Imagine if: you were under 25; you were imprisoned in a small, dark, damp, cold, dead basement; you were naked; The visitors are rats and spiders; at any moment, you will be bound with your arms, beaten until you faint, and then awakened with cold water... On such days, your bodily organs, your nervous system, How long can the spiritual character and you as a person persist without exhaustion, collapse, distortion, and despair? After imagining it, maybe you can have a deeper understanding of the pain that Henry Young, the protagonist of the film, has endured in his short life.
Some of the contrasting details in the film are unforgettable and palpable: the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge, which is admired by thousands of people in the sun, and the secluded Alcatraz federal prison nearby; studying law at Harvard; Healthy and confident Jim running on the street, Henry tortured in a dark dungeon; Deputy Warden Glenn's hand, used both to brutally abuse prisoners, to stroke his wife, to hold his children's little hands, and to use Come and lie according to the bible; the beautiful island, outside the door, the teacher leads the children in repeating singing "Ah, the holiday of comfort and joy, the holiday of comfort and joy", and inside the gate, Henry is interrupted by The hamstrings screamed in pain. A door separates the whole world. It was Christmas and the song went like this:
God give you merry gentlemen a rest,
so that you will not be disappointed by anything.
Remember our savior, Jesus,
was born on Christmas. Save us from Satan's magic
when we go astray
.
Ah comfort and joy, comfort and joy,
oh comfort and joy.
After the film was released, the relevant US authorities immediately came forward to clarify:
"First Degree Murder" alleges that Young was sent to the Alcatelz Federal Prison at the age of seventeen for only stealing five dollars from a grocery store for raising his starving sister. Before that, he "never hurt or attempted Hurt anyone". The truth is: Young robbed banks, raped hostages, and committed murder in 1933.
Young did try to escape in January 1939, but he definitely wasn't locked up naked as in the movie Three years in the dungeon. The truth is: he was held in a single cell with water pipes, lights, and a bed. The scene in the film cutting Yang's hamstrings is a fabrication.
The depiction of Yang's murder of Kane is also inaccurate. In the film, Yang, who became a lunatic after three years in the dungeon, is taken directly to the cafeteria, and a moment later, he kills Kane with the handle of a spoon. It is implied that Yang's murder was entirely caused by inhumane imprisonment, and he There is no control over his actions. The truth is: Young was only held in a single cell for a few months before being allowed to return to a regular cell in the fall of 1939. In December 1940, he murdered Kane. The
film also Said Young, who died in Alcatelz Federal Penitentiary in 1942, committed suicide after scribbling "Victory" on the wall or floor of his cell. This was not the case. Young was held at Alcatelz Federal Penitentiary until 1948, then Transferred to Springfield, Missouri Medical Center for federal inmates. After his federal sentence expired in 1954, he was transferred to Wallawar State Penitentiary, Washington, where he served a life sentence for his early murders. In 1972, Yang was Early release from Washington State Prison, according to Washington state authorities, Yang disappeared shortly after his release and his whereabouts are unknown. Much of the
film's depiction of Alcatelz federal prison and its staff is also completely inaccurate. In "First Degree Murder" In the film, Warden Johnston manages three prisons at the same time: Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, California State Penitentiary and San Quentin Prison. The film further shows that the warden has only visited Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary 24 times in three years. In fact, no warden can manage both federal and state prisons.
James A. Johnston, the true warden of the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary at the time, was one of the most respected prison administrators. He ran Folsom Prison from 1912 and San Quentin Prison from 1913 to 1924. In 1934 he became the warden of Alcatraz. He was living on the island at the time, in a house not far from the front door of his cell.
The film about FBI Director Edgar Hoover's direct appointment of Johnston as the Alcatraz warden, and related staff interfering with Yang's case and intimidating witnesses and lawyers is also not true. At the same time, the diabolical abuse of Yang by the staff at Alcatelz Prison is even more baseless. The evil prison officer is one of the oldest, most imaginative and most misleading movie cliches. "
Of course, we can't be sure whether the above so-called "facts" are true. However, if you pay attention, it is inevitable to ask: if the single cell is so comfortable, why do prisoners choose the general public cell? Yang was sent to The part about the Missouri Medical Center is reminiscent of the fact that the film mentions that 32 inmates were admitted to the psychiatric center directly from the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Of those, 28 had no history of mental illness before entering the prison. .
Perhaps it doesn't really matter how much the film comes from fact and how much comes from imagination. What's important is that playwright Dan Gordon, director Marco Rocco and actor Kevin Bacon tell us a story that happened, could happen, might happen. The story may be fictional, but the life revealed by the story may be real. The important thing is that as long as there is a possibility of happening in the film, some people will resist, some will be shocked, some will be angry, some will be moved, some will care, and some will record. The important thing is that some artists, writers, journalists, and many unknown people can still deeply move us with their compassionate feelings, because this compassionate feelings also exist deeply or shallowly in our hearts and minds. in the soul. The important thing is that after watching the movie, we may withdraw from our personal troubles and daily life, open our bright eyes, pay more attention to those who are suffering and be unfortunate, and be willing to do what we can for them matter. Even if we can't do anything, at least we can think about it quietly: How should we, the lucky ones who have freedom, health, family, friends, who can run and laugh in the sun, spend every day, every year, every day in our lives? 1155 days, or a lifetime?
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