TASK 12- Historical texts
The two historical texts I have chosen are “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994) and “The Great Escape” (1963). Both of these are prison-break movies and it has been said that the first series of “Prison Break” is like “The Shawshank redemption” and the second is “The Great Escape”.
“The Shawshank Redemption”- Director: Frank Darabont
Though there is a strong supporting cast, this is really a two-man show. Morgan Freeman plays Red, a convicted murderer and a lifer at Shawshank Prison. After 20 years in stir, Red has adapted to prison life surprisingly well. He's essentially a black marketeer - though a nice one; he only charges a 20% markup on the goods he provides -- and he knows how everything works. He's the ultimate insider, making him a perfect narrator for the story.
The movie wisely keeps its distance from Andy at this point - in part because I don't think it would be possible to really engage him without falling back on cliches. For instance, the movie makes clear that Andy is raped, repeatedly. We never really get a sense of how this affects him. We see him physically battered, but not broken, but we never see the emotional effect. I think it is possible to see this as a weakness in the film - that the movie is simply unwilling to consider the effect on Andy physically (aside from some bruises), emotionally, and mentally.
But then consider how this is dealt with in other prison movies because, obviously, rape - either the threat or reality of it - is a central, though sometimes implicit rather than explicit theme in the genre. In some movies - such as most of the women in prison movies - rape has essentially no effect. It is simply an excuse to get the leads naked, and is forgotten by the next scene
Has any movie ever successfully dealt with the issue of prison rape in way that makes both thematic and emotional sense? The fact is that there are only a small, small handful of movies that deal with rape honestly and realistically, and the percentage of prison movies able to do so is even smaller. Okay, so what is the point? In a way, Shawshank, by making Andy observed rather than central early on, bypasses the issue. The fact that he survives makes a statement to the other prisoners, but by not focusing closely on Andy at this point the movie avoids having to deal with his response, which is a smart choice given the fact that the movie would almost inevitably be unable to deal with Andy's response in any satisfying way. I don't know if the choice was conscious, but the movie seems to have a sense of its own limitations here - by acknowledging that Andy is an enigma, it is able to present his difficult entry into prison life as mysterious and intriguing without having to making a convincing presentation of Andy's inner state.
Between Andy's surprising character and Red's by-turns funny and poignant narration, we easily overlook the barrage of cliches that assail us. After all, haven't we seen these characters before: the brutal head guard (Captain Byron Hadley, played menacingly by Clancy Brown), the religious fanatic warden (Warden Norton, played by Bob Gunton) who ends up being the most corrupt of the bunch, the institutionalized lifer (Brooks, played by James Whitmore) who even takes care of a small animal (a crow in this case)? It is really a testimony to Freeman and Robbins that these weak characterizations don't sink the movie.
There are just so many well crafted and memorable scenes: The new fish arriving in prison, scared and brutalized. Like every other movie of this genre, we see the bus pulling up to the prison gates and the prisoners stripped and deloused. They get the usual "welcome to prison" speech, with the warden advising the prisoners to study the Bible, and with additional instruction from Hadley: "You eat when we say you eat. You s__t when we say you s__t. You p__s when we say you p__s." We see the prisoners introduced into the prison population. Then, after lights-out, one of the lifers, Heywood (William Sadler) taunts a new, chubby prisoner until he breaks, to the amusement of all. And then the movie suddenly turns serious. Hadley pulls the new guy out of his cell, and beats the blubbering man unconscious. We later learn that the prisoner, who we only ever know as "Fat Ass" died during the night of his injuries. And suddenly we realize the movie is playing for keeps.
There is the scene where Bogs get his comeuppance at the hands of Hadley who has become Andy's protector thanks to the tax advice. It is a testimony to Rolston's powerful performance as Bogs the rapist that we actually feel a certain pleasure at seeing him brutally beaten by Hadley, even when we find out that he's paralyzed as a result. But this plot development seems a little too convenient to me. Then there is an extended sequence where the warden announces a work-release program which suddenly turns him into the largest and most successful contractor in the county with his large pool of free labor.
Tommy is a young punk, sent to Shawshank on a 2 year term for breaking and entering. At first, he is basically comic relief - a dumb, funny kid. Andy takes him under his wing, teaches him to read, and helps him get his high school equivalency degree.
