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. 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. On 9 January Moumbaris left for France and was welcomed upon arrival in Paris by Marie-Jos (whom he had not seen for seven years), his mother, 7-year-old son Boris, and many friends and well-wishers. Success came after many long nights of painstaking effort and risk. 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. There was also a six-metre high barbed-wire perimeter fence. He successfully distributed leaflets this way on Cape Town's Grand Parade. Watch on. During this time they learnt of the activities of the African National Congress (ANC), which was an illegal organisation in South Africa. They moved to London in 1961,[1] where Moumbaris worked for the IT department of Reuters-Comtel. Adapted from Jenkin's memoir of his time served and resourcefully cut short as a South African political prisoner in the country's darkest . United Nations High Commission for Refugees, "Press Conference by O. R. Tambo, Introducing Alexandre Moumbaris, Stephen Lee and Timothy Jenkin who Escaped from Prison in South Africa", "Ambassador Molekane receives stalwart of the apartheid struggle Alex Moumbaris at the SA Embassy", "Media Statement by the Chancellor of the National Orders and Director-General in the Presidency, Dr. Cassius Lubisi, at the Union Buildings, Pretoria", "Daniel Radcliffe to Star in Prison-Break Drama 'Escape From Pretoria', "Sam Neill joins Daniel Radcliffe in 'Escape From Pretoria', "Adelaide transformed into apartheid-era Cape Town for Escape From Pretoria filming", "Daniel Radcliffe touches down in Adelaide for new movie", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alex_Moumbaris&oldid=1101678249, All Wikipedia articles written in South African English, Articles containing potentially dated statements from July 2017, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 August 2022, at 07:50. He also once unfurled an ANC banner from a building in Durban,[5] and was subsequently entrusted with more risky assignments. "We would go to crowded bus stations and markets and leave them. [2] In June 2018, he was received by South African ambassador Rapu Molekane at the embassy in Paris. why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoria. It was not until the following morning that the warders realised the three men were missing. 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. Given the limited backstory filled in by Annan and L.H. Ready to find out more about the real story Escape from Pretoria is based on? But the film still works in lockdown mode as a premium rental. In the 1990s he and others created an association dedicated to the memory of Joseph Stalin, later dissolved but re-formed, for his role in creating socialism, with free health and education. Escape from Pretoria. 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. Its when it shoots for more historical import that it falls somewhat short. There was only one guard on duty and he was chatting to Denis, said Stephen, recalling how he kept him distracted. 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. Here, Jenkin met his future wife Robin. Alex Moumbaris was born in Egypt to French parents and later became a naturalised Australian. 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. [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. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. 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). . After his brainwave about fashioning a lock for his cell door while lying on his bunk bed, Tim felt confident the plan would work. Escape from Pretoria sees Daniel Radcliffe in a very different role from his work in the Harry Potter franchise. [2] Goldberg and the others decided to withdraw from the escape, with Goldberg continuing to be involved in the preparations. Hirson then communicated with Joe Slovo in Mozambique and a date for the escape was set and an escape vehicle arranged. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Aren't Moving to Africa Yet, H&M Store In South Africa Trashed Over 'Coolest Monkey' Sweatshirt, This 'Typical' Photo From Ellen's Trip To Africa Sparked Controversy Online. In June 1978, Stephen Lee and Tim Jenkin were sentenced to eight to 12 years in prison for producing political pamphlets during the Apartheid. Director Francis Annan and his co-writer L.H . why is alex moumbaris not in escape from pretoria. Its not intended as a compliment: The most deluded of them all, the warden adds, lest it be taken as such. Jenkin was born in Cape Town and educated at Rondebosch Boys' Prep and Boys' High School,[2][3] matriculating aged 17. As he says, for me its just like going to the movies. "Just in case, we had brought a chisel. Following the. Sporting a squirrelly shag wig and a valiantly attempted but wayward Cape Town accent, Radcliffe plays Jenkin, a middle-class sociology student turned underground activist for the African National Congress, with his own brand of puppyish but righteous commitment. Jenkin was born in Cape Town and educated at Rondebosch Boys' Prep and Boys' High School, matriculating aged 17. 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 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. I loaned it to them for the film., No longer having any of the original keys, not even as a keepsake of another life, Jenkin says: I have replicas that look like them, but not the real ones. 