Grandpa's Great Escape

After reading the book my ten year old daughter was very interested in what a Spitfire was,this has lead to many vists to various museums and now an interest in all things historic! aviation related!much to my delight!

I enjoyed it, a nice story not to be taken too seriously and the first thing i have ever seen Jennifer Saunders in that i actually liked. Especially poignant for me because both my parents had Alzheimers.

My wife and I both enjoyed it. I thought the CGI was good, and intended to be cartoon like.
That looks like a nice aircraft museum too.

I’m with Southern Air99 on this one. Hopefully inspiring to youngsters, and credit is due for tackling the heart-breaking disease of dementia. I agree though, why show a child-orientated tale so late in the schedule?

1batfastard. Maybe I was over complimentary about CGI, but hey, at least the aircraft looked like what they were meant to be for the most part, I mean compared to say, that (in my opinion) unconvincing CGI of a Spitfire Mk IX flying over London in ‘SS GB’ last year’.
Rather harsh Sabrejet. But each to their own I guess.
Ultimately, as with most things, it’s not a documentary, it’s family TV, and at least it does something to bring the Battle of Britain (and the war in general by association) to the minds of the younger generations in an engaging way, which however it is done (within reason) must be a good thing?

But on too late for its audience…

The fact that it’s a children’s book ought to be a bit of a clue.

Adrian

A children’s film at best and a waste of Tom Courtenay’s talents. Glad some enjoyed it but I found it naive and trite.

Thank you Southern Air99 for the heads up, enjoyed it very much. Dementia is a terrible condition, they are there but they aren’t…

regards,
jack…

Hi All,
I watched it also it was quite funny in places and I agree with Southern Air99 on his post except for the CGI which I thought was terrible IMHO,
like documentaries, other TV programmes and films it seems as though the CGI takes second place. Makers and researchers alike seems to treat the
audience as complete dunces approaching their job with an (That’ll do attitude to the licence payers and film audiences) other than that I enjoyed it for what it was..;)

Geoff.

I saw a brief bit of the film on iPlayer earlier. Never realised that was Tom Courtenay from Operation Crossbow until I checked it out!

Certainly agree. Mentioned it to my daughter on the phone last night and she admitted she had a tear in her eye at the end.

For me a little poignant too as for the past 12 months mother-in-law has been a resident in the nursing wing of a local care home suffering from dementia. She celebrated her 89th birthday this week, talk turned to the war – she was an evacuee – but sadly all the detail has now gone.

The programme also served as a reminder of my only encounter with Tom Courtenay. This was at RAF Abingdon in 1964 during the filming of Operation Crossbow. He was stood by a hangar with co-stars George Peppard – many years before the A-Team – and Jeremy Kemp. I hadn’t a clue who the first two were and only recognised Jeremy Kemp from his time playing PC Bob Steele in the popular tv series Z-Cars!

There was also a Spitfire there but this one was the genuine article – a blue painted MH434 in one of its first film roles.