This is the gripping story from the heyday of Alcatraz in the 1930s about a prisoner who kills another inmate. He’s defended by an idealistic young lawyer who delves into the extenuating circumstances.
The accused had been in solitary confinement for three years in a pitch black underground dungeon-like cell with no light, dripping water and tended by gruesome, sadistic guards who allowed him only half an hour outside every 12 months.
His only crime had been stealing $5 of food to feed his starving younger sister…
It’s the horrific true story about a medieval, inhumane prison system; a bright young lawyer who still has an ounce of idealism; and a terribly wronged convict who struggles to find the gumption to fight the charges against him.
With all due respect to the man’s memory, I can’t help but liken this story to the fate of southern gentlemen in America. The accused is a soft spoken southern man with a gentle way about him. There’s a bright intellect behind the catatonic facade, though; the rare spark of youthful enthusiasm.
Thus is the fate of chivalry in the modern world, as epitomized by the quintessential southern gentleman archetype. The ruthless aggressiveness of Yankee imperialism and the bitter spitefulness of arrogant gay anarchists have kept the southern gentleman in a dark, dank pit of despair for generations.
Any more, a man who is quiet spoken, with good manners and a gentle regard for the fairer sex is branded a homosexual and, especially in the south, stigmatized. Gays feed upon this hateful frenzy. They love it! Because it allows them to infiltrate old Southern towns by the thousands.
The “gentle” man-wives of the ruthless, domineering male counterparts slip quietly into the trappings of the southern gentleman, adopting fawning limp-wristed mannerisms and sweet lisping southern accents, the kind that bring other homos to their knees, but not before they drop their trousers and bend over for servicing.
At the most basic level, then, this film is the struggle of two men to be friends.
In the modern day, the homosexual menace has all but destroyed the last vestiges of genuine male friendship.
Sadly, these days all straight men are in the dungeon while homos dance on our graves.
Murder, indeed.
