Prison and Prisoners

Films suggested by Friends about prisons and prisoners.

Peaceweb's Movies with a Conscience

Last updated: November 21, 1997
* Birdman of Alcatraz, The
USA, 1962, Drama, D: John Frankenheimer, Stars: Burt Lancaster, Thelma Ritter, Karl Malden, 143 m
The film is based on the story of a man named Robert Stroud, imprisoned for life on the island prison of Alcatraz in California who became a world authority on ornithology.

* Cool Hand Luke
USA, 1967, Drama, D: Stuart Rosenberg, Stars: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J. D. Cannon, 126 m.
A drifter who deliberately defies the law winds up in jail, where things are even tougher, and only an unforgettable egg-eating contest provides relief.

* Dead Man Walking
USA, 1995, Drama, D: Tim Robbins, Stars: Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Robert Prosky, 122 m
A man convicted of murder and awaiting execution on death row writes to a nun, who works to set him free. Film is based on the true story of Sister Helen Prejean, a Louisianna nun who tried to end the death penalty in the USA.

* Kiss of the Spider Woman, The
USA/Brazil, 1985, Drama D: Hector Babenco, Stars: William Hurt, Raul Julia, Sonia Braga, 119 m
This classic film portrays a gay man and a political prisoner locked together in a cell of a South American prison. William Hurt won an Oscar for his performance..

* Papillon
USA, 1973, Drama, D: Franklin Shaffner, Stars: Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory, 150 m
Henri Charriere, "the butterfly", sets out to escape from Devil's Island despite the enormous odds against him..

* Shawshank Redemption, The
USA, 1994, Drama, D: Frank Darabont, Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, 142 m
Banker Andy Defresne, sent to Shawshank Prison in the 1940s for the murder of his wife and her lover, wins the respect of Red, the prison's black marketeer, and finally of all his fellow prisoners.

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Co-ordinator: Carl Stieren, Peace and Social Concerns Committee, [email protected]
Peace and Social Concerns Committee, Ottawa Monthly Meeting, Religious Society of Friends, 91A Fourth Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 2L1 CANADA
Revised November 21, 1997