The Silver Screen Oasis

Others came and went, but this poster hung in my room at my parents home from the time I was fourteen until I made my own way in the world. Why? Simply because Snake Plissken was cool and different from other heroes I'd seen up to to that time in film. Bogie was a rebel, but you knew he'd come around in the end. Bond was classy, even when in distress, but Snake was as unpredictable as his name and you were never sure where he stood (justified by the closing segment of the film).

Showing on TCM Underground tonight, John Carpenter's action film on a budget explores a futuristic society, which deals with its criminals by turning Manhattan into a maximum security prison, but all bets are off when Air Force One goes down inside and somebody has to rescue the President. Plissken, who is sentenced to life imprisonment, does not exactly volunteer for the job (in fact, he suggests they get a new President), but strikes a deal for his freedom, unaware of a binding agreement that will cost him his life if he fails to return within twenty-four hours.

While Escape From New York can be enjoyed purely as an action/exploitation film, it delivers much more, boasting one of the best casts of pure character actors in Harry Dean Stanton, Donald Pleasence, Ernest Borgnine, Lee Van Cleef, Isaac Hayes, and Adrienne Barbeau. Kurt Russell turns in the performance of his career as Snake with a throwback to the cynical protagonists of Kurosawa's Yojimbo (1961) and the spaghetti westerns that it influenced, creating a deep character that is inspired by self preservation. The film also explores social and political ideals, asks pointed questions about the rule of law vs. anarchy, and boasts some of the best one-liners in any movie. So, if you've not had the pleasure of visiting NYC, take a tour with Snake tonight and don't forget to buy a t-shirt.

"Hey, aren't you Snake Plissken? I heard you were dead."

Ark,

I'm a big fan of this movie. I saw it on its original release and was yet another reason I am a fan of John Carpenter's.

Hi Lynne, I remember the film came out around the same time as Raiders of the Lost Ark, and while both had comic book heroic leads, they were remarkably different. Ford's character was light, humor driven, and is shallow (because that's what the film called for--I love Harrison Ford), whereas Russell was much darker and antisocial. Humor abounds in both movies, but Escape From New York explores a lot of philosophical ideas which have reached a boiling point in today's society and is perhaps more relevant now than on its initial release.

Gosh I haven't seen it in years, but I remember being so surprised at how good it was. I am now quite curious, since you say it's held up pretty well... I wasn't sure I wanted to go back to this one, only to find out it wasn't what I remembered... now I think I'll record it.

JackFavell wrote:Gosh I haven't seen it in years, but I remember being so surprised at how good it was. I am now quite curious, since you say it's held up pretty well... I wasn't sure I wanted to go back to this one, only to find out it wasn't what I remembered... now I think I'll record it.

There are a lot of different ways to read this film. Escape could be read as a noirish Wizard of Oz, where the protagonist enters another universe, finds comrades, and seeks a way home--only discover the wizard is powerless. There's also the anarchy/law concept where the President's plane is taken over by anarchists and crashed into the prison area, where supposedly there is no law, but as we discover, there is a "king rat", who rules the prison in dictatorship. This begs the question: Is there any such thing as true anarchy, or does one create law where there is none? Finally, there is the cassette tape about nuclear fusion the President is carrying, which must be played for the summit meeting.

SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


In a last twist, Snake substitutes the tape for Cabbie's favorite Jazz recording, Bandstand Boogie. You can look at this in two ways:

A)The cynical view that government is corrupt and must be limited. Snake is an isolationist at the beginning of this movie and his views are confirmed at the end.

B)Music is the universal language and the idea that the music is Jazz also relates to a fusion of cultures. Perhaps what is needed is not nuclear fusion, but friendship.

I remember very strongly the feeling of your A) theory.

I don't remember the musical part of the story, but I love the idea of Jazz fusion! I'll be looking out for these themes.