The Glass House

How many TV movies do you know of, that are for rent at the local video store? Not that many I bet ey? Well then how many do you know that are more than 30 years old? None I bet! I know of only one, and this is it! Although I must say that it cost me a pretty penny to rent this one (almost 6 euro's), I cannot say that money went to waste.

The idea of renting this film actually came from my parents who had seen this one on TV in the 70's. It had made a very deep impact on them and each time I'd watch a prison film with my dad he'd start about this one (just as he keeps saying that Le Collectionneur des cerveaux is a great film). When I finally looked it up on IMDb I was amazed that the film was written by the great Truman Capote, which then became one of the main reasons I wanted to see this film and I cannot say that I was disappointed.

The Glass House is a strong film about life in prison and still accurate and up to date more than 30 years later, since it depicts what is rotten at the core of the prison system. I do not imply that anything can done to change it, but I guess the film tells us the sad truth about human beings. What they will do for money, what they will do with power and eventually what they will do to each other.

The performances in this film are very good and since it is quite graphic for a 30 year old TV movie I can understand that it must have been quite shocking back in the day. Nowadays (after Shawshank and Animal Factory) you just are not as easily impressed anymore. I've seen worse on news channels to be honest and that in all honesty is the only part where the movie suffers from it's age. It's just not as raw, brutal and in your face as 30 years ago.

While I have to admit that the story has a pretty basic 'prison' movie plot, the direction, characters and the quality of the acting keep it interesting and exciting. Something not all movies from the 70's, hell even movies now accomplish. While this film hast lost some of it's edge to aging, I guess I have to agree with my parents and say that this is definitely a film that will stick around in your head. Maybe not the whole film but I bet that you'll remember the surprise ending. I know I will remember it, along with Vic Morrow's great performance.

7 out of 10

I saw this film at the cinema in the UK in 1972. I remember being pretty shocked and disturbed by it. Actually, I think it helped to keep me on the straight and narrow (more or less) when I spent a year in the States some years later! There was no way that I wanted to end up in an American nick! 1972 is a long time ago and my memory is not what it was, nevertheless the film has stayed with me and I often mention it when discussing contemporary films. I would love to see it again and recommend it to anyone with a strong stomach. Scum - a British film set in a borstal, which was made round about the same time, is also with looking out for.

I wish I had the video in my library but it's very hard to find...Rented copies are suspected 'pirated' copies from tv. Very poor quality. This is Morrow's best role. Alda's best role and Gulager's best role. The most believable prison movie ever made. No heroes here just heavy reality crammed into 90 minutes on network tv! Makes "The Shawshank Redemption" look like "Mary Poppins". Kudos to Morrow (the most vile characterization ever captured on film). Think "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" without the comic relief. Too depressing to make my top 10 list but it's in the top 20.

College professor is sentenced to a maximum security prison for manslaughter. Early made-for-television prison film is well worth seeing despite familiar story line and characters. Impressive direction, cinematic quality acting, good script and not a miscast anywhere. Viewers may also enjoy "Shawshank Redemption" (1995), "Escape From Alcatraz" (1979) and "Runaway Train" (1985). (Rating: A-minus)

Anybody visiting this for the first time now who can't take themselves back to 1972 (the time of the film's release) are going to be screaming formulaic. Luckily as a fan of the genre and holding a steadfast belief that a viewer should always get a mindset of a film's original release period, I wouldn't dream of calling this formulaic.

This is something of genre perfection because the makers realise that incarceration should be stifling, the viewer should feel a level of oppression to get on side with the nature of the film, and here they achieve that with a feeling of simmering menace bubbling under the surface, you know that things are going to go pear shaped and it's the waiting that drives you on in an uneasy state.

All the pieces are in place for classic prison drama, tough nasty bad guy exuding menace (a wonderful creeper turn from Vic Morrow), the screw who is the lone voice of authority who cares (take a bow Clu Gulager), the good guy main protagonist who we are rooting for (a fine heartfelt turn from Alan Alda), and a story that doesn't veer to nonsense (from the pen of one Truman Capote).

The violence is shocking, and of course rape and suicide is prominent, all the things to make the viewer stunned and saddened in equal measure are here, but most of all the film triumphs with its ending, there is no cop out here and the makers were brave enough to not slip into maudlin pay off that so many prison genre films tend to do.

For this new modern era of film making there is nothing new here, but for 1972 and a TV movie, this is well worth support and sampling by any potential first time viewers. 8/10