cells into the corridor," he added. "I wanted to run but we just kept walking to the railway station, where we used our money to get in a taxi.. "You are the white Mandela," says a ham-faced warden, all but spitting in the face of anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin upon his arrival at Pretoria Local Prison in 1978. 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. The arrests at Liliesleaf and convictions which followed at the Rivonia Trial in 1963-4 were followed by widespread roundups of activists and leaders, including Bram Fischer and Wilton Mkwayi. The wooden key didnt work at first. [22], After their incarceration, Jenkin, Lee and several other inmates began plotting an escape, which would involve copies of several prison keys that Jenkin made from wood. Written and directed by Francis Annan, the historical thriller sheds light on how Stephen and Tim managed to defy all expectations and escape from the Pretoria Central Prison. While cleaning their corridor outside, Tim got his second key to fit but the bolt became stuck. It was gut-wrenching the length of time we were given, he says. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Lying on his bunk one night, he gazed at the lock in front of him and had a flash of inspiration. Escape from Pretoria," however, the line acts as a shortcut to nobility, in a tight genre exercise that has scant time for such elaborate niceties as character development and social context. Now Escape From Pretoria tells the story of Jenkin and Stephen Lee, two white South African activists, imprisoned in 1978 for working on behalf of the African National Congress (ANC), and their escape from the notorious white mans Robben Island, Pretoria Prison. Escape from Pretoria sees Daniel Radcliffe in a very different role from his work in the Harry Potter franchise. Jenkin was born in Cape Town and educated at Rondebosch Boys' Prep and Boys' High School,[2][3] matriculating aged 17. It took them months to crack the fourth lock. "We were right underneath an armed guard but he didnt see us. But as Stephen would soon find out on a vital reconnaissance trip to the dentist, there were still a total of 10 doors separating them from freedom. [15] Both of them and Lee felt throughout the sooner they got out, the greater the chances of being discovered; the others warned against impatience but agreed the participants should as far as possible be in control.[16]. 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. Moumbaris was fully involved in the preparation of landings on the East Coast of South Africa. and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local Prison (within the Pretoria Central Prison complex) with Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee. He would then lean out of the tiny opening next to the door of his cell, and get the key inside the lock with a broomstick and a mirror. Here, Jenkin met his future wife Robin. Hirson then communicated with Joe Slovo in Mozambique and a date for the escape was set and an escape vehicle arranged. In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. [20] After a spell in the notorious John Vorster Square in Johannesburg, they were returned to Cape Town and after four weeks, allowed to see family, and held at Pollsmoor Prison as they awaited trial. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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. The escape preparations brought some differences of opinion amongst the political prisoners, but they remained comrades and all contributed in some way to the escape effort. You hardly have to measure., He continued: The actual shape, we got by looking at their [guards] keys, as we had the overall height already, it was just a question of guessing how deep the cuts were and our guess was correct and the very first key was correct. We would spot the night warden and your heart is just pumping," said Tim. South African Tim Jenkins' (Daniel Radcliffe) sentence of 12 years in Pretoria's maximum-security prison has to be seen as a warning to other white people repulsed by apartheid. [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. However, after the escape plan had captured his imagination, he cleaned up and changed his attitude, and was soon promoted to the "A" group. [2] In June 2018, he was received by South African ambassador Rapu Molekane at the embassy in Paris. The pair, who are both now in their 70s, settled in north London, with Tim eventually relocating to Johannesburg years later. He successfully distributed leaflets this way on Cape Town's Grand Parade. [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. "You get back to your cell and youd think, 'OK, its over, I can relax' but you couldnt.". They moved to London in 1961,[1] where Moumbaris worked for the IT department of Reuters-Comtel. On the outside of the first door was another door made of solid metal, but the lock was on the other side and there was no way of reaching it from inside the cell. Thence to Mozambique, and, via contact with FRELIMO, to Angola, where from the ANC office in Luanda they were able to make phone calls to their families, and were also given the news Lee was on his way to join them at the airport. 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