Behind bars

A writer friend of mine, with great talent I must point out, got me thinking about Prison in the movies. I like the Genre and these films come in many guises. The setting and dynamics of prison life make for stories rooted in man's humanity, and inhumanity.Here is a selection of ten of my favourites each with a different take on the Genre some dark some light and some grey.

The Shawshank Redemption ”Put your trust in the Lord; your ass belongs to me. Welcome to Shawshank.” Warden Samuel Norton


Cool Hand Luke ”Sometimes nothin’ is a real cool hand.” Luke Jackson

Birdman of Alcatraz ” Robert Stroud's petition for parole has been denied annually for 24 years. Age 72, he is now in his 53rd year of imprisonment.” Narrator

Papillon ”Hey, you bastards, I'm still here!” Papillon

The Great Escape ”Are all American officers so ill-mannered?” - Yeah, about 99%.” Hiltz

Stalag 17 “I'm tellin' ya, Animal, these Nazis ain't kosher.” Shapiro

The Count of Monte Cristo ”God is never in France this time of year.” Jailer

Murder in the First ”I was the weapon, but I ain’t no killer.” Henri Young

Dead Man Walking ” Thank you. I've never been called a “son of God” before.” Mathew Poncelet

Midnight Express ”… everyone runs around stabbing everyone else in the ass. That's what they call Turkish revenge.” Billy Hayes