What is the overall theme? Andy says it outright to Red, "Either get busy livin' or get busy dyin'." This is not a movie, essentially, about overcoming hardship - which is why it is not necessary to insist upon Andy's innocence. It is a movie about owning up to one's responsibilities and seeking out a better future. It is about hope, not just empty wishes. It is a movie, like American Beauty that reminds us that life is not a dress rehearsal, this is the big show, do something with it. That optimistic theme justifies the optimistic ending, and it is precisely this optimistic theme and optimistic ending that turns off many critics, schooled in post-modernist philosophy and techniques, for whom the only authentic emotions are despondency and despair.
http://www.prisonflicks.com/reviews.php?filmID=5
Themes in Shawshank:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111161/keywords
Similarly, Shawshank bears several parallels to the 1979 Clint Eastwood movie Escape from Alcatraz in which Eastwood's character, like Andy Dufresne, took small pieces of his cell walls and discreetly discarded them while spending time in the yard, spurned advances of a fellow inmate, and was assigned to a small library.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shawshank_Redemption
ANALYSIS:
The plot, particular scenes and even the character roles are very similar to “Prison Break”. Although “Prison Break” is a TV serial drama, there aren’t any historical Prison Break TV dramas and “The Shawshank Redemption” especially links to the first series of “Prison Break”.
Both the serial drama and film contain the Proppian character roles: in particular, the hero. Andy Dufresne (Shawshank) and Michael Scofield (Prison Break) enter the Prisons in the film/show and, although they are an enigma, as the audience learn more about them they genuinely grow to care about them so are forced to be in the position of identifying strongly with the hero, even more so, when the inmates who threaten/beat up Michael and Andy get their comeuppance. Therefore, the audience gain these sadistic pleasures.
The character role of the hero and his helper are seen in both Shawshank and Prison Break. These are Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows as in real terms, Scofield seems like the only leading role but there is this emotional connection between him and his brother which is seen in series 2 that makes them the two leading role of the show. Red and Andy Dufresne are the two distinguished characters in the role of the hero and his helper in Shawshank. There is one scene in Prison Break with Scofield walking up to C-Note in order to get some supplies from the outside. Similarly there is a scene in Shawshank where Andy walks up to Red to get some supplies. These scenes are so similar not only in terms of character roles but also how the helper is black. This could be enforcing a trusting relationship between black and white but on the other hand, looking at black people in a more negative light; as being corrupt even in Prison.
However, with the complete absence of women in Shawshank and the bad luck of Scofield’s plans going pear-shaped in “Prison Break”, differences can be seen.
The main difference is that narration is not present in “Prison Break” but is in “Shawshank”. This could be because of the difference types of media that they are; one being a film and the other a TV series. This means that the audience first identify with the ‘helper’: Red in Shawshank because of his narration. He is also a funny and poignant man that overlooks Andy’s role at times. On the other hand, Scofield is never overlooked- he is the witty one in the whole series therefore gaining a stronger relationship with the audience than Andy.
Therefore, there are mainly similarities between “Prison Break” and “The Shawshank Redemption” including the corruption of the prison police, the apparent narrative roles but these can be overturned as “Prison Break” manipulating the audience more to only identify with the one character and feel what he is doing is always right. The absence of plans going wrong in “Shawshank” enforce a much more glorified stance on the genre of prison break and so Prison Break is definitely integration into society including the fact that it relies on TV ratings for its success.
The Great Escape (1
963) set in 1943:
Director: John Sturges
genre: action, war, adventure, drama http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057115/plotsummary
The movie is set in 1943, and the prisoners are mostly British fliers, although a Pole (Danny Willinski, played by Charles Bronson) and three American (mostly notably Hilts and Hendley) round out the crew. At first the prisoners are surprised to see so many escape artists in the mix, but the Germans soon explain the situation
The next morning we learn that 76 men got out. Von Lugar is clearly not pleased, but he still salutes Ramsey; he remains a military professional to the end. Because of the botched end to the escape, the escapees are immediately pursued by the Germans. They each take different routes. Bartlett and MacDonald try to board a train and brazen their way past the German guards. Handley and Blythe by contrast jump from the back of a moving train when the Germans come through to check papers. Louis Sedgwick (James Coburn), "The Manufacturer" from the escape committee, steals a bicycle. Danny tries to escape by rowboat. The German countryside seems oddly peaceful given the circumstance. When I think of World War II, I usually have a picture of burned out cities, and churned up terrain, but aside from various checkpoints, it almost seems as if the war has not yet come to this part of Germany.
