by David C. Terr

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Title: Escape From Alcatraz

Director: Don Siegel

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Fred Ward, Jack Thibeau, Danny Glover

Release Date: June 22, 1979

Running Time: 112 min

Genres: Drama, Thriller

Commentary
Escape From Alcatraz is an exciting film with Clint Eastwood in which he plays a clever Alcatraz inmate who figures out a way to escape. The movie is based on the true story of Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin, who are perhaps the only three people who ever escaped from Alcatraz. Clint does a very good acting job as Frank Morris in this film as does Patrick McGoohan as the very tough and demeaning warden.

Plot Summary
In 1962, Frank Morris gets arrested and sent to Alcatraz. In prison, he makes friends with two fellow inmates, brothers John (Ward) and Clarence Anglin (Thibeau). The three of them devise a clever escape plan. Morris digs a tunnel through the wall of his cell and makes a dummy of himself to fool the warden. The three then escape through the tunnel. They made it out of Alcatraz, but no one knows whether or not they were able to swim off the island to safety.

Social Relevance
Alcatraz was a functional prison from 1934 to 1963. I took a tour there once. The guide kept talking about how difficult it was to escape from Alcatraz. It also seemed like a very harsh prison, except for the food, which he said was good as far as prisons go. I had the same impression while watching the movie. I was able to sympathize with the prisoners and felt good for them when they made their escape.

Movie Clips

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