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Escape from Alcatraz

Escape from Alcatraz (1979)

June. 22,1979
|
7.6
|
PG
| Drama Thriller

San Francisco Bay, January 18, 1960. Frank Lee Morris is transferred to Alcatraz, a maximum security prison located on a rocky island. Although no one has ever managed to escape from there, Frank and other inmates begin to carefully prepare an escape plan.

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Bele Torso
1979/06/22

Notorious escapees didn't drown, they body-surfed behind a ferry to freedom and started a farm in Brazil! Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin and John Anglin remain the only people who have escaped Alcatraz and never been found - a disappearance that is one of the country's most notorious unsolved mysteries. A letter sent to San Francisco police in 2013 and obtained by CBS affiliate KPIX, a man claiming to be one of the escapees said that all three of the prisoners survived the attempt - but that he was the only one still living. The letter claimed that Morris died in 2008 and that Clarence Anglin died in 2011. More than 50 raincoats that they stole or gathered were turned into makeshift life preservers and a 6×14 foot rubber raft, the seams carefully stitched together and "vulcanized" by the hot steam pipes in the prison (the idea came from magazines that were found in the prisoners' cells). They also built wooden paddles and converted a musical instrument into a tool to inflate the raft. Relatives of John and Clarence Anglin firmly believe they survived their escape: At least four members of the Anglin family, including two nephews and a sister, spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle in 2013, furnishing what they said was evidence the men were alive - including a Christmas card the family received in 1962 that read: "To Mother, from John. Merry Christmas."

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romanorum1
1979/06/23

Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, on an island surrounded by freezing cold water in San Francisco Bay, is a mile or so from land. Formerly known as an escape-proof maximum security prison, no one was ever known to have emerged from "The Rock." Three men who came closest are believed to have drowned as nothing was ever heard from them (1962). Nevertheless, they did escape and were never returned.The movie focuses on the three: Frank Morris (Clint Eastwood) and the Anglin Brothers (Jack Thibeau and Frank Ward). Because he had escaped from several other prisons, Frank Morris is transferred to Alcatraz in 1960 and immediately begins to plan an escape. The director depicts well how Morris fashions a papier-mâché likeness of his head to fool the guards. Morris learned how to accomplish the simple welding of metals in a jail cell to create a hand tool from a nail clipper, spoon, and a dime. He used the tool to chip away at the corroded concrete walls - because of moist air - surrounding the low ventilation grilles. After, he squeezed his way through the newly created opening to the utility corridor and scaled the ventilation shaft that led to the cell-block roof. After that a barbed wire fence was climbed to escape the prison property. From there the three men, using makeshift life preservers and rafts, successfully swam in the tidal and icy bay waters to Angel Island. From there they either swam their way to safety or drowned in the bay. Director Don Siegel shows in detail the drudgery of living in the small, individual cells in a taut screenplay. He is meticulous; for instance, note the slight differences in prisoners' clothing. Also, he did well in recreating the authentic look of the Alcatraz of the early 1960s, even though the place had been closed as a correctional institution for a decade and a half. The performances are at a high level, from the perfect vehicle for Clint Eastwood as a determined Morris to Patrick McGoohan's stern and mean-spirited warden. ("We don't make good citizens but we make good prisoners.") Interesting characters include Doc (Roberts Blossum), a gifted painter; Litmus (Frank Ronzio), who can find things that Morris needs for a price (usually Morris' desserts) and who keeps a pet mouse; English (Paul Benjamin), a bitter Negro librarian (his daughter is marrying a white man); and Charley Butts (Larry Hankin), who doesn't quite escape. As a side thought, Hollywood has always been sympathetic to prisoners. Also, studios have usually portrayed penitentiary guards as sadistic, mean-spirited, and/or nasty. In "Escape from Alcatraz" though, the guards do not systematically beat their prisoners although they lack empathy. There's a scene early on when the prison tough Wolf (Bruce M. Fischer) tries to kill Morris, who successfully defends himself. Yet, like Wolf, the character is condemned to the dreaded D-Block without explanation.Alcatraz prison, which housed over 1500 prisoners in its history, closed in 1963. Its famous residents included Whitey Bulger, Al Capone, Alvin Karpis, Machine-Gun Kelly, "Doc" Barker, and Robert Stroud ("The Birdman of Alcatraz").

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mark.waltz
1979/06/24

Nothing is achieved without risk, and in the case of Alcatraz prisoner Clint Eastwood, what he wants to achieve is escape. How, he doesn't know, and the date of success is against him as it is said that no prisoner has ever successfully escaped from Alcatraz. What he's in for is of no consequence. All we really know is that he came from a prison near Atlanta. Eastwood makes more friends than enemies, getting rid of a determined rapist longing to make Clint his newest "punk". Eastwood keeps his humanitarianism in spite of the situation, even crossing race lines as he finds true friendship is the cultured Paul Benjamin.Then, there's the older prisoners, one who sends messages with the help of a pet mouse, another an artist whose privileges are taken away and takes drastic steps as a result of this loss. Several other prisoners show their vulnerabilities and fears, but also manage to keep their dignity as well. The warden seems calm and cultured, but an obvious lust for power has turned him into a well dressed rat. Then, there's the escape plot, well thought out and often suspensefully played. This is intriguing, because it's easy to find yourself rooting for Eastwood and those who decide to tag along. Director Don Siegel has wisely kept this a simple drama of the desire to survive a horrid situation, although I question what success would mean for them if they successfully made it off the island. The acting is pretty quiet and plot driven more than dialog driven, while little moments shine over some of the bigger plot twists. The film doesn't quite but perfection simply because too questions are left unanswered.

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Anssi Vartiainen
1979/06/25

Once again a movie starring Clint Eastwood that wouldn't work half as well if it wasn't for him. The man has the phenomenal ability to put so much presence into every scene he is in that even a slow-paced film such as this seems interesting to follow just because he's such a good actor.And make no mistake, this is a slow film. Years can pass unnoticed when you're sitting behind bars and the way this film is shot reflects that. Of course the escape plan and how Eastwood's Frank Morris goes about trying to accomplish it fills most of the screen time, but you never really feel bored by any of it. No single scene is tremendously interesting, but they're all interesting enough to form a whole that's greater than the sum of their parts.All the actors are also talented enough so that the dialogues manage to keep your attention. The setting and the use of lighting also has that old-time charm where it at the same time looks both unrealistic and familiar.As a whole I'd say that this is a good film. It's like that soothing melody that you cannot quite recall a few days later, but which you can listen for hours at a time. See it, if you haven't already.

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