Escape

Escape! is a 1930 British crime film directed by Basil Dean and starring Gerald du Maurier, Edna Best and Gordon Harker. It was based on the 1926 play of the same title by John Galsworthy, which was adapted again as a film in 1948. Plot Captain Matt Denant (Gerald du Maurier) is a former army officer who had been pursued by Germans during the war. He is riding at a hunt and, though he enjoys the sport, he empathises with the fox who stands little chance against the hounds. Later, after a dinner in London he decides to walk on his own through a busy Hyde Park. Denant begins talking with a girl in the park (Mabel Poulton), who reveals herself to be a prostitute. Denant declines the woman's proposition and turns to continue on his walk. At that moment a plain clothes police officer (George Curzon) accosts the woman and accuses her of harassing Denant. Denant protests her innocence, maintaining that she had committed no crime. Denant then distracts the policeman, in order to give the woman time to escape. He is then involved in a scuffle, which results in Denant punching the officer to the ground, who hits his head on a rail and promptly dies. Denant is charged with manslaughter and sentenced to five years' imprisonment at Dartmoor. Two years later Denant is part of a prison party working on the moor when heavy fog quickly descends on the area. Emboldened by his experiences in Germany, he decides to attempt to escape in the mist. He passes the Warren House Inn, a remote country pub and sees that his disappearance has been reported by the local newspaper. Narrowly evading the local constabulary, he finds himself after two days back only a mile from the prison. Exhausted, he rests in a country house bedroom and the next morning is discovered by the lady of the house (Edna Best). Rather than report Denant, she gives him chocolate and a drink and allows him to shave. Empathising with Denant as a gentleman, she allows him to disguise himself in her husband's fishing gear and clears his path out of the estate.