REVIEW: Escape From Alcatraz (1979)

Escape From Alcatraz (1979)

This film doesn’t really require a synopsis, since the story of the actual “escape from Alcatraz” prison is well known, though the actual facts pertaining to the fate of the three escapees will probably never be known.

If you do NOT know the story behind the escape, basically all you need to know is three inmates chipped away at the old, crumbling cement around the air vents in their cells and got into the maintenance areas above the cell block. They then made papier-mâché heads, complete with hair from the barber shop, to put in their beds at night, when they were outside their cells working on supplies like rubber rafts and life rackets made from rain coats stolen from the prison. The big night came and the three men left their cells through the cell vents, went up air vents to the roof of the cell block, then down to the rocky shore and into San Francisco Bay. They were never seen again, dead or alive, (officially, anyway) and the prison was closed within the year.

The film has four men in on the escape, with one (Butts) lagging behind the others with his chipping and so on. He ends up with cold feet the night of the escape, then when he finally leaves his cell, he can’t get up to the roof vent by himself.  This character appears to be based on Allen West.

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I have seen Alcatraz MANY times through the years. I recently watched it yet again, with slightly older eyes, and never realized how little dialogue it has. Which helps explain why I always liked it, despite not being a big Eastwood fan. I AM a fan of more subtle films, where little needs to be done to express things like emotion or reactions. This film barely even has a sound track! What it does have almost reminds me of the quieter scenes of “2001 Space Odyssey”.

There are some interesting shots, but the movie usually doesn’t dwell too long on one shot or scene, unless it contains a needed plot-point or information. Time goes by for the inmates, but viewers may not catch that fact.

I don’t like ultra-violent movies, and when I was a kid was scared of the finger-chopping scene. Now I realize the film is gritty without needing to be too violent, is anti-prison without being preachy, and deals with race but doesn't pander. It also doesn’t feel like the facts have been tossed out the window, like with “Bird Man of Alcatraz”, where supposedly the main character was no where near as pleasant as in the film.

Eastwood does a great job as Frank Morris. Quiet and brilliant, always thinking, yet perfectly able to take care of himself in a fight. His female fans will like the shots of him after arriving at the prison, and in the shower. I like the fact he did so many of his own stunts as well.

Larry Hankin as Butts is perfect as well, a bit dopy but likable. Though the Anglin Brothers seemed slightly miscast. Comments in IMDb state Fred Ward and Jack Thibeau were cast due to their physical abilities, which they did seem to have, especially during the escape. The Doc and Litmus characters are well cast, though I am still on the shelf about Paul Benjamin as English. The English character has plenty of "status", yet he doesn't act like a tough guy, so how exactly did he achieve such status? Through his number of years on “the rock”? He is also a quiet and seemingly smart inmate, in charge of the library. But is his “racism” toward whites real? Is Morris an exception of sorts?

Oh, and the character of Wolf is disturbing but nothing like we would see if the film were made today.

Other than English and Morris, the character with the most dialogue is the real bad guy, The Warden, played by Patrick McGoohan. He almost seems to not be wearing much makeup in this one. He is very plain, very subdued, yet very cold and business-like. He has a caged parakeet and a small fish aquarium in his office, which make him seem almost human until you think of those pets as more jailed inmates for him to control. He shows no feelings whatsoever for his inmates (though he does seem rather pleasant when he asks Morris about his accordion). One wonders if the wheels are always turning in his head, just like in Morris’s.

McGoohan did long, word-heavy scenes well (like when he meets Morris in his office) but also scenes which require little dialogue at all (like the ending). Though the warden shows very little emotion on his face, a tiny change of the eyes can tell a lot.

As a side note, I was wondering why McGoohan actually seemed short in this film. Usually he had to look down on his fellow actors, so I had to look up Clint Eastwood’s height. Eastwood is supposed to be about 6’ 4”, which explains things, as McGoohan was (by his own admission in a “Danger Man” episode) 6’ 2 ½”.

One also has to wonder if Eastwood got along with McGoohan, given the Irish-Englishman’s tendency to be difficult to work with due to his desire for perfection (and alcohol at this time).

IN CLOSING: If you don't need lots of useless violence and dialogue, even soundtrack music, this is a movie you may like. It almost feels like a “modern” silent film. Or at least minimalist. If you MUST have lots of yammering and explosions and padding, you may not enjoy it. But it looks good, has good acting, and as a plus is based on fact.

 Morris has arrived by boat to "The Rock"...

... and gets processed...

Morris getting his first look at Wolf... and Litmus is about to acquire his pasta 

Meeting the warden... 

... who spells out what life at Alcatraz is like

Doc meets Morris while painting outside 

English... top of the hill... 

Wolf goes after Morris... they both end up in solitary

Butts meets "Al Capone", aka: Litmus

The warden inspects Doc's paintings and makes a discovery... He seems to like it, but has Doc's painting privileges revoked 

Doc requests a hatchet so he can "work on a table"...

The warden confronts Morris about the "accident" in the shop 

 The Anglin brothers arrive

Soldering, prison-style 

Chipping away at the corroded Alcatraz cement 

The chrysanthemum is "against regulations, Morris... you know it..." 