Slowly, but surely, almost all the men get recaptured. Bartlett and MacDonald get caught when MacDonald slips up and responds in English to a Gestapo officer's wish of "good luck." D'oh! That's the oldest trick in the book! Bartlett gives the Germans a run for their money and forces them to pursue him across rooftops before they finally track him down. Hendley and Blythe manage to steal an airplane, but it develops mechanical difficulties just short of the border and crashes. Blythe gets shot by approaching German troops. The real excitement come from Hilts, who steals a motorcycle and leads the Germans on a couple of wild chases through back roads and cross country. At the climactic moment, he tries to jump the last fence into Switzerland, only to get tangled up in the barbed wire. The motorcycle chases were apparently pure fiction, and were added (along with the American presence in the camp) in order to give the movie a little more commercial appeal... also to placate McQueen, an avid motorcyclist (remember that when you complain about how today's stars make unreasonable demands on directors). Of the main characters, the only ones who manage to escape are Danny and Sedgwick. Sedgwick manages to hook up with some French resistance units who escort him to Spain. Danny makes it to a harbor and manages to stow away on a freighter.
The Great Escape is a fine movie. It has a great cast, and is beautifully made. But ultimately, it is a pretty straight-forward retelling of an escape attempt, heavily focused on the technical details of the scheme. Though it touches on bigger issues such as Bartlett's culpability in the death of 50 men, these themes are really afterthoughts.
The two historical texts I have chosen are “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994) and “The Great Escape” (1963). Both of these are prison-break movies and it has been said that the first series of “Prison Break” is like “The Shawshank redemption” and the second is “The Great Escape”.
“The Shawshank Redemption”- Director: Frank Darabont
RESEARCH:
Though there is a strong supporting cast, this is really a two-man show. Morgan Freeman plays Red, a convicted murderer and a lifer at Shawshank Prison. After 20 years in stir, Red has adapted to prison life surprisingly well. He's essentially a black marketeer - though a nice one; he only charges a 20% markup on the goods he provides -- and he knows how everything works. He's the ultimate insider, making him a perfect narrator for the story.
The movie wisely keeps its distance from Andy at this point - in part because I don't think it would be possible to really engage him without falling back on cliches. For instance, the movie makes clear that Andy is raped, repeatedly. We never really get a sense of how this affects him. We see him physically battered, but not broken, but we never see the emotional effect. I think it is possible to see this as a weakness in the film - that the movie is simply unwilling to consider the effect on Andy physically (aside from some bruises), emotionally, and mentally.
But then consider how this is dealt with in other prison movies because, obviously, rape - either the threat or reality of it - is a central, though sometimes implicit rather than explicit theme in the genre. In some movies - such as most of the women in prison movies - rape has essentially no effect. It is simply an excuse to get the leads naked, and is forgotten by the next scene
Has any movie ever successfully dealt with the issue of prison rape in way that makes both thematic and emotional sense? The fact is that there are only a small, small handful of movies that deal with rape honestly and realistically, and the percentage of prison movies able to do so is even smaller. Okay, so what is the point? In a way, Shawshank, by making Andy observed rather than central early on, bypasses the issue. The fact that he survives makes a statement to the other prisoners, but by not focusing closely on Andy at this point the movie avoids having to deal with his response, which is a smart choice given the fact that the movie would almost inevitably be unable to deal with Andy's response in any satisfying way. I don't know if the choice was conscious, but the movie seems to have a sense of its own limitations here - by acknowledging that Andy is an enigma, it is able to present his difficult entry into prison life as mysterious and intriguing without having to making a convincing presentation of Andy's inner state.
Between Andy's surprising character and Red's by-turns funny and poignant narration, we easily overlook the barrage of cliches that assail us. After all, haven't we seen these characters before: the brutal head guard (Captain Byron Hadley, played menacingly by Clancy Brown), the religious fanatic warden (Warden Norton, played by Bob Gunton) who ends up being the most corrupt of the bunch, the institutionalized lifer (Brooks, played by James Whitmore) who even takes care of a small animal (a crow in this case)? It is really a testimony to Freeman and Robbins that these weak characterizations don't sink the movie.
