According to Greek mythology, Icarus was the son of master craftsman Daedalus, who became famous for creating a labyrinth no one could get out of, and who built wings glued with wax for him and son Icarus to fly over the walls of a prison in which they had been placed by King Minos of Crete. The myth says the son ignored his father's advice not to fly close to the sun and, as a result, his wings melted and he fell to the ocean and drowned.
ESCAPADE cleverly mixes that tale of antiquity with a group of children putting together an initially unexplained but ultimately rather preposterous plot to prevent marital dissolution - which, the film subliminally suggests, lies at the root of social decay and crime.
Unbeknown to well known writer and pacifist John Hampden (engagingly played by John Mills, who threatens violence despite peddling peace), his sons are trying to save his marriage and their own way of life by hatching the abovementioned covert plot that also finds roots in the Cold War, with Vienna the chosen location for landing an aircraft because the main powers (UK, US, France and USSR) are all present in it.
His drive and speeches for peace notwithstanding, Mills overlooks his beautiful wife's need to be cherished and loved, thereby causing anxiety among his three sons: Icarus, Max and Johnny.
The names tell you that Icarus stands for someone different, a soaring soul - brilliant chemistry student and a "natural" at flying aircraft as a young teenager. Like all types of intelligence and genius, Icarus is more heard of than understood or definable. So Icarus is never seen, which I find a really fit and intelligent choice.
Alastair Sim is the headmaster of the school attended by the three boys, and he comes into the fray because gifted Icarus has built a pistol and fired a ball bearing into the leg of a teacher. Sim steals the show. His broguish and yet hypnotic diction kept me waiting for his next scene. He too learns from the boys he teaches and guides, always humble and with a fine sense of humor.
Yvonne Mitchell also conveys very convincingly her frustration at feeling ignored, and not quite clarifying to hubby Mills the reasons for wanting separation.
A message from the unseen Icarus puts the human condition and his antiwar quest in perspective: if it is acceptable to send 18 year olds to war and by extension to probable death, why not do so at 16 or even earlier (at birth, for instance?)
It is a thought-provoking message at a time when the world had recently come out of war, but it remains applicable in 2023, with Russia launching war to retake Ukraine, and many longterm low impact conflicts raging around the globe.
I admit that I found it trying to follow the thread and that I did not endorse the behavior of the enigmatic youngsters but ultimately these 79 minutes were worth watching. 8/10.