"... you any good?"  There's plenty of time to learn accordion in prison... 

English stops Wolf from attacking Morris again 

Above the cells, planning the escape 

They're out!  Preparing the rafts and life vests 

The escape is discovered!

The warden ponders a chrysanthemum found on Angel Island the next day... "they drowned" he concludes... but did they?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4769236/Dummy-heads-used-Alcatraz-breakout-3D-scanned.html

https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/genius-two-brothers-and-fake-heads

https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Fake-heads-used-in-daring-Alcatraz-escape-13393255.php

REVIEW: Columbo - Publish or Perish (1974)

COLUMBO: Publish or Perish

S3/E5 1974

This episode is the second of three with Jack Cassidy playing the murder. Part of the small group of most entertaining guest-killers, Cassidy is always charming and witty, but also a little slimy at the same time.  His ever-present cigarette is a bit depressing to see, given the manner of his real-life death.

This time around, Cassidy plays Riley Greenleaf, a publisher who "owns" novelist Alan Mallory, played by real life writer Mickey Spillane. Mallory plans on taking his latest book to a new publisher, but Greenleaf will have none of that, and hires a Vietnam veteran named Eddie Kane to kill the writer as Greenleaf sets up his own, very drunken, alibi of crashing his Cadillac into a car (actually a VW van) in the parking lot of a bar.

Eddie thinks Greenleaf is going to publish his book about making bombs in return for the murder. Of course, he has no intention of doing so, and turns Eddie into the perfect fall-guy.

But, as we all know, there is no perfect murder, and our hero Lt. Columbo solves the crime. In the meantime we are given some classic one-liners and quotes.  From Cassidy's fake-drunk act, to his feigning relief upon learning of his alibi, to Peter Falk's unorthodox meal with Jacques Aubuchon and Mariette Hartley.  The audience doesn't (or at least shouldn't) feel any sympathy toward the murderer in this episode, either.

While the whole bomb-making thing may seem a little unnecessary to modern audiences, remember this was actually during the Vietnam conflict, not to mention an era of home-grown American terrorists who did indeed try to blow the "establishment" up.

"Publish or Perish" is a great episode, if not for it's plot, then for Jack Cassidy alone.

"Bravo, Eddie!"

"... those poor kids, those amateurs, planting bombs and blowing themselves up..."

"... the holy trinity..." (Jacques Aubuchon, Mariette Hartley, Mickey Spillane)

"... buy yourself a personality..." Greenleaf begins setting up his drunken alibi.

Mallory dictates... Greenleaf spies his quarry... Eddie prepares to kill...

"... and YOU, madam, SHUT UP!"

"... madam, in your condition I'd call a plastic surgeon..."

Columbo drinks some "brutal" coffee at the crime scene.

Listening to Mallory's dictation... what is that strange noise in the background?

"All I can say is, thank God..."  Greenleaf's attorney informs Columbo that his client has an airtight alibi for the night of the murder.

"Do you have any chili? ... with beans, without..."

"I wanted to get those saltines..."

REVIEW: Two Living, One Dead (1961)

TWO LIVING, ONE DEAD (1961/US 1964)

This is an Anthony Asquith remake of the 1937 Norwegian film “To levende og en død”, which in turn was adapted from the novel of the same name by author Sigurd Christiansen. 

Patrick McGoohan plays Berger, a quiet postal clerk who aspires to some day take over as the local Post Master.  Berger is happily married with a young son, but admits he has no other friends.  Though the young postal messengers he works with tease him behind his back, when one of them is sent by another clerk, Andersson (Bill Travers), to pick up a large sum of pension money for the very first time, Berger overhears and can tell the boy is afraid of the responsibility.  Berger takes it upon himself to walk part of the way with the boy to help ease his mind. 

The money is 10,000 krona, and that night, Berger is tasked with counting it.  As he works in an office, an off-camera tussle ensues in the next room, resulting in a fatal injury to Kester, next in line for Post Master by seniority, and a head injury to Andersson.  Berger is confronted in the office by one of the masked robbers, who holds him at gunpoint and demands the cash.  Berger weighs his options, thinking of his wife and son, and gives him the money.  Once the robbers are gone, Berger runs into the street for help.

The rest of the film deals with the public’s opinions on what is bravery and what is cowardice.  Andersson claims he was hurt while confronting the robbers, and wears his head bandage for over two weeks, bragging about his bravery to whoever will listen. He is the darling of the media and townsfolk.

Meanwhile, Berger is looked upon as a coward for not somehow protecting the money, or at least physically confronting the robbers.  As far as the Post Office is concerned, since he didn't risk his life for the good of the Postal Service, he isn’t a “company man” anymore and looses the Post Master job to less senior Andersson.  

Kester's wife seems to understand Berger's actions, obviously wishing her husband were still alive.

