Today, Sir Michael Caine is one of the most recognisable faces in the entertainment industry. Over the course of his seven-decade-long career, the actor has played a number of memorable characters in films including The Quiet American, The Cider House Rules, and Alfie. It appears that his career is going full circle, though, since his next role is alongside Glenda Jackson in the forthcoming Pathé movie The Great Escaper. They last appeared on screen together 47 years ago in the Joseph Losey classic The Romantic Englishwoman.
In addition, two contrasting photographs of Jackson and Caine working together have been posted in honour of the new project, one from their first collaboration and the other from their most recent. The newly published photo from today again has Caine and Jackson, but this time they are seated hand in hand on a bench, similar to an earlier photo of the two from their time together on The Romantic Englishwoman. The new photo provides us with a first peek at their upcoming film The Great Escaper, which is based on the actual tale of an octogenarian man named Bernard Jordan who broke out of a nursing home to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France.
The video will transport viewers to the summer of 2014 when Bernard Jordan’s heroic trek to remember his lost companions garnered international news. The movie will delve into Jordan’s bravery and resilience while also touching on the melancholy aspects of growing older. Oliver Parker, who previously directed An Ideal Husband, will helm this movie. Williams Ivory wrote the screenplay for this movie. The film’s director gushed about the new project, saying, “[n]o one can resist a script that makes people both laugh and cry – I loved Billy’s writing and the story itself, so inspirational and so moving; to have Michael and Glenda – two iconic actors – agree to honour this story with their brilliance, it’s the cherry on the cake!” Actors like Caine and Jackson are so legendary that they stand alone as cultural icons.
Although Caine has wider name recognition, Jackson’s career has been just as successful and long-lasting. Jackson has been in two movies in a lead role recently, Mothering Sunday and Elizabeth are Missing. Her career has taken her outside the film industry, as she has held many posts as a representative of the Labour Party. Production on The Great Escaper, which reunites Caine and Jackson, has officially commenced, and the newly revealed photographs provide a glimpse into the film’s rich symbolism.