ESCAPE
UK, 1948, 74 minutes, Black and white.
Rex Harrison, Peggy Cummins, William Hartnell, Norman Wooland, Jill Esmond, Marjorie Rhodes, Betty Ann Davies, Cyril Cusack, John Slater, Maurice Denham.
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
Escape is a small film based on a play by John Galsworthy, best known for The Forsyte Saga. It was written by American Philip Dunne, and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz who was emerging as a significant writer and director, Letter to 3 Wives, All About Eve, Julius Caesar – and was to go on to make films like Suddenly Last Summer and the notorious Cleopatra.
Rex Harrison who had been in British films since the 1930s but had begun to make films in Hollywood is an ordinary Englishman who stops to talk to a woman in Hyde Park, the police suspecting she was a prostitute and trying to arrest her. There is a struggle between the man and the policeman who falls and hits his head, dying. The Englishman is arrested, tried, explanations given in court about his not being responsible for the death, but his being found guilty and sentenced to 3 years in prison.
During hard labour and in the fog, he escapes, encounters a young woman played by Peggy Cummins who helps him. The film follows the details of his escape, the young woman giving him clothes, his making a phone call as a policeman in a store, the woman being suspicious when he cannot pay his sixpence, his attempts to get to the airport to fly to France.
William Hartnell is the inspector who pursues him. Cyril Cusack has a small role working at the aerodrome.
There is a very sympathetic parson at the end of the film played by Norman Wooland, at a church where the Englishman asks for sanctuary, finds that this does not apply, but the clergyman is concerned, the discussion about what Jesus would have said, the man giving himself up and asking the clergyman if he would have given him up, the clergyman not sure.
The film is something of a footnote in the careers of Rex Harrison and of Joseph L. Mankiewicz.
1. The work of the director? His career? This film at the beginning?
2. The novels of John Galsworthy, in their time, later, film and television versions? His perspective on UK society?
3. British locations, and the aerodrome, the surrounding countryside, London and Hyde Park, the courts, prison? The locations for the escape, the open spaces, the fog, the village, the streets, the open roads, the old huts? The musical score?
4. The introduction to Matthew Dennant, a Rex Harrison character, in the plane, thinking of buying the plane? His associates at the aerodrome? The request to put on the bet, and to the races, the horse losing? His going to London?
5. In Hyde Park, walking, the woman talking to him, leading conversations, his response, talk about original sin? Her criticisms of the police, presuming she was a prostitute, the prosecutions? The arrival of the policeman, the fight with Matthew, the detective hitting his head? Matthew urging the woman to go? His staying by the body (later seeing her upset at his sentence)?
6. The issue of his responsibility? To the woman, to the detective, the detective accosting him, the punching, before and the death? The arresting police, the charge?
7. In court, the headlines, people talking about Matthew’s guilt or not? The plea by the defence and the explanation of the hit and the consequences? The prosecution? The jury, the guilty verdict, the judge and his speaking of lenient sentences? Three years?
8. The title of the film, Matthew seen in prison, the flashbacks and the explanation of the case? Life in prison, the hard labour, the fog, his friend, possibilities for escape, the surrounding countryside? The friend and his putting off the police?
9. The chase, the fog, the dangers, the dogs? The irony of the dogs and the hunt, the well-to-do chasing the fox? The image of the fox and the hunting for Matthew?
10. Dora and her falling, her background, her fiance, poor, wanting to marry money, tired of being poor, the relationship with her sister? At home, Matthew coming to the window, eating her breakfast, the decision to help him, her desire to break over the traces? The cover-up with the police inspector, her muddy boots and the footprints?
11. Matthew, the continued escape, the clothes from Dora, going to the village, the phone call pretending he was the police, not having sixpence, the manage demanding money, Matt to borrow it from the police and, his going to the car dealer, the dealer and his explanations of the car, the drive, Matthew explaining the fraud, ousting the man? The petrol blocked?
12. Dora, her sister, their passing, discussions, taking the roof off the car, driving through the village and being interpreted as Americans? The level crossing, the train breaking down? Matthew hurrying to the aerodrome?
13. The assistant, the phone call, the possibilities for a reward – but his urging Matthew to get in the plane?
14. The takeoff, clipping the car, crashing, Matthew and his shoulder? Sleeping on the farm, Mr Browning and his attack, the punch, the village people in pursuit? Dora and her going to the hut and finding Matthew? Her breaking off her engagement, her love for Matthew? Bringing the police to the hut?
15. Matthew taking refuge in the church, asking for sanctuary, the parson and his benevolence, not wanting to turn Matthew out, talking about the old law of sanctuary and contemporary law, the justice of Matthew’s trial and condemnation? The discussion about the church, the Gospel, what Jesus would do, whether Christians took this into perspective? Allowing Matthew to stay till the end of the service, the interrogation by the inspector, Matthew coming out? The parson not knowing what he might have done?
16. The inspector, doing his duty, thorough, with the other police, with Mr Browning and the people from the village, the parson turning them away?
17. Matthew in the car, going back to the prison?
18. The repetition of the theme of original sin?
