Escape from Alcatraz





Escape from Alcatraz was released into theaters on June 22nd, 1979. Filming locations include San Francisco, Ca. It was directed by Don Siegel. Siegel also directed Invasion of the Bodysnatchers (1956) as well as two episodes of The Twilight Zone "The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross" and "Uncle Simon". Siegel made a cameo as the prison physician. Clint Eastwood played the lead of Frank Morris. This was the fifth time in which Eastwood starred in a Siegel directed film. Patrick McGoohan played the role of Warden Arthur Dollison. He would later go on to play the sinister King Edward I in 1995's Braveheart. The film is an adaption of  J. Campbell Bruce's 1963 non-fiction book of the same name, which dramatizes the 1962 prisoner escape from the island. The score was composed by Jerry Fielding. The films first DVD release was on March 9th, 1999.


Alcatraz Island - San Francisco Bay, Ca. 94133

In 1859, the island started housing soldiers convicted of crimes. Starting in 1863, private citizens accused of treason were held on the island. In 1867, a brick jailhouse was built (previously inmates had been kept in the basement of the guardhouse). In 1912, the concrete main cell block was constructed. The island was designated as a federal prison on August 11th, 1934. On March 21st, 1963 it closed. The island consists of twenty-two acres and sits 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco. On June 23rd, 1976 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. On January 17th, 1986 it was designated a National Historic Landmark. Today, it's managed by the National Park Service as part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. For anyone interested in visiting the island, I highly recommend taking the Alcatraz self-guided tour via Alcatraz Cruises, as you're free to explore the majority of the island.


All "Now" pictures taken in 2022.












2 comments:

  1. Love it...thanks for posting. I watched this film the other day and tried to place the locations to when I visited Alcatraz in the past.

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  2. that kind of looks like where the drill instructor scene was shot in full metal jacket?

    ReplyDelete