History Film / EscapeFromAlcatraz

* PrisonersWork: Getting a job in one of the workshops is a privilege that the prisoners have to earn, but most want to since it beats just sitting in one's cell. Frank Morris gets a job in the carpentry section, for instance.* RaceLift: English was based on Alcatraz prisoner Clarence Carnes. In real life, Carnes was a dark-skinned Choctaw Indian, not an African-American.

''Escape from Alcatraz'' is a 1979 American prison action film directed by Don Siegel. It is an adaptation of the 1963 non-fiction book of the same name by J. Campbell Bruce. The film stars Creator/ClintEastwood, and features Creator/PatrickMcGoohan, Creator/FredWard, Jack Thibeau, Larry Hankin, and Creator/RobertsBlossom in supporting roles. Creator/DannyGlover also appears in his film debut.

''Escape from Alcatraz'' is a 1979 American prison action film directed by Don Siegel. It is an adaptation of the 1963 non-fiction book of the same name by J. Campbell Bruce. The film stars Creator/ClintEastwood, and features Creator/PatrickMcGoohan, Creator/FredWard, Jack Thibeau, Larry Hankin, and Creator/RobertsBlossom. Creator/DannyGlover appears in his film debut.

''Escape from Alcatraz'' is a 1979 American prison action film directed by Don Siegel. It is an adaptation of the 1963 non-fiction book of the same name by J. Campbell Bruce. The film stars Creator/ClintEastwood, and features Creator/PatrickMcGoohan, Creator/FredWard, Jack Thibeau, and Larry Hankin. Creator/DannyGlover appears in his film debut.

In early 1960, Frank Morris (Eastwood), a prisoner with an exceptional I.Q. who has absconded from other facilities, arrives at the maximum security prison on Alcatraz Island. Soon after arriving, he is summoned to the office of the warden ([=McGoohan=]), who curtly informs him that Alcatraz is unique within the U.S. prison system for its exceedingly high level of security and that no inmate has ever successfully escaped.

Over the next several days, Morris encounters bank robber brothers John and Clarence Anglin (Ward and Thibeau), who are his old friends from another prison sentence, and he makes the acquaintance of prisoner Charley Butts (Hankin). Morris notices that the concrete around the grille in his cell is weak and can be chipped away, which evolves into an escape plan.

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* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Absolutely '''no one''' in Alcatraz likes [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil Wolf]]. The prisoners notably [[EvenEvilHasStandards do not attempt to help Wolf]] when Frank slugs him repeatedly in the shower.

''Escape from Alcatraz'' is a 1979 American prison action film directed by Don Siegel. It is an adaptation of the 1963 non-fiction book of the same name by J. Campbell Bruce. The film stars Creator/ClintEastwood, and features Patrick [=McGoohan=], Creator/FredWard, Jack Thibeau, and Larry Hankin. Creator/DannyGlover appears in his film debut.

* EvilIsPetty: The Warden [[KickTheDog removes Doc's painting privileges permanently]] simply because he didn't liked a painting Doc made of him (and it's not a painting that mocks the Warden or anything similar -- from what the scene portrays, it may be because Doc didn't got his good side).

* FriendlyEnemy: Some of the guards are jerks, but some are friendly with the prisoners, especially the one who has to take away Doc's paintings, who makes it clear he's JustFollowingOrders.

** Later, English implies that his gang will do this to Wolf.

* FriendlyEnemy: Some of the guards are jerks, but some are friendly with the prisoners, especially the one who has to take away Doc's paintings.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Absolutely '''no one''' in Alcatraz likes [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil Wolf]]. The prisoners notably [[EvenEvilHasStandards do not attempt to help Wolf]] when Frank slugs him in the shower.

''Escape from Alcatraz'' is a 1979 American prison action film directed by Don Siegel. It is an adaptation of the 1963 non-fiction book of the same name by J. Campbell Bruce. The film stars Creator/ClintEastwood, and features Creator/PatrickMcGoohan, Creator/FredWard, Jack Thibeau, and Larry Hankin. Creator/DannyGlover appears in his film debut.

