[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. He worked as a trade unionist and came to South Africa in 1973. 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. In my early years I had learned to pick the back door lock at home with a piece of wire, he explained. 2020 PG-13 1h 46m DVD . Offers may be subject to change without notice. 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. As such, they were brought to the attention of South Africa's secret police. However, escaping - something no inmate had successfully done before - was going to be no easy task. They were both found guilty on one charge, with Jenkin receiving a 12-year sentence and Lee eight. He is best known for his 1979 escape from Pretoria Local Prison (part of the Pretoria Central Prison complex), along with Stephen Lee and Alex Moumbaris. Again Tims ingenuity was tested. Adams workaday screenplay, the actors signature anxious-earnest mien is leaned on a lot here, as is his overly explanatory voiceover, which provides a broad primer on apartheid for any uninformed viewers, along with a reminder that freedom and equality should be fought for at all costs.. [6], In June 1973, Moumbaris was sentenced to 12 years in prison for conspiring with the ANC to "instigate violent revolution in South Africa', aiding guerrillas to enter the country, distributing ANC literature and reconnoitering the coast to find places for the sea-borne landing of guerrillas and arms. But, he says, they were determined to break free. [10], Upon return to Cape Town in July 1975, Lee and Jenkin bought a typewriter, duplicator and stationery to print and post pamphlets and leased first a garage and then a tiny apartment. 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. "Just in case, we had brought a chisel. Its when it shoots for more historical import that it falls somewhat short. el de su arresto y el de su escape. The leaflet bombs were effective in spreading the anti-apartheid message, Stephen says. 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. [2] He worked for about nine years before becoming involved with the ANC [3] as one of the "London Recruits". There were numerous gates, many metal grill doors. [2] In 1995, Jenkin wrote a 6-part article series called Talking to Vula: The Story of the Secret Underground Communications Network of Operation Vula. Breakout, exclusive to National Geographic Channel, Fridays, 9pm. If youve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with theMetro.co.ukentertainment team by emailing uscelebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page wed love to hear from you. [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. But of course if you continue doing something long enough, you will make mistakes. "After that I took a chance and took the parts we needed, including a file, back to my cell in a Thermos flask.. Lee worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, while Jenkin ran the "cell" on his own in Cape Town. Distractify is a registered trademark. It was not until the following morning that the warders realised the three men were missing. For Jenkin, that cost is a 12-year prison sentence, handed down after he and his best friend Stephen Lee (Daniel Webber, tersely charismatic in a thin part) were caught planting a leaflet bomb to distribute ANC protest flyers in central Cape Town. [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. After his brainwave about fashioning a lock for his cell door while lying on his bunk bed, Tim felt confident the plan would work. 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. [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. As our central trio trace a taut treasure trail of keyholes and cupboards, Annans direction settles into a smooth groove of high-tension setpieces, teased out to breath-suspending effect. When the night came, Denis Goldberg, a political prisoner who would serve 22 years, distracted the guards. I made that within a week or two of being there, it wasnt that difficult.. My heart was racing. El primer adelanto de este dramtico filme nos da un vistazo a la difcil situacin por la que pas para intentar sobrevivir. 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. Escape From Pretoria follows the months-long construction of an escape plan formulated by South African apartheid activists Tim Jenkin, Stephen Lee, and French national Leonard Fontaine (substituted for Egyptian-Australian activist Alex Moumbaris). But when it comes to watching him break out of prison all over again, though, there is no stirring feeling, no rush of emotions that come back to Jenkin. Jenkin worked as a researcher for the Institute for Social Development at the University of the Western Cape, a university for South Africans of mixed racial ancestry, or Coloureds. The first to get out of the toughest jail in South Africa, Stephen and Tim earned renown with a borderline genius hack. In December 1979, Jenkin, Lee and fellow inmate Alex Moumbaris broke out of Pretoria Central Prison using handmade keys to nine of the doors leading out of the prison, after several hair-raising moments after encountering unforeseen obstacles. Their fellow inmates told them theyd never make it. 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 At night there were dogs in the yard.. Jenkins book of the same title was published in 1987, when he was still living as a fugitive from nominal justice in London. I made the first key in the first week. Watch on. more Rent SAR 14.99 Buy SAR 49.99 Trailers Ratings and Reviews 4.5 COMMON SENSE 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. The third partner in the escape, Egyptian-born activist Alex Moumbaris, has been fictionalized as enigmatic Frenchman Leonard (Mark Leonard Winter), who has no discernible history or motivation at all, while two black allies in the plan are marginal presences at best. A lot of people cant understand how we got the shape of the key, but if you break it down most of the dimensions you get from the lock itself, you measure the hole, Jenkin explains like its nothing. Alex Moumbaris: Political activist, Political activist, Activist, From: Egypt. He returned to France after his escape. . The sense of freedom was amazing. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. There he met and married a French woman, Marie-Jos. The pair ended up behind bars in the South African city of Tshwane in 1979 due to their roles as white supporters of Nelson Mandelas then-banned African National Congress (ANC). The system was never cracked and helped the ANC coordinate in the run up to Nelson Mandela's release from prison. [4], Moumbaris and Marie-Jos were caught while trying to enter South Africa from Botswana in 1972, after a previously-arrested comrade informed on them. Nathan Page. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. In June 1978, Stephen Lee and Tim Jenkin were sentenced to eight to 12 years in prison for producing political pamphlets during the Apartheid. