The film, based on true events, tells the story of a successful escape from Alcatraz prison island.
In June 1962 brothers John and Clarence Anglin succeeded Frank Morrisin with to escape from the infamous prison island of Alcatraz. According to the authorities, it was supposed to be impossible.
Don Siegel directed a film on the subject Paco the Alcatrazist (Escape from Alcatraz1979), in which Morris, convicted of robberies, was portrayed Clint Eastwood. The role required a tough guy, and Siegel didn’t have that Dirty Harry (Dirty Harry1971) known to be missing from the star.
Eastwood has always been a man of few words, and the film doesn’t exactly deal with guilt or burdens of sin. What is essential is the burning of freedom, which is an even stronger act than bars.
Frank Morris escaped from prison with John and Clarence Anglin.
Alcatrazin the island is located off San Francisco, just two kilometers from the beach. The skyline of the big city looms nearby, but painfully difficult to reach.
The guards bring a man to the island who seems to be prowling the local escape possibilities. Morris is put to work in the prison library. While walking around with the book cart, fellow inmates and the geography of the facility begin to become familiar. Before long, experimental drilling will begin.
Even concrete will yield – even to a nail file – if it’s tough enough. Director Siegel understood what the subject required and slowly built up the tension. A steady, low-gesture film grows into a song of praise for human enterprise. Authentic venues only intensify the atmosphere.
The fugitive trio managed to prepare their escape so secretly that a large part of the film was built on guesswork. However, the whole seems believable, and it isn’t Paco the Alcatrazist feel as dated as many other films from the late 1970s.
Alcatraz Prison Island in 2017.
Alcatrazin the prison closed in 1963, just a year after the events of the film. Today, museum visitors can tour the corridors that Morris and his partners measured six decades ago.
The riddle stuck in my mind. Shortly after the escape, a bundle of letters wrapped in rubber, pieces of a paddle and pieces of inner rubber from a bicycle were found on the beaches of San Francisco.
In a National Geographic channel documentary, it was claimed that a rubber boat ridden by convict escapees was found on Angel Island, contrary to the FBI’s report.
In the year In 2018, a letter allegedly written by old John Anglin became public. It is said that this would return to prison if he received treatment for his cancer in the institution.
The FBI, which examined the letter and searched for fingerprints, was not sure of the author and came up with its original theory. Officials still believe all three escapees drowned in the waves of San Francisco Bay.
After Siegel’s film, at least you feel like thinking differently. (113)
Escape from Alcatraz (1979), Sub at 9pm. Prison tension. ★★★★