Prison Films

Prison films and writing on prison films. Curated by Dr Jamie Bennett

[cinesthetic. @TheCinesthetic]

Andy’s escape in The Shawshank Redemption (1994) feels earned on every level. Thomas Newman spends the whole film holding the score back, then lets it finally open up as he stands in the rain.

[Prison Films @FilmsPrison]

https://t.co/oZ8wxj8NXk

[Prison Films @FilmsPrison]

First time felon (dir Charles S Dutton, 1997)

[Michael Warburton @For_Film_Fans]

“Please don’t do it.”

PAPILLON (1973)

This Film is a LOT. So too it’s genesis & production. But although it’s heavy as hell I’m glad it exists & if you haven’t yet (although you need to be in the mood) I recommend it to you.

#SteveMcQueen #DustinHoffman

[Prison Films @FilmsPrison]

Free event 07 May - rare screening of Robert Bresson’s A Man Escaped - followed by panel discussion. Part of Manchester Crime and Justice Film Festival https://t.co/8Uz5RM83z3

[cinesthetic. @TheCinesthetic]

When Will Graham finally meets Hannibal Lecktor in Manhunter (1986), cinema gets its first-ever face-to-face between those two characters, and the tension is immediate.

[cinesthetic. @TheCinesthetic]

The “Brooks was here” scene in The Shawshank Redemption (1994) shows what the prison really does, not just confinement but the slow erasure of self until routine becomes identity. The film strips away any illusion that freedom alone can save him.

[Ebru Yıldırım @Ebruyldrm_88]

The Shawshank Redemption (1994 dir. Frank Darabont) (Cinematography by Roger Deakins)

[cinesthetic. @TheCinesthetic]

The prison cooking scene in Goodfellas (1990)

[Cinema Tweets @CinemaTweets1]

The Last Detail is one of those films that made me fall in love with Jack Nicholson. On the eve of Jack’s 89th birthday, it’s my civic duty to make sure you’ve seen this film, which was written by the late Robert Towne, the same mane who wrote Chinatown. Such a great story here.

[Cinema Tweets @CinemaTweets1]

A Film From Director Michael Mann

[Cinema Tweets @CinemaTweets1]

Jack Nicholson turns 89 on Wednesday. In honor of my favorite actor’s upcoming birthday, I rewatched the best performance of his career- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟). I lost track of how many times I cried. I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s just the moment in my life where rewatching this film hit me so profoundly. Maybe it’s the humanity Nicholson brings to this role. Maybe it’s just the fact that I’m grateful to live in a world where an actor like Jack Nicholson exists. Regardless of the exact reason, all I know is that watching Nicholson act in this film is like listening to Pavarotti sing: it reminds you what it means to be alive. 

“Unpredictable” is a word that fits Nicholson like a glove. Everything about this man’s life & his ability to act on screen has been unpredictable. Which is why it makes sense that the best performance of his storied career comes from such an unpredictable plot. As Randle McMurphy, Nicholson assumes he’s avoiding the hard, exacerbating labor that comes with the prison sentence he rightfully earned after committing statutory rape when he’s finally transferred to a “less restrictive” mental institution filled with psych patients. But there lies the unpredictability of McMurphy’s own future: little does McMurphy realize that Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) is even worse than whatever prison labor McMurphy could’ve dreamt. 

But it’s not just Nurse Ratched’s unpredictable evil that flips McMurphy on his head- it’s the bond he forms with the psych patients around him that adds to the unpredictability. And that’s where Nicholson’s talents as an actor explode through the screen. The way in which Nicholson interacts, co-mingles, and eventually befriends everyone in the psych ward with him is so utterly believable, you lose sight that you’re watching a film. And it’s not just Nicholson’s chemistry with the entire psych ward that stands out- it’s his chemistry with Fletcher that pushes this film even further. It’s critical to remember than in each of the three films Jack Nicholson won an Oscar, his female co-star won the Oscar for Best Actress. That says so much about Nicholson as a screen partner & the way he treats his fellow actors. Part of Nicholson’s brilliance has always been his ability to bring the best out of his costars. 

By the time we reach the final 1/3rd of this film and by the time Nicholson’s McMurphy embraces Chief Bromden- after countless battles with Nurse Ratched, most of which McMurphy has lost- it’s impossible to hold back tears. McMurphy has transformed by this point. He’s no longer an outsider- he’s no longer a rebel shaking up the world he maneuvered himself into. He’s one of them. Nothing separates Chief & McMurphy. And that’s always been my ultimate takeaway from this film- the way McMurphy morphs into a brother to those institutionalized with him is the lynchpin of this entire story. 

There will never be another Jack Nicholson. It’s not possible. He’s simply the most charismatic actor I’ve ever seen & all of his charisma- every last drop -is effortless. This is especially true of ‘70s Jack. This decade & the run Jack went on throughout this period will live forever. Between this film, The Last Detail, Five Easy Pieces, and Chinatown, few actors have ever had a better decade than Jack Nicholson in the ‘70s. It’s just one of many reasons he’s my favorite actor ever. 

Happy 89th Birthday, Jack. To many more.

[Michael Warburton @For_Film_Fans]

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994)

[Michael Warburton @For_Film_Fans]

“…and for the briefest of moments every last man in Shawshank felt free.”

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994)

One of the great films of the 90’s.

#TimRobbins #MorganFreeman #FrankDarabont

[Cinema Tweets @CinemaTweets1]

Jack Nicholson turns 89 this Wednesday, so expect loads of Jack content from me in the next week because he’s my favorite actor ever in the history of Cinema. Jack’s charisma is so natural & effortless. He was born to stand before the camera. This is his best performance ever.

[Cinema Scene @CinemaScene404]

Edward Norton should've won an Oscar for his performance in American History X

[All The Right Movies @ATRightMovies]

Red's monologue that gets him released in THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994). Morgan Freeman called the moment his greatest ever piece of acting.

[Love Classical Music and Movies 🎺🎻💖🎥🎬 @AlexTran677026]

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Louise Fletcher was so disturbed by her own performance that she couldn't watch the film for years. In later interviews, Fletcher said that she found ways to make her character human, yet remain unsympathetic, ultimately deciding that Nurse Ratched actually did care about the patients, and felt she was doing what was best for them, but was ultimately misguided and drunk on her own power.

[Emir Han @RealEmirHan]

Jack Nicholson says the reason his character ends up lobotomized in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was because he couldn’t seduce Nurse Ratched.

“He knows he’s irresistible to women. He expects her to be seduced by him. This is his tragic flaw. One long unsuccessful seduction.”

[cinesthetic. @TheCinesthetic]

“Sometimes it makes me sad, though… Andy being gone. I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged… but still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty… I guess I just miss my friend.”

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)