We all know Clint Eastwood is a very successful actor, director, and producer. One of my favorite movies in which he starred in is the suspenseful 1979 Escape from Alcatraz, based on a true story of a group of inmates who attempted and were able to escape the notorious Alcatraz prison island. The movie follows Frank Morris (Eastwood) a convict sent to Alcatraz and with help from 3 other inmates they were able to escape, but as the story goes it was never known if they made it to shore or drowned.
The movie is seen on the criminals side but I was still able to pick out a few important archetypes and symbols:
Even though the characters in this movie are all criminals we can see archetypes within the story starting with Morris. He's the protagonist of the story and we can consider Frank Morris to be the hero. The hero takes risks and reaps the rewards which he usually shares with others. Morris is responsible for most of the actions in the movie, he takes risks planning out his escape by stealing tools, digging through his cell wall, bringing others into his plan, and ultimately possibly getting caught because of his actions. He shares his reward (escape from the prison) with his other inmates, Clarence and John Anglin.
Morris' other inmates, Clarence and John Anglin, are his group of companions, along with Charley Butts who was unable to escape with them. These 3 inmates can be considered as Morris' royal retainers who were along side Morris throughout their escape. They helped collect supplies, were on the look out for guards while one was digging, and ultimitely helpd each other during the escape.
Important Symbols:
Sea- the San Fransisco Bay surrounding Alcatraz represents death/ rebirth, and spiritual mystery. All inmates hope to escape and the sea is the first part to the escape, its also the first thing they see when looking out of Alcatraz. It can be their pass to rebirth and freedom or death. Its a mystery as few inmates who have escaped have drowned in the Bay (death), and in Morris' case, possibly made it and this symbolizes rebirth and reintegration into society.
Blue- the color of the sea. This is usually positive, truth, and security. When the inmates escape their first taste of freedom is the sea which symbolizes security because it vaguely secures their sense of freedom.
Black/darkness- the atmosphere of the prison is always dark and black which symbolizes chaos, mystery, the unknown, death, evil, and melancholy all of which best describe Alcatraz and the happenings which occur inside.
The number 3- Morris has 3 accomplices who help each other to escape. The number 3 is a symbol of holy trinity or unity. Morris and his 3 accomplices create a unity between them that helps them to survive through life in the prison and to escape in the end.
Do you think Frank Morris was really seen as a "hero" to the other inmates because he was able to escape and not be found?
No comments:
Post a Comment