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. I made that within a week or two of being there, it wasnt that difficult.. [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. [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. Eventually, the day comes when Jenkin, Lee, and Fontaine try their escape, and by some miracle, it works. Alex Moumbaris was born in Egypt to Greek parents and grew up in Australia. We just hoped that nobody would see us.". 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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.. His wife was detained during the same period of his detention, but was later released without charge. 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. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. 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. The leaflet bombs were effective in spreading the anti-apartheid message, Stephen says. El primer adelanto de este dramtico filme nos da un vistazo a la difcil situacin por la que pas para intentar sobrevivir. Once the key was ready to go, they had to work out how to get the door open without the guards noticing. Their fellow inmates told them theyd never make it. [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. Sketchy as it is on human details, Escape from Pretoria gets by on such practical nuts and bolts. They were never told how the security police got onto them, and Jenkin concluded that it must have been the result of meticulous police work and long surveillance. With Daniel Radcliffe, Daniel Webber, Ian Hart, Mark Leonard Winter. 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. While Tim - the technical mastermind - was sentenced to 12 years in jail, his friend Stephen got eight years. People / Alex Moumbaris. It's not intended as a compliment: "The most deluded of them all," the warden adds, lest it be taken as such. It took until the next day for guards to realise they were missing, and a huge police operation to recapture them was launched. So it is a very strange sort of thing., Jenkin continues: It is very exciting [to watch] but I knew the outcome. 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. After that they made it to Mozambique, Angola, and then on to Europe. . [23], As the plan evolved it became clear that for the escape to be successful it would have to be restricted to three people, who would have to hide in a small closet at one point. Moumbaris was fully involved in the preparation of landings on the East Coast of South Africa. At night there were dogs in the yard, Stephen told The Mirror. I was so worried it was making a tremendous noise. Door three fortunately worked with the same key as the inner cell door. From the very first day, we started to collect intelligence about possible escape routes, says Tim, who now lives in Johannesburg. Through reading material banned by the government, they came to see the "naked reality" of apartheid and the undemocratic behavior of the ruling party, and felt a burning desire to effect positive change, which, Jenkin concluded, was only possible using unconstitutional means under the current regime. Years later, while based in Camden, North London, he would set up a rudimentary computer that enabled coded messages to be sent from the ANC to their agents and even to Mandela in prison. Alexandre Moumbaris is a political activist and former political prisoner. It took them months to crack the fourth lock. [9] When an escape committee of three prisoners was set up, Moumbaris (and not Jenkin or Lee) was selected as he was "the most vociferous" and a good negotiator. After a few tries, he managed to get the key to the right position and the door opened. Lying on his bunk one night, he gazed at the lock in front of him and had a flash of inspiration. After Lee's father brought him a copy of the book Papillon, the book inspired them to seriously consider the prospect of escape and they concentrated on rigorous observations of the world around them. Alexandre Moumbaris is a political activist and former political prisoner. Alex Moumbaris (section Escape) and 1979 escape from, Pretoria Local Prison (within the Pretoria Central Prison complex) with Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. In July, four ANC operatives including author Jeremy Cronin were arrested doing similar work in Cape Town and were given prison sentences. I took the file that I brought, and I had the lock in front of me so I could keep testing it, he explained of the agonisingly slow process. [13] Jenkin went to London at the request of the ANC in May 1976, while Lee continued to plant leaflet bombs around Johannesburg. This movie is based on the book written by Jenkin himself and because of the Escape from Pretoria feels very personal and up-close. 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.. Lee made an escape attempt and nearly succeeded. 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. The only languages allowed to be spoken during visits were the two "official" languages, English and Afrikaans, but as Boris only spoke French and was deemed too young to be a security risk, allowed them to converse in French.

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