But, as Tim noted, they were escaping from an imprisonment they never deserved. Goldberg distracted the warden while the three made their escape. Alexandre Moumbaris is a political activist and former political prisoner. All Rights Reserved. He worked as a trade unionist and came to South Africa in 1973. We walked out as if we had every right to be there. Its when it shoots for more historical import that it falls somewhat short. Boom, the door just slid open, absolutely smoothly, he says. Here they met Oliver Tambo and Alfred Nzo, President and Secretary-General of the ANC respectively, and gave a press conference on 2 January 1980. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. [3], On 23 October 1973, the matter of possible theft of documents from the Clapham Common home of Moumbaris and his wife was raised in the UK parliament by Labour party MP Alex Lyon. Here, Jenkin met his future wife Robin. 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. 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. Banished to the vast prison complex of Pretoria, the countrys administrative capital, Jenkin and Lee are protectively counseled by veteran liberal political prisoner Denis Goldberg (British veteran Ian Hart, giving the character a geezer-y air), who advises them to keep their heads down and to serve their time with dignity as prisoners of conscience. The youngsters, countering that they are instead prisoners of war, immediately set about an escape plan regardless. Alexandre Moumbaris is a political activist and former political prisoner. Jenkin's autobiography Inside Out: Escape from Pretoria Prison is the inspiration for the screenplay and will tell the story of how Jenkin, Lee and Alex Moumbaris escaped the prison using. The wooden key didnt work at first. 2020 PG-13 1h 46m DVD Rent this movie Play trailer. Jenkin had smuggled some money into prison. Believe it or not, the chisel they used in the film [to beat down the door], was the actual chisel we used on the front door.. View our online Press Pack. [14], Undeterred, Jenkin continued the work in Cape Town, finding a new premises and regularly changing their printing equipment, and both carried out further leaflet bombings in Johannesburg. Lee moved back to Cape Town in December after enrolling in a master's degree in sociology, and the two continued their undercover work, but unbeknownst to them they were by this time under surveillance by the Security Branch of the South African Police. As he says, for me its just like going to the movies. Their arrest was part of a government sting to apprehend operatives from "the Moumbaris Adventurer Episode". 'Escape from Pretoria' will . I was so worried it was making a tremendous noise. Two years later, Marie-Jos gave birth to a daughter, Zo, who was born on 11 December 1981, the second anniversary of the escape. The video features excerpts from interviews with Jenkin, Lee, Moumbaris and Goldberg filmed in 2012, in between re-enacted scenes of the prison escape. 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 French Communist Party published a press release in his support on 20 May 2011. Starring Daniel Radcliffe as a jailed anti-apartheid activist, this true-life prison-break thriller is stronger on genre mechanics than political nuance. The third prisoner in this true story was in fact Alexandre Moumbaris, Egyptian born of Greek heritage who grew up in Australia and was raised in the UK. They caught us with printing equipment. [27] A decade later Jenkin also created Clearing Central, a 2nd tier exchange for moneyless exchange between groups. 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. 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. 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. [18], Jenkin returned to South Africa in 1991 to manage the ANC's communications network. Others were also caught, but they succeeded in infiltrating a number of trained militants. Select Your Cookie Preferences. Stephen deliberately engineered a trip to the dentist that allowed him to pick up vital information for their potential route out. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. How does one who is an activist, not a locksmith even begin to fashion keys with no knowledge of the mechanisms? 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. "This was going to let us out of the cells into the corridor," he added. "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. Following the. 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. We got through the nine doors and then at the final door, we found we couldnt open the lock. They became friends and, in a South African version of Samizdat, Jenkins and Lee sought out literature banned by the ruling National Party. He is best known for his 1979 escape from Pretoria Local Prison, along with Stephen Lee and Alex Moumbaris. [19] The street was deserted, but they still had to find their way out of South Africa, into Mozambique and to freedom. Jenkin was born in Cape Town and educated at Rondebosch Boys' Prep and Boys' High School,[2][3] matriculating aged 17. [4] With bills to pay, he took a job as computer specialist with a subsidiary of the Socit Gnrale and became a shop steward for the Confdration Gnrale du Travail (CGT). This was going to let us out of the cells into the corridor.. In prison they met Denis Goldberg and on Alexandre Moumbaris - not on Leonard Fontaine. 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. It's not intended as a compliment: "The most deluded of them all," the warden adds, lest it be taken as such. In an area called "The Pot", therewas a legendary gallows where seven could be hung at once. Submitted by Mary Christine Part 1: Intro Part 2: The wasteland Part 3: Societal collapse Part 4: Final outcome Part 5: Doing good 2. [19], By escaping, Moumbaris had reduced his sentence by five and a half years. Alex Moumbaris was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment on the 20 June 1973, which he started serving in the Pretoria Local Prison. As it is, its been done cheaply and (sort of) cheerfully as an Australian production by British writer-director Francis Annan, focusing heavily on suspense mechanics as if to modestly understate its factual heft. 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. Actor: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. But we got away with it. While awaiting clearance for membership, Jenkin worked as a social worker at a reform school in Swindon. There was also a six-metre high barbed-wire perimeter fence. 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). To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. There was only one guard on duty and he was chatting to Denis, said Stephen, recalling how he kept him distracted. Just supporting the liberation movement was deemed to be terrorism.. 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. 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. It was December 11, 1979, 18 months after our conviction, Stephen says. 