Escape from Alcatraz 4K 1979 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

Recidivist Frank Morris is transferred to the high-security prison-island of Alcatraz. He had previously escaped from several other prisons. Noticing that the newcomer has a high IQ on the questionnaire, on his first day he is summoned by the warden and warned that it is impossible to escape from his institution, but Frank does not think so.

Review 4K Movie

Any tale of prison dramas usually boils down to a recognition of the greatness of Frank Darabont's Shawshank Escape, and whether it is expressed in tacit recognition or at the top of the movie ratings is not so important. However, the screen adaptation of Stephen King's work, much beloved by audiences, bears many of the fundamental characteristics of the late '70s hit "Escape from Alcatraz", a much lesser-known and revered film. The American director Don Siegel's film is universally known only to the ardent admirers of Clint Eastwood, who played in the film bank robber Frank Morris who got into one of the most closed prisons in the world, Alcatraz, and, as the title suggests, set out to escape.

A worthy and eloquent preface to the description of the film will be the information about the prison itself, which really exists on a lonely island in the San Francisco Bay (which is not a paradox - the prison famous for its impregnability is several kilometers from the famous Golden Gate), surrounded by strata of icy water, which in combination with the rocky structure of the soil make even the thought of escape utopian. Nevertheless, there were 14 escape attempts, 13 of which were unsuccessful, and another one became a ready-made screenplay, and although the escape undertaken by Frank Morris and the Englin brothers is listed in the record as unsuccessful and the fugitives as "missing," Escape from Alcatraz convinces otherwise-and does so quite convincingly.

Unlike the story of the heroic escape from Shawshank, the narrative of the Alcatraz routine is far less emotional, a bleak and dry atmosphere overwhelming this prison world in which trivial work as a means of passing the time must be earned. Alcatraz sucks the juices of life a hundred times more than Shawshank, which is emphasized by the appearance of the characters - the gaunt and tough Morris versus the dense and good-natured Dufresne. Amidst these differences, dozens of similarities like the dark-skinned friend and the pet of one of the prisoners make the pictures virtually identical, which reveals an impression of Darabont's work from a different angle: in no way diminishing the merits of King's book as the basis for the script, the screenplay appears almost devoid of innovation in plot terms, but significantly and skillfully (who would argue) enhanced in sensuality. And "Escape from Alcatraz" is detailed but laconic, gloomy like Eastwood's invariable facial expression, but truthful - instead of tears and endless happiness of freedom in the analogues - severity and calculating without any specifics in the finale, which is supplemented, incidentally, by the chrysanthemum flower brightening up the general atmosphere, symbolizing not mockery of the prison director, but the memory of those who remained behind the walls of Alcatraz.

This picture is good for its typicality for its time, and it can be used as an example to consider the evolution of the character of films about prison inmates. As a good representative of "old" cinema, "Escape from Alcatraz" 30 years after its release will fascinate not everyone, which only reminds of the inexorable flow of time, not denouncing the film in any way negatively. Fans of stories about escapes, strong personalities and retro fans should pay attention to Siegel's film, the quality of which is emphasized by an absolutely illogical, but involuntary feeling that occurs when watching successful films about prisoners - the viewer rejoices in the success of prisoners who deserve punishment (especially since you do not just get into Alcatraz - one heroic Al Capone worth), laughing with the life of cheating law enforcement officers. Interestingly, anyone can try his or her hand at being a prisoner and swim across the bay separating the prison island from the mainland; just two and a half kilometers of cold scalding water, dangerous with sharks and strong currents - what's not a tour package?! In that case, watching the movie is not only interesting, but also rewarding.