* PrisonersWork: Getting a job in one of the workshops is a privilege that the prisoners have to earn, but most want to since it beats just sitting in one's cell. Frank Morris gets a job in the carpentry section, for instance.

* RaceLift: English was based on Alcatraz prisoner Clarence Carnes. In real life, Carnes was a dark-skinned Choctaw Indian, not an African-American.

* SleepingDummy: Essential part of the escape plan.

* TheStoic: Morris rarely shows emotion.

* YouHaveFailedMe: At the end of the film, as the Warden sits on the beach and contemplates [[IronicEcho the flower he just crushed]], an underling informs him that [[BigBad the Attorney General]] wants to see him in Washington as soon as possible. Since the end title informs us (correctly) that Alcatraz was closed within a year of the escape, we can assume the Warden, uh, accepted early retirement.

The good guys are the bad guys, and the bad guys are the good guys. This is Hollywood's version of the story of, in case you couldn't tell by the title, the ''Great Escape from Alcatraz''.

Alcatraz... The ''Titanic'' of prisons. Invincible. Unbreakable. 100% escape-proof. [[TemptingFate Fate called their bluff]].

How much of the Creator/ClintEastwood film can you trust? Well, Alcatraz really was a harsh prison off the coast of San Francisco. Frank Morris and John and Clarence Anglin really did cut the vents out of the walls in their cells using spoons and really did trick the guards using the old [[SleepingDummy dummy-head-in-the-bed trick]]. They really did escape, leaving behind a fourth prisoner (named Alan West, not Charlie Butts), and really did disappear without a trace.

It's no wonder Hollywood had to grab this story -- if any writer tried to make something like this up, they would have been told, "[[RealityIsUnrealistic Get Real!]]"

* AirVentPassageway: Morris, Charlie, and the Anglin brothers mount an escape by digging out the back of their cells to get into the ventilator shafts and escape Alcatraz prison through the roof.

* LifesavingMisfortune: Charlie Butts (the RealLife counterpart was Allan West) can't get out and gets left behind by the others. As it's entirely possible that the trio drowned, this may ultimately have been for the best.

** Morris is punished for fighting off Wolf when the latter attacks him with a shiv. "He came at me!" Morris rightly protests. However, it's possible the guard didn't see who began the fight. He doesn't bother to find out though. However, Morris is released after about a week. Wolf spends six months in solitary for attacking a guard.

* BuildingOfAdventure

* RaceLift: English was based on Alcatraz prisoner Clarence Carnes. In real life, Carnes was a dark-skinned Choctaw Indian, not a black man.

** Litmus and Doc have both been in Alcatraz for ''at least'' 15 years, and are both rather friendly towards Frank. Litmus also sells contraband and keeps a pet mouse.

* TheOldConvict: English claims to have only been in Alcatraz for 10 years by that point, but it's ''Alcatraz''. Those years have turned him into a rather jaded sort, especially since his disproportionate punishment (for killing two men in self-defense) was racially motivated. He does form an OddFriendship with Frank Morris.

** Morris is punished for fighting off Wolf when the latter attacks him with a shiv. "He came at me!" Morris rightly protests. However, it's possible the guard didn't see who began the fight. He doesn't bother to find out though.

* LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard

* TheEndOrIsIt: The film has the warden finding a flower on a nearby island where the gear is found, hinting that Morris and the Anglin brothers might have gotten that far. He crushes the evidence in his hands and insists "They drowned." In RealLife, there hasn't been a sign of any of the escapees in over 55 years. If even one of them survived, he'd kept one of the biggest secrets of all time with him, possibly to the grave...

* NWordPrivileges: Morris has 'em, but only because he and English quickly figure each other out.
--> '''English''': "Now I figure there's two reasons why you didn't sit down on my step. Either you're too scared, or you just hate niggers. Now which is it, boy? You too scared?"
--> '''Morris''' (sitting next to English): "Nah. I just hate niggers."