Itm12386 says > I just saw this movie for the first time last night, and I'm amazed by how ahead of this time the film was. It addressed so many topics that even in today's society are relevant, more than 60 years after its release. Agnes Moorhead's character was also a woman ahead of her time, since not only was she in a position of power, but she was also concerned with the rehabilitation and rights of inmates.
I enjoyed the movie but watching it made me feel claustrophobic; like I was locked up along with those women. I was able to empathize with Marie. She had to adapt in order to survive but her complete transformation surprised me. Then again, I think Marie was already susceptible to being influenced. She seemed to know what her husband was planning to do but went along with it anyway.
many people even today just want to ignore people who break the law and not try to rehabilitate them.
The film may have been ahead of its time in some ways but I have seen other movies, also made around this time, that dealt with similar issues. It continues to be an issue today because most of us, then and now, don't think of prison reform as a priority.
It's not a simple, straightforward issue. It's not even that people don't care. Rehabilitation may be possible in some cases but I doubt there's a 'one-size-fits-all' solution. Even when it works, a lot of the people who end up in prison seem to have a hard time functioning in society. Even if they're trained, given a skill, an education, a job, etc. they often quickly revert back to their old patterns of thinking.
If they feel inadequate they blame and lash out at others. If they struggle, they look for a quick fix. They associate with people who think basically the same so they contaminate each other. That's basically how it works in prison too. I don't see how that setting, meant to incarcerate, could be set up any differently. I don't think it should be a country club or resort setting but even if that were the case, most probably wouldn't change and they'd do things wrong on the outside to return to the very nice setting inside.
The guards working in that setting probably also become jaded and tough because they, too, have to survive that environment and the people on a daily basis.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]
reply
share