A convict in a medium-security prison is torn between his need to finish his sentence and get back to his wife and family, and his desire to escape the confines of prison.A convict in a medium-security prison is torn between his need to finish his sentence and get back to his wife and family, and his desire to escape the confines of prison.A convict in a medium-security prison is torn between his need to finish his sentence and get back to his wife and family, and his desire to escape the confines of prison.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total
- Steve Davitt
- (as Elroy Hirsch)
- Parole Board
- (uncredited)
- Narrator
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
- Saxophone Player
- (uncredited)
- Police Captain
- (uncredited)
- Sally Haskins
- (uncredited)
- Sanders
- (uncredited)
- Mike Gladstone
- (uncredited)
- Mess hall instigator
- (uncredited)
- Jerry Hakara
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe song "Unchained Melody" popularized in the US by Al Hibbler and Roy Hamilton, and in Britain by Jimmy Young in 1955, the year of the film ,and later by Vito and The Salutations as well as The Righteous Brothers in the mid 1960s, first surfaced on the soundtrack of this movie as composed by Alex North.
- GoofsOpening narration said that this is the story was photographed at Chino prison as it happened, yet this film, which is just over an hour, takes place over several days.
- Quotes
Narrator: [opening narration] This is Steve Davitt, convicted of a felony in the State of California. His destination: Chino, Pomona Valley. This is the largest honor prison in the world. Two thousand men live here. Murderers, armed robbers, forgers, safe-crackers, petty thieves. But there are no guns to hold them, no walls, no armed guards, just a man and an idea. A man named, Scudder; the idea: prisoners are people. This is their story. Photographed entirely at Chino, as it happened.
- Crazy creditsSuggested by the Life and Work of KENYON J. SCUDDER and by His Book "PRISONERS ARE PEOPLE"
- ConnectionsReferenced in You Bet Your Life: Episode #6.31 (1956)
At the time I saw the film, I was so impressed with the thought of a relatively low security, more humane prison. I was very young and it was the first time I saw anything that made me think of convicts as human beings.
Even though I do like the music, ironically at the time I thought it had unsatisfying lyrics (Unchained Melody, that is).
I don't think a film impressed me so much again until I saw Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier in The Defiant Ones. These films illustrate much more powerfully than any documentary what the human spirit can conquer.
- rcrca2
- Jul 18, 2002
Details
- Runtime1 hour 15 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1