There are just so many well crafted and memorable scenes: The new fish arriving in prison, scared and brutalized. Like every other movie of this genre, we see the bus pulling up to the prison gates and the prisoners stripped and deloused. They get the usual "welcome to prison" speech, with the warden advising the prisoners to study the Bible, and with additional instruction from Hadley: "You eat when we say you eat. You s__t when we say you s__t. You p__s when we say you p__s." We see the prisoners introduced into the prison population. Then, after lights-out, one of the lifers, Heywood (William Sadler) taunts a new, chubby prisoner until he breaks, to the amusement of all. And then the movie suddenly turns serious. Hadley pulls the new guy out of his cell, and beats the blubbering man unconscious. We later learn that the prisoner, who we only ever know as "Fat Ass" died during the night of his injuries. And suddenly we realize the movie is playing for keeps.
There is the scene where Bogs get his comeuppance at the hands of Hadley who has become Andy's protector thanks to the tax advice. It is a testimony to Rolston's powerful performance as Bogs the rapist that we actually feel a certain pleasure at seeing him brutally beaten by Hadley, even when we find out that he's paralyzed as a result. But this plot development seems a little too convenient to me. Then there is an extended sequence where the warden announces a work-release program which suddenly turns him into the largest and most successful contractor in the county with his large pool of free labor.
Tommy is a young punk, sent to Shawshank on a 2 year term for breaking and entering. At first, he is basically comic relief - a dumb, funny kid. Andy takes him under his wing, teaches him to read, and helps him get his high school equivalency degree.
What is the overall theme? Andy says it outright to Red, "Either get busy livin' or get busy dyin'." This is not a movie, essentially, about overcoming hardship - which is why it is not necessary to insist upon Andy's innocence. It is a movie about owning up to one's responsibilities and seeking out a better future. It is about hope, not just empty wishes. It is a movie, like American Beauty that reminds us that life is not a dress rehearsal, this is the big show, do something with it. That optimistic theme justifies the optimistic ending, and it is precisely this optimistic theme and optimistic ending that turns off many critics, schooled in post-modernist philosophy and techniques, for whom the only authentic emotions are despondency and despair.
http://www.prisonflicks.com/reviews.php?filmID=5
Themes in Shawshank:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111161/keywords
Similarly, Shawshank bears several parallels to the 1979 Clint Eastwood movie Escape from Alcatraz in which Eastwood's character, like Andy Dufresne, took small pieces of his cell walls and discreetly discarded them while spending time in the yard, spurned advances of a fellow inmate, and was assigned to a small library.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shawshank_Redemption
ANALYSIS:
The plot, particular scenes and even the character roles are very similar to “Prison Break”. Although “Prison Break” is a TV serial drama, there aren’t any historical Prison Break TV dramas and “The Shawshank Redemption” especially links to the first series of “Prison Break”.
Both the serial drama and film contain the Proppian character roles: in particular, the hero. Andy Dufresne (Shawshank) and Michael Scofield (Prison Break) enter the Prisons in the film/show and, although they are an enigma, as the audience learn more about them they genuinely grow to care about them so are forced to be in the position of identifying strongly with the hero, even more so, when the inmates who threaten/beat up Michael and Andy get their comeuppance. Therefore, the audience gain these sadistic pleasures.
The character role of the hero and his helper are seen in both Shawshank and Prison Break. These are Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows as in real terms, Scofield seems like the only leading role but there is this emotional connection between him and his brother which is seen in series 2 that makes them the two leading role of the show. Red and Andy Dufresne are the two distinguished characters in the role of the hero and his helper in Shawshank. There is one scene in Prison Break with Scofield walking up to C-Note in order to get some supplies from the outside. Similarly there is a scene in Shawshank where Andy walks up to Red to get some supplies. These scenes are so similar not only in terms of character roles but also how the helper is black. This could be enforcing a trusting relationship between black and white but on the other hand, looking at black people in a more negative light; as being corrupt even in Prison.
