Brubaker
Encyclopedia
Brubaker is an American 1980 film
about a prison
in distress and the Warden Henry Brubaker (Robert Redford
) who attempts to reform the system.
The film boasts a large supporting cast of stars including Yaphet Kotto
, Tim McIntire
, Nathan George
, David Keith
, Everett McGill
, Murray Hamilton
, Matt Clark
, M. Emmet Walsh
and Jane Alexander
, with an early appearance by Morgan Freeman
. Nicolas Cage
appears as an extra in his very first film.
as an inmate and witnesses rampant abuse and corruption, including open and endemic sexual assault, torture, worm-ridden diseased food, insurance fraud and a doctor charging inmates for care, amongst other things. During a dramatic standoff, he reveals himself to be the new prison warden, Henry Brubaker, to the amazement of both prisoners and officials alike.
With ideals and vision, he attempts to reform the prison, with an eye towards prisoner rehabilitation and human rights. He recruits several long-time prisoners, including Larry Lee Bullen (Keith) and Richard "Dickie" Coombes (Kotto), to assist him with his reformation. Their efforts improve the prison conditions, but his stance inflames several corrupt officials on the prison board who have profited from graft
for decades. When he discovers multiple unmarked graves of prisoners on the property, he attempts to unravel the mystery, leading to political scandal. When a trustee realizes that he might be held accountable for killing another inmate, he decides to make a run for it, the resulting gunfight proves to be the final ammunition that the prison board (acting with the tacit approval of the governor) needs to fire Brubaker.
A statement before the credits explains that two years after Brubaker was fired, twenty four inmates sued the prison. The court ruled that the treatment of the prisoners was unconstitutional and the prison system was ultimately reformed. Meanwhile, the governor was not reelected.
The movie is based on the real-life experiences of Thomas Murton, author of the novel upon which the movie is based and one-time warden in the Arkansas state prison system. Much of the squalid conditions, violence and corruption depicted in the film was the subject of a 1970 federal court case, Holt v. Sarver
, in which the federal court ruled that Arkansas' prison system violated inmates' constitutional rights, and ordered reform.
in Junction City, Ohio
, Bremen, Ohio
, New Lexington, Ohio
, and at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds in Lancaster, Ohio
.
Nominations
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
about a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in distress and the Warden Henry Brubaker (Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
) who attempts to reform the system.
The film boasts a large supporting cast of stars including Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Frederick Kotto is an African-American actor, known for numerous film roles , and his starring role in the NBC television series Homicide: Life on the Street .-Early life:Kotto was born in New York City, the son of Gladys Marie, a...
, Tim McIntire
Tim McIntire
Tim McIntire was an American character actor, probably most famous for his portrayal of disc jockey Alan Freed in the film American Hot Wax...
, Nathan George
Nathan George
Nathan George is an American supporting actor who was active between 1971 and 1997. He co-won a 1969 Obie Award with Ron O'Neal for Charles Gordone's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "No Place to be Somebody." This performance also received a Drama Desk Award...
, David Keith
David Keith
David Lemuel Keith is an American actor and director. He received Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor and New Star of the Year – Actor for his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman.-Career:...
, Everett McGill
Everett McGill
Everett McGill is an American actor, best known for mostly playing villains in films like Licence to Kill, Silver Bullet, Dune, Yanks and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory.-Life and career:...
, Murray Hamilton
Murray Hamilton
Murray Hamilton was an American stage, screen, and television actor who appeared in such memorable films as The Hustler, The Graduate and Jaws.-Early life:...
, Matt Clark
Matt Clark
Matthew or Matt Clark may refer to:* Mat Clark, American ice hockey defenceman* Matt Clark * Matt Clark * Matt Clark * Matt Clark *Matthew Clark*Matthew H. Clark...
, M. Emmet Walsh
M. Emmet Walsh
Michael Emmet Walsh is an American actor who has appeared in over 100 film and television productions.-Life and career:Walsh was born in Ogdensburg, New York, the son of Agnes Kathrine and Harry Maurice Walsh, Sr., a customs agent...
and Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander is an American actress, author, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts. Although perhaps best known for playing the female lead in The Great White Hope on both stage and screen, Alexander has played a wide array of roles in both theater and film and has committed...
, with an early appearance by Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
. Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
appears as an extra in his very first film.
Plot
A mysterious man (Redford) arrives at a prisonPrison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
as an inmate and witnesses rampant abuse and corruption, including open and endemic sexual assault, torture, worm-ridden diseased food, insurance fraud and a doctor charging inmates for care, amongst other things. During a dramatic standoff, he reveals himself to be the new prison warden, Henry Brubaker, to the amazement of both prisoners and officials alike.
With ideals and vision, he attempts to reform the prison, with an eye towards prisoner rehabilitation and human rights. He recruits several long-time prisoners, including Larry Lee Bullen (Keith) and Richard "Dickie" Coombes (Kotto), to assist him with his reformation. Their efforts improve the prison conditions, but his stance inflames several corrupt officials on the prison board who have profited from graft
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
for decades. When he discovers multiple unmarked graves of prisoners on the property, he attempts to unravel the mystery, leading to political scandal. When a trustee realizes that he might be held accountable for killing another inmate, he decides to make a run for it, the resulting gunfight proves to be the final ammunition that the prison board (acting with the tacit approval of the governor) needs to fire Brubaker.
A statement before the credits explains that two years after Brubaker was fired, twenty four inmates sued the prison. The court ruled that the treatment of the prisoners was unconstitutional and the prison system was ultimately reformed. Meanwhile, the governor was not reelected.
