Brubaker

Infobox Film
name = Brubaker


caption = Theatrical poster
director = Stuart Rosenberg
producer = Ron Silverman
writer = Screenplay
W.D. Richter Arthur A. Ross
Story
Joe Hyams
Tom Murton
starring = Robert Redford Yaphet Kotto
Jane Alexander
Morgan Freeman
Nicolas Cage
music = Lalo Schifrin
cinematography = Bruno Nuytten
editing = Robert Brown
distributor = 20th Century Fox
released = June 20, 1980
runtime = 132 minutes
country = United States
language = English
budget =
amg_id = 1:7275
imdb_id = 0080474

"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, David Keith, Everett McGill, Murray Hamilton, Matt Clark and Jane Alexander, with an early appearance by Morgan Freeman. Nicolas Cage makes a cameo in his very first film.

Plot

A mysterious man (Redford) arrives at a prison as an inmate and witnesses rampant abuse and corruption, including torture, unhealthy food, insurance fraud and a doctor charging inmates for care. 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 and inmate unrest.

Background

The film is based on the 1969 book "Accomplices To The Crime: The Arkansas Prison Scandal" by Tom Murton and Joe Hyams. Murton was a warden at the Tucker and Cummins Prison in Arkansas. The abuses detailed in the film and the discovery of unmarked graves are based on fact.

Murton served as technical advisor to the film.

Filmed in Bremen, Ohio and The Junction City Prison Farm in Junction City, Ohio. With additional scenes filmed at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds in Lancaster, Ohio.

Cast

* Robert Redford as Henry Brubaker
* Yaphet Kotto as Richard 'Dickie' Coombes
* Jane Alexander as Lillian Gray
* Murray Hamilton as John Deach
* David Keith as Larry Lee Bullen
* Morgan Freeman as Walter
* Matt Clark as Roy Purcell
* Tim McIntire as Huey Rauch
* Richard Ward as Abraham Cook
* Jon Van Ness as Zaranska
* M. Emmet Walsh as C.P. Woodward
* Albert Salmi as Rory Poke
* Linda Haynes as Carol
* Everett McGill as Eddie Caldwell
* Val Avery as Wendel
*"William Newman" (credited as William M. Newman) as Dunfield
*Nicolas Cage (cameo)

Awards

Wins
* Motion Picture Sound Editors: Golden Reel Award. Best Sound Editing.

Nominations
* Academy Awards: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen; W.D. Richter (screenplay/story) and Arthur A. Ross (story).

ee also

* Arkansas Prison scandal

External links

*
* [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19800623/REVIEWS/6230301/1023 Roger Ebert review, "Brubaker"]