However, with the complete absence of women in Shawshank and the bad luck of Scofield’s plans going pear-shaped in “Prison Break”, differences can be seen.
The main difference is that narration is not present in “Prison Break” but is in “Shawshank”. This could be because of the difference types of media that they are; one being a film and the other a TV series. This means that the audience first identify with the ‘helper’: Red in Shawshank because of his narration. He is also a funny and poignant man that overlooks Andy’s role at times. On the other hand, Scofield is never overlooked- he is the witty one in the whole series therefore gaining a stronger relationship with the audience than Andy.
Therefore, there are mainly similarities between “Prison Break” and “The Shawshank Redemption” including the corruption of the prison police, the apparent narrative roles but these can be overturned as “Prison Break” manipulating the audience more to only identify with the one character and feel what he is doing is always right. The absence of plans going wrong in “Shawshank” enforce a much more glorified stance on the genre of prison break and so Prison Break is definitely integration into society including the fact that it relies on TV ratings for its success.
The Great Escape (1
963) set in 1943:Director: John Sturges
Plot Summary for The Great Escape (1963)
Based on a true story, a group of allied escape artist type prisoners of war are all put in an 'escape proof' camp. Their leader decides to try to take out several hundred all at once. The first half of the film is played for comedy as the prisoners mostly outwit their jailers to dig the escape tunnel. The second half is high adventure as they use boats and trains and planes to get out of occupied Europe.
genre: action, war, adventure, drama http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057115/plotsummary
The movie is set in 1943, and the prisoners are mostly British fliers, although a Pole (Danny Willinski, played by Charles Bronson) and three American (mostly notably Hilts and Hendley) round out the crew. At first the prisoners are surprised to see so many escape artists in the mix, but the Germans soon explain the situation
The next morning we learn that 76 men got out. Von Lugar is clearly not pleased, but he still salutes Ramsey; he remains a military professional to the end. Because of the botched end to the escape, the escapees are immediately pursued by the Germans. They each take different routes. Bartlett and MacDonald try to board a train and brazen their way past the German guards. Handley and Blythe by contrast jump from the back of a moving train when the Germans come through to check papers. Louis Sedgwick (James Coburn), "The Manufacturer" from the escape committee, steals a bicycle. Danny tries to escape by rowboat. The German countryside seems oddly peaceful given the circumstance. When I think of World War II, I usually have a picture of burned out cities, and churned up terrain, but aside from various checkpoints, it almost seems as if the war has not yet come to this part of Germany.
Slowly, but surely, almost all the men get recaptured. Bartlett and MacDonald get caught when MacDonald slips up and responds in English to a Gestapo officer's wish of "good luck." D'oh! That's the oldest trick in the book! Bartlett gives the Germans a run for their money and forces them to pursue him across rooftops before they finally track him down. Hendley and Blythe manage to steal an airplane, but it develops mechanical difficulties just short of the border and crashes. Blythe gets shot by approaching German troops. The real excitement come from Hilts, who steals a motorcycle and leads the Germans on a couple of wild chases through back roads and cross country. At the climactic moment, he tries to jump the last fence into Switzerland, only to get tangled up in the barbed wire. The motorcycle chases were apparently pure fiction, and were added (along with the American presence in the camp) in order to give the movie a little more commercial appeal... also to placate McQueen, an avid motorcyclist (remember that when you complain about how today's stars make unreasonable demands on directors). Of the main characters, the only ones who manage to escape are Danny and Sedgwick. Sedgwick manages to hook up with some French resistance units who escort him to Spain. Danny makes it to a harbor and manages to stow away on a freighter.
The Great Escape is a fine movie. It has a great cast, and is beautifully made. But ultimately, it is a pretty straight-forward retelling of an escape attempt, heavily focused on the technical details of the scheme. Though it touches on bigger issues such as Bartlett's culpability in the death of 50 men, these themes are really afterthoughts.
http://www.prisonflicks.com/reviews.php?filmID=54
One of the film’s inaccuracies is its failure to show how cold, hungry and uncomfortable prison life really was. The Great Escape almost makes it look pleasant enough for us to wonder why the flyers would want to bother escaping.
http://apolloguide.com/mov_fullrev.asp?CID=112
posted by Kavita at 3:31 PM
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