HiStOrIcAl tExTs

The two texts i've decided to analyse in comparison to 'Prison Break' are: Frank Darabont's 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994) and John Sturges classic 'The Great Escape' (1963).

I've looked at these two texts because 'Prison Break' is widely considered to be based on 'Shawshank...' with respects to the first series and 'Great...', with regards to series two. 'The Shawshank Redemption' and 'The Great Escape' are two prison-style break out films, from the political incorrectness in WW2 to wrongful convictions

ThE sHaWsHaNk ReDeMpTiOn





The movie begins with Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) on trial for the murder of his wife and her lover, a crime of which he claims to be innocent in spite of some damning evidence. He is sentenced to serve two consecutive life sentences at Shawshank, a fictitious prison in Maine. In Shawshank he eventually befriends Red (Morgan Freeman) and several other prisoners (including Brooks Hatlen, played by James Whitmore).

In his first few years in prison, Andy endures injustice, mistreatment by the guards and repeated abuse at the hands of fellow prisoners (most notably repeated beatings, rapes, and rape attempts by a group of aggressive inmates known as "the sisters"). Andy's pre-prison, professional life as a banker and his knowledge of accounting and income taxes bring him to the attention of the captain of the guard, Byron Hadley (Clancy Brown) and eventually to Warden Sam Norton (Bob Gunton). Andy's financial knowledge earns him some freedom from mistreatment, but he also becomes involved in Norton's illegal money-laundering operations.

A young prisoner, Tommy, enters Shawshank in the 1960s, and tells Andy that he has information that could free Andy, or at least get him a new trial. It is only at this point that it is made totally explicit that Andy is in fact innocent of the murders, as he has maintained. Andy approaches the warden for help, but the warden is unwilling to lose Andy's financial assistance with his illicit schemes or being exposed and sends Andy to solitary confinement. While Andy is in solitary, the warden has Tommy killed.

Unknown to everyone, Andy has long been working on his escape. Each night he has chipped away at the softening rock in his cell to form an escape tunnel that eventually leads to a 500-yard-long sewage pipe and freedom. Andy, who had a fascination with geology in his former life, uses a small rock hammer and hides his work behind a poster of Rita Hayworth, hence the original title of King's story, "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption".

Once outside Andy retrieves all the illegally obtained money he has laundered for the warden and escapes to Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Red is eventually paroled and sent to a halfway house (the same used by the late Brooks). While Red is initially as despairing as Brooks, he decides to take Andy up on the offer made to him in prison. Red finds a box, hidden by Andy in a hayfield, that contains enough money for him to leave Maine and join Andy in Mexico

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ThE gReAt EsCaPe

The German high command becomes annoyed by the men and resources wasted recapturing escaping prisoners of war, so it takes the most determined and successful and moves them to a brand new, high-security prison camp. The most dangerous of all, Roger Bartlett (Richard Attenborough), known as "Big X", is dropped off by the Gestapo.

When he finds himself locked up with "every escape artist in Germany", Bartlett immediately begins planning the largest escape ever attempted. Teams of men are organized to survey, dig, hide the dirt, manufacture civilian clothing, forge documents, provide security and distractions, and procure contraband materials.

The prisoners work on three escape tunnels ("Tom", "Dick" and "Harry") simultaneously. After the first tunnel is discovered, they put all their efforts into completing the third.The last part of the tunnel is completed on the night of the escape, but is found to be twenty feet short of the woods that would provide cover. Nevertheless, seventy-six men escape before one is finally spotted coming out of the tunnel.

After various attempts to reach neutral Switzerland, Sweden, and Spain, including Hilts' (Steve McQueen) famous motorcyle chase at the Swiss border, almost all of the escapees are recaptured or killed. Only three make it to safety. Instead of being returned to camp, fifty of the captured prisoners, including Bartlett, are taken to an open field and gunned down. Senior British Officer, Group Captain Ramsey (James Donald), learns of the massacre from von Luger, who has been relieved of command.

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