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. Lee made an escape attempt and nearly succeeded. Once the key was ready to go, they had to work out how to get the door open without the guards noticing. Again Tims ingenuity was tested. 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. The system was never cracked and helped the ANC coordinate in the run up to Nelson Mandela's release from prison. 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. Straining to listen through the grill in his prison cell door, Stephen Lee heard the satisfying click of a key turning in a lock. While awaiting clearance for membership, Jenkin worked as a social worker at a reform school in Swindon. 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. "Im glad that we escaped. 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. Watch on. . Jenkin, Lee, and fellow prisoner Alex Moumbaris were also involved in the escape. Denis Goldberg first joined in with the intention of fleeing as well, but he eventually withdrew and stayed on as an advisor. 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. 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. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Sneaking out of their cells at night, they soon managed to get through door four. The real-life Goldberg was much more supportively involved in the prison-break strategy; if the script does him something of a disservice for the purposes of greater narrative friction, thats not the fastest and loosest it plays with facts. They both found their sociology course disappointing, as the material reinforced the status quo of apartheid. Luckily, the warder blamed one of his colleagues. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Hirson then communicated with Joe Slovo in Mozambique and a date for the escape was set and an escape vehicle arranged. It took until the next day for guards to realise they were missing, and a huge police operation to recapture them was launched. ', Super Mario Bros. 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When he finally unlocked his cell door after two whole months of filing, he was overjoyed, Boom this thing just slid open, absolutely smoothly. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. It was a wonderful feeling.. [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 not until the following morning that the warders realised the three men were missing. [33][34], In May 2017, it was announced that 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. [21], Commenting on the 2017 French election, Moumbaris named Franois Asselineau as his favourite candidate, but he would vote for Marine Le Pen rather than Emmanuel Macron, purely based on protection of the nation against Macron's "financial fascism", but was still a staunch communist. Escape from Pretoria at IMDb "20 Films That Starred 3 Or More Harry Potter Actors". After leaving . Its not intended as a compliment: The most deluded of them all, the warden adds, lest it be taken as such. They were both found guilty on one charge, with Jenkin receiving a 12-year sentence and Lee eight. In front of him was a lock - and the sight of it was enough to propel him to his feet and set to work making a wooden key that would help him and fellow inmate Stephen Lee make it to freedom. However, after the escape plan had captured his imagination, he cleaned up and changed his attitude, and was soon promoted to the "A" group. He reconnoitred the East Coast from Kosi Bay to East London in the course of his trips. 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. 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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? 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. Continue without accepting. We were working in a carpentry workshop and I thought, I wonder if we can make a key out of wood. Escape from Pretoria: Directed by Francis Annan. [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. Upon legal advice, both pleaded guilty to all charges. [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. Watch on. Jenkins was not going to help the cause by sitting in prison, and he set about planning an escape. 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. 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. 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. [28], In 1987 his book, Escape from Pretoria, was published in London. How? There has only been one successful prison break since. "[This] was hugely emotional," Stephen described The Daily Mirror how the first breakthrough made him feel. I wasnt wondering, oh will they make it?. 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. He lived and worked in UK and later moved to South Africa. : National speaking tour with Tim Jenkin and Karel Boele", "Award for Excellence in the Field of Humanitarian Service", "Daniel Radcliffe touches down in Adelaide for new movie", "Revolutionary Secrets: Technology's Role in the South African Anti-Apartheid Movement", "Sam Neill joins Daniel Radcliffe in 'Escape From Pretoria', "Ch. Elated, they moved on to door three, which, incredibly, worked with the same key as the inner cell door. But the film still works in lockdown mode as a premium rental. [18], From there they were flown to Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania, accompanied by MK commander, Joe Modise. "Incarcerated in Pretoria Maximum Security Prison, Jenkin and Lee - joined by fellow inmate and French national Alex Moumbaris - decide to send the regime a clear message and escape. Escape From Pretoria is in cinemas Friday. While Tim - the technical mastermind - was sentenced to 12 years in jail, his friend Stephen got eight years. 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. "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. [8] He and Lee went on a speaking tour in Sweden in the early 1980s. 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. 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. Here, Jenkin met his future wife Robin. why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoriavsters friluftsomrde. It was suspected South African agents may have raided the home for documents to use in Moumbaris' trial. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. 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. This time they came up with a plan to leave dummies in their beds, sneak downstairs, hide in a cupboard and wait for the warder to go upstairs. 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.. [17] Lee, having many friends in Johannesburg, thought it best to contact them in the first instance, so the group split at that point, making plans to meet in London. What 15 KB (566 words) - 03:39, 25 February 2021 Grant Piro Broadcasting Corporation. Eventually, the day comes when Jenkin, Lee, and Fontaine try their escape, and by some miracle, it works. But we got away with it.. "Im glad I played the part I did," he said. lindbacken fastigheter But he needed to create another one to make it into the next part of the 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. 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