Escape to Victory

An Incredible Sporting Icon

The first time I heard the word Football, I heard the name Pele too. Football and Pele were always spoken in the same breath and had a synonymous relationship. Even today Pele and Football are inseparable, such has been the stature of the legend. Not only for Football, Pele has been an incredible sporting icon, one of the most revered ones across the World. 

Eminent Ambassador

The only player to have won 3  World Cups with a goal scoring frequency of a goal a match in his entire career, Edson Arantes do Nascimento ( nicknamed Pele ) breathed his last on the 29th of December 2022 in São Paulo, aged 82. The curtains eventually came down on   a player who ruled the sport on and off the field and was its most acclaimed, distinguished and eminent Ambassador. 

The Exceptional Footballer

By the time I started understanding Football, playing and enjoying it, Maradona had burst onto the scene, alongwith the likes of Michel Platini, Rudi Voller and a few more others. I had never seen Pele play, just a few old recordings showing his football prowess. But he was known for his electrifying play, sublime football skills, goal scoring prowess and an amazing understanding of the game, Pele was exceptional. However I did witness some of his outrageous mastery over the ball, up for display in the 1981 film ‘ Escape to Victory ‘. 

Escape to Victory 

The Film directed by John Huston starred Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Max Von Sydow and the great Pele in the role of Corporal Luis Fernandez, alongwith several other professional Footballers. Based on a Hungarian Film ( Two Half Times in Hell ), the plot revolves around a Football match to be played between a Nazi German Team and Prisoners of War ( POWs ) from the Allied Forces, during the WWII, in France. The exhibition match was more of a propaganda stunt from the Germans and therefore the POWs decided to make this game an opportunity to escape.

Michael Caine, Pele and Sylvester Stallone : The Power Cast….Photo courtesy HubPages

The Plot

The POWs team led by English Captain John Colby, a  West Ham player before the War, played  by Michael Caine, selects his team judiciously including Robert Hatch, the American, serving the Canadian Army, played by Sylvester Stallone and Luis Fernandez played by Pele amongst others. As the players prepare for the game, an undercover  back door escape strategy is worked out with the French Resistance with the help of Robert Hatch. The break out strategy was planned through the Parisian Tunnel, which actually led to the shower of the players change rooms at the Columbes Stadium, where the match was to be played. The escape was to happen at Half Time.

Through a series of interesting events Robert Hatch is subjected to solitary confinement  and is forbidden  from playing. Captain John Colby then decides to break the hand of his team’s goalkeeper in one of the chilling  scenes of the film, who is replaced by Robert Hatch before the game. The stage is set and the match begins infront of a jam packed stadium.

Against All Odds

The Germans get ahead 4-1 by half time and the moment of escape arrives. But the plot  undergoes an unbelievable turn. The POWs refuse to escape and convince  a stubborn Robert Hatch, the Goalkeeper to continue and not run away. The POWs take the field again and produce some breathtaking football led by the mercurial Luis Fernandez played superbly by Pele.  The Germans use all means to stop the opposition with the help of a totally biased referring, but against all odds, the POWs level the game  at 4-4, with a bit  more drama to follow. 

The Final Escape

In the dying seconds of the Game, the Germans are awarded a penalty which is dramatically saved by Robert Hatch in pure Sylvester Stallone style. The match ends in a draw. The spectators storm the pitch and help disguise the Allied players. There is total chaos all around and in the melee, the entire crowd bursts through the gates and the  players escape the stadium with freedom and a Moral victory to boot. 

Escape to Victory is considered to be the best film based on Football and it did get tremendous critical acclaim and box office success too. Pele like his footballing career left his mark on the Film and will always be remembered for his role in the thriller.

A Footballing Genius, who entertained the world and inspired a million dreams, made the final escape to the skies, shining bright in a heavenly galaxy.

Sparkle in Peace…Pele.

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