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. I wanted to go back and do it again, as we hadnt opened that door before., He says: We escaped it a number of times in fact, each time going a bit further, the actual [final] escape was the easy part.. [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. All of them imprisoned for underground work on behalf of the . This had involved a great deal of planning but there were still many challenges in the execution, travelling via Angola, Zambia and Tanzania finally to London. [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. To make matters more complicated, he could only unlock his cell door from the outside, and used a broomstick he had been allowed to hang on to for cleaning with the key attached to the end so that he could reach. 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. We have a base load of around 70 They then photocopied it and swapped it with other students. . 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. [7] A new edition was published in Johannesburg and London as Inside Out: Escape from Pretoria Prison in 2003. 3 views today. In 1997, he became a director of Unwembi Communications (Pty) Ltd.[7], Around the turn of the millennium Jenkin co-founded the Community Exchange System, an internet-based moneyless exchange for local communities, comparable to LETS, writing the entirety of its software. Jenkin had smuggled some money into prison. Following the. They were sent to Pretoria Central Prison - since renamed Kgosi Mampuru II Management Area - where prisoners were divided up depending on their race. [7] Goldberg distracted the warden while the three made their escape. [26], When living in Camden, still with the ANC, Jenkin devised a system for encrypted communication for the ANC to communicate with their agents. Something went wrong, please try again later. In July, four ANC operatives including author Jeremy Cronin were arrested doing similar work in Cape Town and were given prison sentences. However, after the escape plan had captured his imagination, he cleaned up and changed his attitude, and was soon promoted to the "A" group. [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]. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. I felt so elated. So it is a very strange sort of thing., Jenkin continues: It is very exciting [to watch] but I knew the outcome. Its not intended as a compliment: The most deluded of them all, the warden adds, lest it be taken as such. As he says, for me its just like going to the movies. 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. "I just took the chance and carried the parts of the key and tools we needed, a triangular file and some glue in a Thermos flask," he said. He tells how Tim had been given a 12-year sentence and he had got eight years inside. A guard who found it assumed a colleague was to blame. He became instrumental to the escape plan in several ways, making the early suggestion any escape plan would have to involve the making of keys,[7] providing a hacksaw which he had secreted after plumbers had left it behind,[8] and getting involved in some of the riskier aspects of the planning and testing of the scheme. Starring Daniel Radcliffe as a jailed anti-apartheid activist, this true-life prison-break thriller is stronger on genre mechanics than political nuance. Moumbaris, unlike the two other men, was at Pretoria Prison since 1973. [2], Moumbaris was still living in Normandy as of July 2017[update]. Alexandre Moumbaris is a political activist and former political prisoner. [1], Moumbaris was the only non-South African prisoner, and when Jenkin met him, he appeared as "a little aloof". It was gut-wrenching the length of time we were given, Stephen recalled. They were so convinced that they'd soon find a way out that they had money smuggled in to use for taxi fares once they got out. skuggans caf lngtora. We walked out as if we had every right to be there. "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. Moumbaris was fully involved in the preparation of landings on the East Coast of South Africa. 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. Unwilling to take any more risks, they had to leave this final barrier untested until the night of the actual escape. [21], In May 2011, Moumbaris was charged with making a "Public call to discrimination" and set to appear in court in Flers, in Normandy. Imposing: Pretoria Prison 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. The video features excerpts from interviews with Moumbaris, Jenkin, Lee and fellow inmate Denis Goldberg filmed in 2012, in between re-enacted scenes of the prison escape. and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local Prison (within the Pretoria Central Prison complex) with Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee. Surely his amazing story has had the big Hollywood sparkle, though? Each night after lights went out, the trio sneaked out of their cells - once Tim had used the first key to unlock them all - to try and get through an extra door. 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. It's not intended as a compliment: "The most deluded of them all," the warden adds, lest it be taken as such. Upon legal advice, both pleaded guilty to all charges. Ready to find out more about the real story Escape from Pretoria is based on? "We would go to crowded bus stations and markets and leave them. Sketchy as it is on human details, Escape from Pretoria gets by on such practical nuts and bolts. 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. 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. 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. As clunkily deployed in the script for 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. He also . He adds: I have probably different emotions as people. After months of meticulous surveillance, breath-taking ingenuity, and in a race against time as the authorities strengthen the prison security defenses, the group craft wooden keys for each of the 10 steel doors separating them from the main door and freedom. He also once unfurled an ANC banner from a building in Durban,[5] and was subsequently entrusted with more risky assignments. This movie is based on the book written by Jenkin himself and because of the Escape from Pretoria feels very personal and up-close. su amigo Stephen Lee y a Alex . He continued: [It was] the only thing we managed to keep; we got rid of the all the keys immediately, but for some reason we kept thatprobably as a weapon. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. This was how he knew how long the key needed to be. He had been waiting for this sound for several hours every night for two months. Here, Jenkin met his future wife Robin. Nick Fentons editing, meanwhile, maintains a keen sense of physical space and strain, not least in one comically queasy scene where a dropped key must be retrieved with the aid of a broomstick and chewing gum. 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. Jenkin receiving a 12-year sentence and Lee eight make it given Prison sentences waiting for this sound for hours... Pick the back door lock at home with a borderline genius hack a compliment: the most of. 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