jailer movie review

jailer movie review

Analyzing the portrayal of jailers in popular movies: A critical review

1. Introduction to the portrayal of jailers in cinema

Corrections systems often do not accurately reflect all the features of actual prison operations. Consequently, superficial appearances regarding both inmates and jailers are prominent in general public opinion. This lack of public knowledge is ubiquitous across all correctional systems. Although many people do have an interest in corrections operations, there are relatively few who volunteer for assignments in these institutions. It may be that one reason is a lack of familiarity with what actually occurs. To the extent that depictions of correctional institutions in general, and the portrayal of jailers in particular, can influence public images of actual correctional institutions – prompting people to be more or less willing to engage with justice activities (voting, serving on juries, serving in law enforcement or corrections positions, legitimate dissent, etc.), the question of their accuracy becomes truly important. Thus, it is significant for prison officials to improve their relationships with the public and to attract staffers of good quality.

Jail and prison have been favorite film settings dating back to the birth of the art form. In those hundreds of films and television programs, jailers – the officials who interact most directly with prison inmates – have been central characters. Of course, the image of jailers that comes to the mind of most Americans likely is derived from those who guard the innocent who were wrongly accused or those who were noble enough to have rehabilitated themselves while on the inside. However, most members of the public do not ever visit correctional programs, particularly prisons. Thus, a significant portion of their views might be influenced by what they have seen in the movies. A discussion of portrayals of jailers is an important precursor to research on such imagery’s influence on public opinion. The results of such a study could help prison officials improve relationships with the public and attract staffers who see themselves reflected in corrections workers portrayed on the big screen.

2. Historical evolution of jailer characters in movies

A similar portrayal was given by John George Foster, played by Howard Da Silva in the film, The Lost Squadron. The convincing Marjorie Rambeau starred in the film Convicts at Large in 1938. Humphrey Bogart also gave a reminiscent similar performance in San Quentin, 1937 film, which was a commercial and critical success. Sidney Blackmer, in the film, God’s Porch Lights, showcased the same kind of portrayal. In San Francisco, James Cagney played the role of a waiter who is locked up for the night as a result of a driver’s cab and in jail, he too incurred the warden’s wrath. This was the first warden’s role of Harry Holman. John Glyn played the role of Tom Brown, in the film, Convicts Code. This well-meaning, affable warden played by Glyn was at constant odds with a pickpocket devious prisoner. The role of Tom Arnold was played by The Green Mile’s character actor, Doug Hutchison.

The first powerful jailer character was portrayed by William Henry Pratt, famously known as Boris Karloff in James Whale’s 1930 film, The Last of the Night. He was a sadistic debased warden who was indifferent to the living conditions of the prisoners in the jail. A year later, his portrayal as the monster in Frankenstein under the same director won him worldwide attention. Four years later, a disillusioned Humphrey Bogart played the role of Spencer Tracy in the film, The Big House, which was one of the first major prison movies. Over the years, the portrayal of jailers has depicted changes. The future generation was represented by Tom Brown in The Last of Belles, 1938. In Dead End, 1937, Tommy Gordon played Tommy’s younger brother, played by Billy Halop. The image of the tough but kind-hearted jailer has been developed over a long time and has been exploited by many films.

3. Key themes and stereotypes in the depiction of jailers

Not just a category of staff – belonging to separate sub-categories such as wardens, governor, guards, the uniformed and uniformed jail occupier are pugnacious and frequently skeptical of their chances of maintaining order. This is because the jailer is expected to have a much higher moral order than the use of the force that he is expected to counterbalance and which is assumed to be the gift of its prisoners, “jailers are expected to maintain discipline in the face of considerable provocation”. To balance it, there should be the euphemistically called prison psychologist. Although some organizations classify themselves as respectful, and it is important to acknowledge that, particularly when they repeatedly stated that they were not part of the client organization, the prison doctor certainly categorized themselves as a jailer. They are, in short, much more than what equates to a simple typecast of a traditional law enforcement officer. One step removed from a Hieronymos Bosch vision of the pit of hell, a mythical personification of a living hell to engage with.

Those key themes are:

The key themes that arise in the portrayal of jailers are listed below. Often this is because of the almost mythological draw of the place holder in the secure facility, the jailer, or merely the cloth and uniform that hangs on the totem pole that is the cage made from the myth of the facility. Living or dead it does not matter, the jail occupier or their risk services staff can have a real issue in the day to day experience with the provider and in some cases those service providers may have complex constructs bound up in their responses. In more venturous environments the cage becomes a stage for a street credibility of heroic leadership and people management or problem answering.

4. Impact of jailer representation on audience perceptions and societal attitudes

Since people’s understanding of the world is influenced by the media picture, it should be taken for granted that film producers have the responsibility to present an accurate and fair image, avoiding intentional misconduct or the encouragement of negative consequences. Little research has been conducted to examine whether and how the portrayal of professionals or specific industries and occupations in films, including jailers as characters, can result in both positive and negative effects on what and how people perceive, think, live, or act. These can be especially predictive of undesirable behaviors, informational bias, restrictions on career choices, and workforce motivation to serve certain professions.

One of the strongest effects of media content is the shaping of social and individual behaviors, attitudes, and values. Films have a unique place in the process of shaping mentalities, as they reach a wider audience and, with the help of emotional involvement, they can have a profound impact on people’s consciousness. Ignoring the impact of the negative portrayal of a group of professionals (e.g. jailers, law enforcement professionals) on moral standards, sense of justice, and the willingness of people to do these jobs also highlights a blind spot on the part of the academic, professional, and film industry community.

5. Conclusion and future directions for researching jailer characters in film

Several opportunities now exist for criminological studies to build on the foundation of this and other screen depictions of ‘prison-cops’. A notable ‘characteristic’ of the jailer (and the movie equivalent) is the bluffing, acting, portrayal, and disguise inherent in that contribution to the prison’s social order. Building on research that examines whether or how guards ‘act’ and depict working in the prison, social psychologists can help examine the influences on the ‘movie-jailer’ role and disambiguate this from the ‘real-life’ jailer position. Criminologists could take an evolutionary and comparative approach to shifting jailer depictions, identifying factors driving variations over time and geographical location; some of these variables might constitute a documentary cross-section of guard roles in prison more generally. In broader terms, an innovative opportunity exists in exploring the roles, career paths, paths to recruitment and progression, and more subtle use of power in filmic studies. The authors urge colleagues to exploit the opportunities for theoretically driven, rigorous, and empirically-based criminological research and educational study of this long-neglected facet of criminology and popular culture.

This paper provides a critical review of the literature on film jailers. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research paper that examines prison guards as portrayed in the movies. The paper outlined the key themes, agendas, and the origins of the debate in this area. In doing so, we identified the lack of jailer representation in the social discourse, an omission that the screen media partly fills, if only to sustain stereotypes about the nature of these officers. Our analysis revealed that the jailers in the movies reflect cultural perceptions, attitudes, and values regarding the role of the jailer and uncovers what sorts of rule transgressions guards may encounter and the possible causes and consequences. Through our discourse, we offer an alternative reading that ‘reading across’ the movies to supply a more comprehensive and less stereotypical image of jailers within them as a moral agent.