Escape from Alcatraz: how the film was supposed to end initially?

Released in cinemas in 1979, the movie called Escape from Alcatrazworn by Clint Eastwood, will be rebroadcast on Sunday March 13, 2022, from 9:05 p.m. on 6ter. Directed by Don Siegelthis feature film is in fact the film adaptation of the book by J. Campbell Bruce, published in 1963. The film recounts the escape of 3 inmates from the high security federal prison of Alcatraz, located in San Francisco Bay, which took place on the night of June 11, 1962. In 1960, after escaping from several prisons, Frank Morris, played on screen by Clint Eastwoodis transferred to a high-security prison on Alcatraz Island.

Desperate to escape again, he carefully planned his escape, with the help of several fellow prisoners, for more than two years. Officially, no detainee has ever managed to escape totally from Alcatraz by joining the mainland. As the film indicates at the time of its conclusion, Frank Morris and the 4 other inmates who escaped with him were never found. They were therefore considered missing and presumed drowned., as the currents in San Francisco Bay are extremely dangerous and the water freezing (10-12 degrees). In fact, it has been repeatedly proven that it is possible to gain the shore of San Francisco, 2 km away, swimming.

Escape from Alcatraz: a first conclusion too pessimistic for Clint Eastwood

Initially, this feature film was to end with a scene where a guard tries to wake Frank Morris, before giving the alert by discovering the papier-mâché mannequin bearing the image of the latter. However, Clint Eastwood felt that this ending was too pessimistic. In fact, the actor didn’t appreciate his characters dying. So he spoke to sports expert Jack LaLannewho told him that no one can swim in icy waters without training. Clint Eastwood finally made the decision to add a last, more upbeat scene. Thus, while looking for the prisoners, the director of the prison finds a chrysanthemum flower on the edge of the shore opposite the island of Acatraz, which would suggest that the 3 escapees survived.

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