‘Great Escaper’ pairs actors who move us to remember

PBS film starring Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson tells a real-life veteran story.

- ROBERT LLOYD TELEVISION CRITIC

BRITISH ICONS Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson, in her final film, play Bernie and Rene Jordan.

(ROB YOUNGSON)

The final film of the late Glenda Jackson and, if he remains true to his word, of Michael Caine, “The Great Escaper” has made its way to America two years after its U.K. release.

Premiering Sunday under the umbrella of the PBS series “Masterpiece Theatre,” the film tells the true-life story of Bernie Jordan, who, at 89, set off unaccompanied and unannounced from an English retirement home to attend celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France. (This event also inspired a Pierce Brosnan film, “The Last Rifleman,” which came out about the same time.) Love and time and duty are its themes. Written by William Ivory and directed by Oliver Parker, it’s a simple story, simply told — sweet, but not saccharine, and moving even when you know what’s coming.