Escape from Alcatraz (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Escape from Alcatraz |
| Original title | Escape from Alcatraz |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1979 |
| length | 112 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Don Siegel |
| script | Richard Tuggle |
| production | Don Siegel |
| music | Jerry Fielding |
| camera | Bruce Surtees |
| cut | Ferris Webster |
| occupation | |
| |
Escape from Alcatraz (Original title: Escape from Alcatraz ) is a literary film adaptation of the novel Escape from Alcatraz by J. Campbell Bruce . Don Siegel filmed the 1963 novel in 1979 with Clint Eastwood in the leading role. It was also the first big role for Fred Ward , who u. a. was cast for his athletic ability.
action
Frank Morris , convicted of robbery , has broken out of prison several times. He is therefore being moved to Alcatraz Island , a high-security federal prison in the United States . No prisoner has ever managed to escape there. Those who tried to escape from the prison were either shot by the guards or drowned in the cold sea water. Alcatraz is rough and inhuman. The director is freezing cold and callous. Prisoners who do not adhere to the strict rules are held in dark detention for days or even weeks . A prisoner (doc) is banned from painting after he has painted a disrespectful portrait of the prison director. He then chops off his fingers in the carpentry shop in front of the guards and other prisoners, including Morris.
The conditions motivate Morris even more to attempt an escape on Alcatraz. The two brothers Clarence and John Anglin and Morris' cell neighbor Charles Marsh also want to flee. The four are supported by other prisoners who do not want to escape themselves. Using primitive tools that they build from cutlery, they laboriously enlarge the ventilation openings in their cells until they can remove the grilles and get onto the roof via the ventilation system. By the night they flee, they must remove the traces of work and camouflage the openings. Marsh is scared and misses the time of the night and stays behind. From the roof, the other three emerge unnoticed from the closely guarded and fenced area. They then leave the island with a raft that they have built themselves from raincoats.
In their cells they leave self-made heads in the beds, so that the escape is not noticed until the next morning and they have a head start of nine and a half hours. Despite a large-scale search operation with boats and helicopters, they are found neither dead nor alive. On a rocky stretch of coast, however, personal items wrapped in waterproof clothing were found. In addition, the director discovers a chrysanthemum that apparently does not grow on the island and that may have been left by Frank in memory of Doc. It remains unclear whether they drowned or actually made it.
Real role model
The film is based on a true story: On June 11, 1962, Frank Morris and the two brothers John and Clarence Anglin disappeared from their cells during the night. The three men were able to dig their way through the ventilation grids on the back wall of the cells, as the mortar, which had been badly attacked by salt and moisture, had become brittle and could therefore be easily scraped away with solid steel cutlery smuggled into the cells. They finally reached the roof of the cell block through the ventilation shaft behind it. From there they got outside and were able to escape from Alcatraz in a self-made rubber dinghy made of raincoats (more details under Alcatraz #Fluchtversuche ).
To this day it is not clear whether the escape over the sea, in the ice-cold water, was crowned with success. Parts of the dinghy were washed ashore or salvaged by fishermen. A rather detailed FBI investigation carried out at the time concluded that the inmates were almost certain to have drowned. The bodies of the three men were never found. However, there are no signs of survival either. The files are now freely accessible. However, some recent evidence suggests that Morris and the Anglin brothers might have managed to escape.
A successful escape cannot be ruled out with absolute certainty. The group would be the only one who would have managed to escape from Alcatraz, which would have been officially denied, also in order to maintain the reputation of the facility. One of the numerous practical attempts on the subject that was successful was seen on the television series Mythbusters .
Justice Minister Robert F. Kennedy ordered the prison to be closed on March 21, 1963 - due to the dilapidated fabric of the building and the associated high operating costs (more details under Alcatraz #Faulty planning during construction ).
Reviews
"Solid tension, atmospheric music and a Clint Eastwood who has ample opportunity to present himself as a tough and intelligent guy."
"Masterful genre classic by old master Don Siegel."
"Director Don Siegel succeeded in making an exciting film adaptation of the events of the time, for which he worked with Clint Eastwood for the fifth time."
"'The Escape from Alcatraz' is a logically and excitingly composed film that ultimately lacks nothing, good entertainment, so one more convincing Eastwood film in its fans' collection."
literature
- J. Campbell Bruce: Escape from Alcatraz. Ten Speed Press, May 2005, ISBN 3-7855-3221-0 .
Web links
- Escape from Alcatraz in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Escape from Alcatraz atRotten Tomatoes(English)
- Historical information on the FBI outbreak
- Most Wanted Criminals in Northern California Northern California Most Wanted
Individual evidence
- ↑ Escape utensils of the fugitives around Frank Morris . FBI. June 12, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ Alcatraz: Researchers reconstruct spectacular escape attempt. Spiegel Online , December 18, 2014, accessed December 17, 2016 .
- ↑ www.bop.gov
- ↑ Escape from Alcatraz. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ cinema.de
- ↑ filmreporter.de ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ filmstarts.de
