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Chapter 10 Representations of Prison Escapes in Films

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Prison Breaks

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology ((PSIPP))

Abstract

Images of prison escapes are part of the iconography of cinema. Call to mind Henri Charrière (Steve McQueen) jumping off a cliff into the Pacific Ocean and clinging to a raft made of coconuts in Papillon (1973), Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) arms outstretched eyes raised to the heavens as the rain washes him clean in The Shawshank Redemption (1994) or Billy Hayes (Brad Davis) leaping in the air unable to contain his joy and excitement in Midnight Express (1978). These images are testament to the power of popular cinema to entertain, move and inspire viewers. This chapter will explore to ways in which prison escapes have been represented in feature films and why this is important not only as entertainment, but also in framing crucial questions regarding imprisonment and society.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. HMP Grendon, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK

    Jamie Bennett

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  1. Jamie Bennett
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. DIGNITY—Danish institute Against Torture, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

    Tomas Max Martin

  2. Centre Lillois d’Etudes et de Recherches Sociologiques et Economiques, CNRS / Université de Lille, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France

    Gilles Chantraine

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Bennett, J. (2018). Chapter 10 Representations of Prison Escapes in Films. In: Martin, T., Chantraine, G. (eds) Prison Breaks. Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64358-8_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64358-8_11

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-64357-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-64358-8

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

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