Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie was escorted by a fleet of Armed Forces members as she walked the red carpet in London on Tuesday night for the UK premiere of her latest film, Unbroken.
The 39-year-old film star and goodwill ambassador was accompanied by both Chelsea Pensioners and members of the British Armed Forces as she attended the premiere in the capital’s Leicester Square on Tuesday evening.
The brunette beauty, who recently married long-term partner Brad Pitt, looked stunning in a cream Ralph & Russo dress as she posed outside the Odeon West End ahead of the first UK showing of Unbroken – the second film which she has directed.
She was guided along the red carpet by two former members of the British Army – Chelsea Pensioners James Walter Fellows and Cecil Bake, who now live at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a retirement home for those who served in the Armed Forces.
Both men have had remarkable careers.
Fellows enlisted at Birmingham on 3 March 1947 and served until 31 December 1952 with the South Staffordshire Regiment.
When he was discharged in 1953 he was transferred to the Army Air Corps (Parachute Regiment) as part of the Regular Army Reserve having previously passed his parachute course on 30 December 1948.
His service was mostly in the UK, although he served for two years in Hong Kong from 9 August 1949 until 30 November 1951. He was promoted to the substantive rank of Sergeant.
Stunning: The brunette was dressed in a stunning caped dress by Ralph & Russo, which featured decolletage definition and a sheer finish
Meanwhile, Baker enlisted into the General Service Corps at Norwich on 31 August 1948, aged 15, and was posted to the Army Apprentices College at Harrogate and later to Chepstow, where he was trained as sheet metal worker.
Upon reaching adult service he transferred to the Royal Engineers where he remained for the next 22 years and employed in the Combat Engineer role. His service was equally split between postings within the UK and overseas.
He was posted to the Middle Eastern Land Force from 24 August 1952 until 11 December 1954 and then later to Germany from October 1955 until October 1958.
During the period November 1958 to October 1959 he was deployed to Christmas Island where he witnessed the Atomic Bomb testings. He then had a 12 month tour of Bahrain between April 1962 and March 1963 and thence to East Africa from May 1963 to July 1964.
Finally he spent seven years in Germany from June 1966 to March 1973 with 26 Engineer Regiment being his final posting where he was employed as the RQMS Storekeeper.
He was discharged on 13 August 1973 having served for 25 years and promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2.
Ms Jolie looked happy and content as she walked the carpet in a stunning caped dress by Ralph & Russo, which featured decolletage definition and a sheer finish.
She accessorised her outfit with diamond earrings and her trademark smile. The glamorous star matched her look with a pair of understated nude heels, which off-set the outfit perfectly.
Together, thousands of fans turned out to see the Hollywood dame, whose hair was swept up into a bun and flaunted skin that looked luminous as ever.
Meanwhile, the men accompanying her wore their traditional attire which consisted of bright red coat with flat-top service hats. Naturally, they also wore their medals.
Also in attendance at the event were armed forces members including Cpl Nicky Milburn, who returned from Afghanistan this June, Squadron Leader Dave Oglesby, who has 30 years of experience in the RAF as an engineer, Sub Lieutenant Philippa Little, who is just 20.
Here’s looking at you: The armed forces members were delighted to be flanking the superstar on the red carpet
Speaking at the premiere, Jolie told how Louis Zamperini taught her to embrace challenges.
The Oscar-winning actress directed the film starring young Brit rising star Jack O’Connell as the late Zamperini, a Second World War hero and athlete who ran in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Zamperini survived a harrowing 47 days afloat in the Pacific Ocean following the 1943 crash of his US military plane and spent the following two years as a prisoner of war after washing up behind Japanese lines.
Jolie revealed :’Louis has grounded me to remember so many deep values in life.
‘To be open to faith, more open to other people, and most of all I think he says to all of us: “when you see a challenge, when you see an obstacle in front of you, not matter what it is, not only, don’t be overwhelmed by it. ‘But smile at it and attack it and see it as something that will make you better.’
Though the subject matter is emotional and filled with hardship, the director says she didn’t let spirits slip on set.
Speaking to MailOnline on the red carpet, Jolie said: ‘We actually had a lot of fun. You all probably know in life that when you’re going through really difficult times you tend to do everything you can to laugh and do anything you can to get yourself through it and every time you have moments of levity you embrace them, so we certainly did.’
Opening up about her Oscar ambitions, Angelina admitted she would be overjoyed if she received a Best Director nomination:
‘It would mean a great deal to me. I love directing and most of all I felt very responsible for this story and this man’s life, so anything that says i did a good job would mean the world the world to me.’
She certainly would be joining a rather short list of prominent female filmmakers – see Katheryn Bigelow, Sofia Coppola, Jane Campion – admired for their work but Angelina says she is a strong supporter of women moving into the director’s chair.
‘Hopefully there will be many more more, but there are a few directors, a few female directors I am close to [and advise],’ Jolie said, ‘and it is fun to talk about film with any director, but yes there is a nice camaraderie with the women in this genre.’
She’s popular: The superstar, who left her husband Brad Pitt at home in the US, took her time signing autographs for fans
The mother of six, who has battled breast cancer and campaigned for peace in her capacity as a UN abassador, revealed she wants her eldest sons Maddock and Pax to see the film.
She said: ‘I think it’s a very important story for young people to see. It’s got that young teen rating.
‘I think we need to remember this generation that came before us, and what they sacrificed, and what their values were.
‘As men of service there was something about the values they held dear that made them exceptional.
‘I think that is something this generation should be inspired by.’
Jolie made her directorial debut in 2011 with In the Land of Blood and Honey, a drama set during the Bosnian conflict.
She revealed: ‘I never knew I could direct or waned to direct until a few years ago, and I became a director by default.
‘I had written something and it was sensitive material and I just didn’t want to hand it over.
‘So I volunteered myself, but I didn’t think I’d love it, I didn’t think I’d be any good at it, I just tried to do my best.
‘And I would never ever have imagined that I would be in a position to do a film like this, of this scale and what I feel is very important.’
Skins star O’Connell, 24, from Derby revealed he and Jolie shared moment on the red carpet of pride that they had achieved the telling of Zamperini ‘s story.
He said of being cast in the film: ‘There was a huge pressure at first. When I got the news I felt a huge array or emotions. I first felt very incapable, but I’ve since learnt Angie did to. We both didn’t know that we’d be able to achieve.
‘And so the fact that we’re here now, sort of the light at the end of the tunnel, we both had a moment then, me and Angie, that we’re kind of in disbelief.’
Sadly, although she attended the WWII film’s Australian premiere with husband Brad Pitt – marking the first time they walked the red carpet as a married couple after tying the knot in August – he was not present.
One of Jack’s more recent productions was the hard-hitting prison drama Starred Up.
Co-stars Luke Treadway and Ross Anderson were also in attendance – posing for photographers upon arrival at the premiere. Together, the men looked dapper in their designer suits, which exuded a classic, casual elegance to match Angelina’s.
Poignantly, they all wore poppies in remembrance of fallen soldiers.
But they were all also there to remember Louis, who lived a long life and died from pneumonia at the age of 97 on July 2nd 2014 in his Los Angeles home.
The movie is based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand called Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.
Unbroken is released in cinemas on December 26.
Lighting up the West End: The critically-acclaimed star was understandably the centre of media attention on Monday evening
Source: dailymail.co.uk