At first, Berger’s wife (Virginia McKenna) is on his side, but as time goes on, and she sees their son being teased and harassed in school, and her husband shunned by society, she begins to think he did the wrong thing after all.  Their marriage suffers as Berger starts going for nighttime walks, eventually meeting a man named Rogers (Alf Kjellin) who just so happens to live at Andersson’s rooming house.   The two strike up a minor friendship, discussing their problems, though not admitting they are actually their own (they belong to “a friend”).  Berger claims to know the “coward” from the Post Office, and Rogers speaks of a man dying in the hospital (actually his own brother). 

One night, Mrs. Berger sees her husband and Rogers walking outside their home, and asks this stranger inside.  One thing leads to another, and Rogers accidentally discovers Berger really is Berger.  It is now that Berger is finally told that their son has been targeted in school, and things break down even further.

Things come to a head the next night, when Berger visits Rogers, and discovers he and his brother were the robbers.  They learned of the large amount of money being at the Post Office through Andersson, who “talks too much” about work.  Berger asks if Rogers would have shot him to get the money, and gets a reluctant “yes”. 

But the most important thing Berger finds out, is that Andersson did not get injured by being brave fighting off the robbers.  He actually ran into a door frame while trying to escape, and was the real coward that night.  Berger takes Roger’s gun and, hell-bent on revenge, knowing Andersson would be at the Post Office working late on reports, goes to see him. 

Berger claims to be at the Post Office to help Andersson with the reports, and they begin to discuss the night of the robbery.  Berger asks Andersson if, given more time, he would have done things differently.  He begins to loose it as he points the gun at Andersson, and gives him 30 seconds to get 20,000 krone from a vault and give it to him.  If he doesn’t, he’ll get shot.  Andersson fumbles his way to and from the vault, dropping the cash box and money.  Kneeling on the floor, he holds up the messy box-full of cash to Berger, who suddenly calms down, and sits at the office desk.  When asked why he doesn’t take the money, Berger says that he “wanted to prove something… but it doesn’t matter any more…”

Next we see Rogers waiting for Berger, who checks his gun and sees it wasn’t fired.  The two men part, and Rogers walks across the street to the police station to turn himself in.  Berger goes home, where his wife has waited up for him with supper.  The film ends with them embracing.  They do have a future…

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As of early 2020, this film doesn’t appear to be available commercially.  There is a low-quality version which can be found online that looks like it came from an old VHS recording.  Because of the image quality, I can’t really attest to the overall "look" of the film.  This also makes it difficult to tell if Patrick McGoohan is made to look pale and tired with bags under his eyes, which would befit his character, or if it is just… well… not a Blue Ray DVD! 

The film does have a stark feel to it.  There is very little music soundtrack, which makes it even more so at times.  It is also a little confusing having a mainly British cast put in a Swedish setting. At least those actors didn't attempt accents...

In my humble opinion, the best performances are by Alf Kjellin (Rogers) and McGoohan (Berger).  Granted, Bill Travers’ character (Andersson) is basically a big oaf, and you can’t do too much with that in a drama.  Virginia McKenna as McGoohan’s wife is ok, and their son Rolf is played well by John Moulder-Brown. 

The idea of Berger accidentally meeting actual robber Rogers is a bit silly (or did Rogers seek him out?), but the two characters needing to talk to a neutral-party about their problems makes up for it.

McGoohan plays Berger as very quiet, but obviously warm hearted and intelligent.  As the story progresses, and his marriage falls apart, he becomes even more of a lost soul, though he never really gives in and try to change for the sake of others.  He knows who he is and why he did what he did.  But any display of emotion is very low key.  No “Number Six” outburst of anger here.  In fact, the second to last scene, where Berger slowly goes a bit batty as he confronts Andersson at gunpoint, he is actually ever-so-slightly “hammy”, though this may simply be how McGoohan felt a quiet, unassuming man like Berger would behave in that situation.  If a man isn’t prone to loosing his temper, doing so may actually be frightening to himself, and McGoohan’s Berger does indeed seem afraid of what he is doing in that scene.  

I must confess, though, I do feel McGoohan doesn't quite pull off being a loving husband and father.  The viewer knows that is what he is, but I got a sense he wasn't totally comfortable playing such a role.  I got this same feeling when watching his performance in the Disney film "Thomasina".  You would think a happily married father of three daughters would be a natural for such scenes, but there seems to be something missing.  Perhaps I am simply more used to his entirely natural depiction of sly, classy spies and angry or evil men.

The film does, though, give fans a rare "tender" scene showing Berger hugging his wife.

As for the subject matter, and who is in the right, that is up to the viewer.  Most of the cast views Berger as a coward for not risking his life to keep a large amount of money away from two robbers who had already injured two people.  Berger was thinking of his wife and son, but his boss thinks he should have sacrificed his life to the Postal Service.  Andersson could care less about Berger's plight, as long as he is viewed as a hero and in the limelight (hence keeping his head bandage on so long).  The dead man's wife would rather her husband be alive, plain and simple.  The audience is left to ponder just who was right or wrong.

All in all, I did expect a better film.  Perhaps if it were set in Britain and McGoohan gave his Berger a smidge more emotion, it would be a bit more engaging.