Michael Caine's emotional farewell
Sir Michael Caine has already announced several times that he wants to retire from acting. But now the 90-year-old, who recently published his first novel and is currently writing his second, is getting serious. "I've been saying for a long time that I want to retire," he said on a BBC radio program last month. "Now I'm doing it."
The drama "In Full Bloom", which is now being released in German cinemas, is therefore the two-time Oscar winner's last film. And also his co-actress. Glenda Jackson, who, like Caine, won two Oscars, died in June 2023. The two watched the finished film together.
The drama, based on true events, tells the touching story of World War II veteran Bernard Jordan (Caine), who everyone calls Bernie. He lives in a retirement home in the seaside town of Brighton for the sake of his wife Rene (Jackson). He lovingly cares for her. Unlike Rene, however, the pensioner is still reasonably fit and mobile at around 90, even if he is dependent on a walking frame.
As the 70th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy approaches, Bernie wants to be part of the commemorations in France. But he can't get an official seat and is also worried about leaving Rene alone. But his wife knows what the event means to the veteran and encourages him to go. So Bernie sets off for France on his own. Rene keeps this a secret from the staff and residents of the nursing home for the time being.
Touching story without kitsch
Director Oliver Parker tells the touching story of Bernie Jordan, who unintentionally made headlines in the UK in 2014, with a great deal of human warmth and subtle humor, but without any kitsch. At the time, his journey was glorified in the British tabloid press as an "escape from the retirement home" and Bernie was celebrated as "The Great Escaper" in reference to the classic film "The Great Escape". This is also the original title of the film. It's hard to translate. How the film came to be released in German cinemas as "In Full Bloom" is still a mystery.
While Bernie experiences an emotional journey in which he is not the only one who has to confront a trauma from the past, there is a great deal of excitement in the retirement home about his disappearance. Carer Adele (Danielle Vitalis) and her colleagues are worried. Only Rene remains calm. The senior citizen rummages through old boxes and remembers earlier times with her great love Bernie and her own experiences during the Second World War. At some point, even the press becomes aware of her husband's new adventure.
It is advisable to have tissues with you at the movies. When Bernie talks to other veterans about his terrible experiences, when he mourns the "waste" of human life at a military cemetery in Bayeux or when he meets German soldiers for the first time in a pub, some viewers are likely to shed a tear.
Powerful moments
A scene in which Bernie holds the hand of former German soldier Heinrich, who is in tears and struggling to find words, is one of the most moving and powerful moments in the film. Heinrich is played by Wolf Kahler, who was born in Kiel. The 83-year-old, who lives in England, has already played the German soldier in many international films and TV productions. Among other things, Kahler made life difficult for Indiana Jones as Nazi Colonel Herman Dietrich in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and starred in "Wonder Woman".
British actor John Standing, who already appeared alongside Caine in the 1976 World War II epic "The Eagle Has Landed", has a prominent supporting role. Standing plays former Royal Air Force pilot Arthur, who befriends Bernie on the crossing of the English Channel and has to come to terms with his own tragic war trauma.
With a less high-profile cast, this production could easily have become a shallow TV drama (which is perhaps what the German title is meant to suggest). But Caine and Jackson, who previously starred together in 1975's "The Romantic Englishwoman", play their characters so authentically and passionately that it really gets to you.
This last screen appearance by the brilliant duo is more than just a moving, biographical drama about the experiences of Bernie Jordan. It is a warm-hearted film about humanity, about growing old and the sometimes difficult process of coming to terms with one's own past. Along the way, "In Full Bloom" also highlights the insanity of war. The message could hardly be more timely.
In this touching narrative, Sir Michael Caine's character, Bernie Jordan, plans to watch the Normandy anniversary commemorations in the cinema, something he finds difficult due to his wife's needs. Glenda Jackson, also a co-star in the movie, had expressed her admiration for Caine's performance before her passing in 2023.
The moving drama, 'In Full Bloom,' showcases Michael Caine's final on-screen performance alongside the late Glenda Jackson, who had a significant impact on cinema with her two Oscar wins, like Caine himself.
Source: www.dpa.com
