Not enough adjectives to describe this fascinating historical episode, dedicated to all us armchair historians, intrigued by the famous 1962 escape from Alcatraz Island, once billed as the most secure prison in the world. This has to be one of the most memorable episodes, lead by archaeologist Josh Gates, and filmed entirely on location.
The prison was closed about a year after the legendary escape, and now has been transformed into a museum and tourist trap of sorts. Josh is assisted by former FBI agent Stewart Fillmore, who gives him a thorough behind the scenes look as to how the three prisoners made their ingenius escape.
And these men WERE geniuses.
The most amazing part of this journey is the presentation of actual artifacts, used in their escape, that have been preserved. The men toiled for months in prison work houses, managing to secure such throwaway items as razor blades, paint and even hair from the barbershop to initially put together masks and dummies to fool guards. Additionally, they weaved together disgarded raincoats to assemble a raft, which would float them
to freedom.
A standout item are the actual cardboard air ducts, which were used to hide their escape route from each of their cells. Additionally, razor blades were cleverly transformed into tools, allowing them to dig through cement walls. Another reason the prison was closed, due to the fact that the centuries old building was beginning to crumble. One bizarre note; the men got many of their ideas for making tools from Popular Mechanics magazines, which were made available to them in the prison library!
In a fantastic sequence, Josh dons scuba gear and literally takes a bumpy ride across the bay, the same route the three escapees reportedly took, of course resurrecting the age old question of whether or not they could have survived such an ordeal.
Chances are they did. The second half of this classic documentary focuses on exactly where they may have escaped. According to agent Fillmore, since the men were wanted across the country, particularly in the western part of the U. S., it's more than likely they fled the continent. Research indicates they possibly landed in Brazil.
The last fifteen minutes are absolutely incredible.
Josh and the crew head to a small Brazilian town, meeting people who claim to have met these men, even producing photos to support their statements. More over, being an archaeologist himself, Josh aids the crew in digging up some rare artifacts in hills and caves, such as a rare penny, backing the thoery that the escapees actually were there at one time.
Comes the most intriguing part when a team of tech gurus are introduced, scientifically mounting and matching the photos of the men with prison photos, posturing shapes and angles of their faces, coming to the 99 percent conclusion the photos are genuine.
Josh and his team, it would seem, solved the 60 plus year old mystery as to whether these infamous prisoners made a successful escape.
Tag this 10 Stars.
An episode not to be missed. SEASON 10 EPISODE 7, originally aired in 2022. Rebroadcast 2024.
