ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ: The Story 2: Frank Morris

[KC]

Don Siegel, describing a meeting with Paramount Vice President Don Simpson, said that Simpson didn't think there was enough information about Frank Morris in the script.

He felt that we should know all about Morris's criminal history, what kind of person he was and, especially, why he had chosen a life of crime.

(Don Siegel in his autobiography A Siegel Film, p. 440)

As described in the question "Style and Technique 1: Siegel's Direction," Siegel's (and Eastwood's) view that "the more you describe, analyze and explain a character, the less real he becomes" prevailed, and the exposition that Paramount's "creative group" wanted to add was left out of the script.

What do we actually know about Frank Morris? What crimes has he committed, and why has he wound up in the maximum security prison Alcatraz? What was his life like outside of prison? How do we know?

Do you think we know enough about Morris's background, or would you have agreed with Simpson that the film would have been more enjoyable if we had been told more about him? If you agree with Siegel that "the trick is to suggest, to try to leave holes, problems, questions that the viewer's imagination will fill in a much more satisfying way than we could ever do," can you describe some of the ways your own imagination has "filled in" the missing information about this character?

[Brendan]

Well what I got from the film was that Frank Morris wasn't a violent man. At least that he never commited violent crimes like murder or rape. Perhaps he was like Charley Butts and just did petty theft and non-violent crimes. I say this because he doesn't appear to fully beat down Wolf when he probably would have if he was a violent crinimal. He just knocked him down enough to get him to back off. The first time they encounter each other in the prison yard, Frank just hits him enough to keep him away until the gaurds show up. I feel that if Frank was a violent crinimal he probably would have wailed on Wolf until he was bleeding and broken.

Although I could be wrong since I don't know anything about Frank Morris. And maybe him being a violent crinimal is what got him sent to Alcatraz and him being there smartened him up. But I don't believe that so I'll stick with I wrote above.

[Matt]

You're right about that, Brendan. Morris was a thief, and non-violent. The only reason he was sent to Alcatraz was because he also proved to be a successful escape artist. He broke out of nearly every prison he was ever in.

[KC]

I know Matt's read a lot about the real escape and the real Frank Morris, and I assume his answer is based on that more than on information in the film.

Brendan, your post is a good example of how Siegel and Eastwood wanted the audience to react. Without learning a lot about Morris from what we're told about him in the film, you've "filled in" the missing data and come to your own conclusions, and (assuming Matt is talking about the real-life person Frank Morris) they're pretty accurate.

I believe the following is all we actually know about the criminal background of the fictional Frank Morris. It's from the scene where the Warden calls the newly-arrived Morris into his office to explain what Alcatraz holds in store for him. The Warden is quoting from Morris's file, which he has on his desk.

WARDEN: Burglary, armed robbery, grand larceny ... you've escaped from quite a few prisons. That's why you're here.

Almost all the other information we have about Morris's pre-Alcatraz life is also in this scene. It comes when the Warden asks Morris about the names of people who might visit him in prison:

WARDEN: Visitors, you're allowed two a month. They cannot be former inmates of this or any other federal prison. All names you submit will be carefully checked by the FBI. What names did you have in mind?

MORRIS: I can't think of any offhand.

WARDEN: Family members?

MORRIS: None. No family.

I love Eastwood's expression when he says those two lines. There's a lifetime of loneliness in it, yet there's no self-pity.

Can anyone think of one other brief scene where we learn a little (a lot actually, in one word) about Morris's background?

[Matt]

(assuming Matt is talking about the real-life person Frank Morris)

No, I was talking about both, the film and the real-life Frank Morris. Where's the discrepancy? There is none. Morris is portrayed as a thief, not as a violent criminal, and it's explained that he's at Alcatraz because he's escaped from prison numerous times.

If you disobey the rules of society, they send you to prison. If you disobey the rules of prison, they send you to us.

The film portrays him accurately. I knew all this before reading anything about the real-life Morris because it's all there in the film.

[Matt]

Another thing we learn about Morris in the same scene that KC's referring to above, is that his IQ is in the Superior range.  (It's true of the real-life Morris too. )

I think that bit of information is very important. We know before watching the movie that Morris will escape from Alcatraz, but until we see this about his IQ, we may not have a whole lot of respect for him. He's a thief who's been caught again, and again. Normally I wouldn't think much of someone like that. But, now we know that he's very intelligent, and it raised my expectations of him. Seeing this information in his file, I looked forward to seeing just how he was going to outsmart (not outpower) the Warden.

[KC]

I've always loved that scene in the Warden's office ... it really does tell us everything we need to know about Morris in just a few words ... and a few pictures. I made an avatar out of that shot where we see Morris's file ...


... but I'm not sure I want to use it, it's a little "abstract." And people might think I was bragging. 

However, you don't really need to see the file with its "I.Q. superior" at all ... what's important is what you see at the beginning of in the same shot ...


... and what you saw in the same place earlier in the scene ...


Yes, I think he is definitely going to outsmart the warden.

[Bronco_Billy]

The real 'Frank Morris'.



Clint as 'Frank Morris'.

I dont think it matters in this case about fleshing characters because basically its about the Escape period , thats why its called what it is. We know the motivation and objective from the start.

Just as we didnt know the characters backgrounds in say 'The Great Escape' either but what holds you is the tension in the planning of escape and the chance of being found out.

Read a book if you want great depth.

[Brendan]

I dont think it matters in this case about fleshing characters because basically its about the Escape period , thats why its called what it is. We know the motivation and objective from the start.

Just as we didnt know the characters backgrounds in say 'The Great Escape' either but what holds you is the tension in the planning of escape and the chance of being found out.

Yeah, but, if Frank was a violent why would I root for him to escape? It's like in The Shawshank Redemption, Andy was innocent all along so it was ok to root for him to escape. And with The Great Escape they were soldiers fighting a war so having them kill soldiers and wanting to escape is a little differant then having Frank killing people and wanting him to escape.

[The Schofield Kid]

Can anyone think of one other brief scene where we learn a little (a lot actually, in one word) about Morris's background?

Probably in the prison yard when Charlie asked him what sort of childhood Morris had had."Short" was Morris's reply.Definitely seemed to me that Morris was a career criminal and showing that in the film wouldn't have made it better.

[KC]

Yes, that's the answer I was looking for, tgy!

[Lilly]

Definitely seemed to me that Morris was a career criminal and showing that in the film wouldn't have made it better.

I agree.  That one word, "short" said it all.  Well written and well delivered.  Thanks for reminding us of it, tgy.

The idea of Morris having a curtailed childhood is another reason we might sympathise with him.  Maybe he is a hard-arsed crook but the suggestion that his life was blighted early on might soften one's judgement somewhat.

[KC]

Thanks to everyone for participating in this discussion. This topic is now closed, please post any additional thoughts in the General Discussion forum.