The movie is based on the real-life experiences of Thomas Murton, author of the novel upon which the movie is based and one-time warden in the Arkansas state prison system. Much of the squalid conditions, violence and corruption depicted in the film was the subject of a 1970 federal court case, Holt v. Sarver
Holt v. Sarver
Holt v. Sarver is the first in a series of American common law cases that have found entire state prison systems in violation of prisoners' constitutional rights by providing cruel and unusual punishment. In Holt v. Sarver, Arkansas' prison system, which had no written standards, was found in...
, in which the federal court ruled that Arkansas' prison system violated inmates' constitutional rights, and ordered reform.
Locations
Filmed at The Junction City Prison FarmJunction City Prison
Junction City Prison was located at the intersection of S Adcock Road and Pen Road NW near Junction City, Ohio.-History:Originally the site of a brick plant, the State of Ohio purchased the property in 1913 to be used as a satellite prison for the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, for the care...
in Junction City, Ohio
Junction City, Ohio
Junction City is a village in Perry County, Ohio, United States. The population was 818 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Junction City is located at ....
, Bremen, Ohio
Bremen, Ohio
Bremen is a village in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,425 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Bremen is located at ....
, New Lexington, Ohio
New Lexington, Ohio
New Lexington is a village in and the county seat of Perry County, Ohio, United States, southwest of Zanesville. The population was 4,689 at the 2000 census.In 1900, 1,701 people lived in New Lexington, Ohio; in 1910, 2,559 lived here.-Geography:...
, and at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds in Lancaster, Ohio
Lancaster, Ohio
Lancaster is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,780. It is located near the Hocking River, approximately southeast of Columbus, Ohio. It is the county seat of Fairfield County...
.
Cast and characters
- Robert RedfordRobert RedfordCharles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
as Henry Brubaker - Yaphet KottoYaphet KottoYaphet Frederick Kotto is an African-American actor, known for numerous film roles , and his starring role in the NBC television series Homicide: Life on the Street .-Early life:Kotto was born in New York City, the son of Gladys Marie, a...
as Richard 'Dickie' Coombes - Jane AlexanderJane AlexanderJane Alexander is an American actress, author, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts. Although perhaps best known for playing the female lead in The Great White Hope on both stage and screen, Alexander has played a wide array of roles in both theater and film and has committed...
as Lillian Gray - Murray HamiltonMurray HamiltonMurray Hamilton was an American stage, screen, and television actor who appeared in such memorable films as The Hustler, The Graduate and Jaws.-Early life:...
as John Deach - David KeithDavid KeithDavid Lemuel Keith is an American actor and director. He received Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor and New Star of the Year – Actor for his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman.-Career:...
as Larry Lee Bullen - Morgan FreemanMorgan FreemanMorgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
as Walter - Matt ClarkMatt Clark (actor)Matt Clark is an American actor and director with credits in both film and television. Clark has played diverse character roles in Westerns, comedies, and dramas....
as Roy Purcell - Tim McIntireTim McIntireTim McIntire was an American character actor, probably most famous for his portrayal of disc jockey Alan Freed in the film American Hot Wax...
as Huey Rauch - Richard WardRichard Ward (American actor)Richard Ward, was a gravel-voiced African American actor in films and television and the stage from the late 1950s onwards until his death. He made three guest appearances on Good Times as James's dad Henry , who had walked out on James' mom and siblings when he was younger...
as Abraham Cook - Jon Van Ness as Zaranska
- M. Emmet WalshM. Emmet WalshMichael Emmet Walsh is an American actor who has appeared in over 100 film and television productions.-Life and career:Walsh was born in Ogdensburg, New York, the son of Agnes Kathrine and Harry Maurice Walsh, Sr., a customs agent...
as C.P. Woodward - Albert SalmiAlbert SalmiAlbert Salmi was an American actor.-Biography:Albert Salmi was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Finnish immigrant parents, and following a stint in the Army, took up acting as a career, studying Method acting with Lee Strasberg. In 1955, Salmi starred in Bus Stop on Broadway...
as Rory Poke - Linda HaynesLinda HaynesLinda Haynes was a pretty and spunky blonde-haired American actress who appeared in several films in the 1970s and early 1980s before retiring from the business and becoming a legal secretary...
as Carol - Everett McGillEverett McGillEverett McGill is an American actor, best known for mostly playing villains in films like Licence to Kill, Silver Bullet, Dune, Yanks and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory.-Life and career:...
as Eddie Caldwell - Joe SpinellJoe SpinellJoe Spinell was an American character actor, who appeared in numerous films in the 1970s and 1980s.-Biography:...
as Floyd Birdwell - Val AveryVal AveryVal Avery was an American character actor who appeared in hundreds of movies and television shows since the 1950s. In a career that spanned 50 years, Avery appeared in over 100 films and had appearances in over 300 television series.-Early life:Avery was born in Philadelphia...
as Wendel - William Newman (credited as William M. Newman) as Dunfield
- A. Daniel Parrish as Prisoner
- James Keane as Pinky
- Nicolas CageNicolas CageNicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
as an uncredited extra - Robbie DeVol as War Buff
Awards
Wins- Motion Picture Sound EditorsMotion Picture Sound EditorsFounded in 1953, Motion Picture Sound Editors is an honorary society of motion picture sound editors. The society's goals are to educate others about and increase the recognition of the sound editors, show the artistic merit of the soundtracks, and improve the professional relationship of its...
: Golden Reel Award. Best Sound Editing.
Nominations
- Academy AwardsAcademy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen; W.D. Richter (screenplay/story) and Arthur A. Ross (story).
See also
- List of American films of 1980
- Arkansas Prison scandal