Short Eyes

source: Short Eyes

The centerpiece of this, the ultimate ensemble prison drama, isn't the child molester aka "Short Eyes" (Bruce Davison) put into a cell-block of tough convicts who, after finding out his crime, turn the premises into their own courtroom, but a young handsome Puerto Rican nicknamed Cupcakes, played by the late Tito Goya, who has to deal with - or take advice from - these same toughies before, during and after the molester's story becomes center stage. While not the main character, Goya's youthful protagonist provides the core of the boiling pot involving a bevy of eclectic, dangerous cons from a tough Italian (Joseph Carberry), a stubborn black muslim (Don Blakey), a sexually-driven Puerto Rican (Shawn Elliott), two laidback but badass African Americans (Nathan George, Ken Steward), and the film's true star: a good-hearted Rican "idealist," played brilliantly by Luis Perez, who feels called-upon to protect Goya and the molester both. Based on the play by Miguel Pinero, also appearing as an antagonistic prisoner (if the film has a villain, he's it), all one can say is: you have to see it to believe it. And a soulful "singalong" with Curtis Mayfield and Freddie Fenders adds soul to the brash proceedings. (cultfilmfreaks.com)

One of the best prison movies out there to see, "Short Eyes" comes to present us a bitter and cold welcoming of a new unwanted prisoner in the hall: a child molester or as inmates call, a 'Short Eye'. The man in question is Clark Davis (played by Bruce Davison), an educated man, and totally opposite background of the majority present in that prison, arrested for child abuse, stranded in a place where he has no possible chance of making 'friends', and not even the chief guard likes him, promising to make hell of his life in there. Frightened and constantly persecuted by the other prisoners, he only has the chance to share some of his thoughts with Juan (José Pérez), who tries his best to believe that the man is innocent, becoming a confident to his stories that doesn't seem to make the other an innocent person. Tension is built up when a group of prisoners decide to get rid of Clark, then....be ready for the suspense! It's very surprising to see a theme like this being dealt in a film, presenting a tough reality in a very realistic way despite a few strange things here and there. But I gotta say that it was a little difficult to really enter in the mood of this film after seeing prisoners (one of them played by singer Curtis Mayfield, who makes the good soundtrack) doing musical numbers at the beginning, all of them happy to be there in jail; it was a little difficult to take it seriously during the first minutes. But then when Clark shows up, the movie starts to develop really well. And his character is actually more like a supporting character, the others are really the main characters and we're allowed to see their intrigues, their fight for things, for power, and their desire for Cupcakes (Tito Goya), the youngest of the prisoners. It's a well adapted play, dramatically involving, very thrilling and with lots of surprises. Must be noticed the memorable performances of the casting, with an outstanding acting coming from the always excellent Bruce Davison, who exclusively plays in other films the guy you'll always like and here, somehow you'll like him as well despite what the character represents. In real life we wouldn't feel any kind of sympathy for a man like his character. I was unaware of this film until a little research (can't remember of what or who) that brought me to a poster with an appealing tag line, the famous 'Jesus help me, cause men won't do' (present in a dialog between Clark and Juan); after that I had to watch it and liked a lot. Might not be a "Shawshank Redemption" but it's a good film as well. One of the forgotten classics of the 1970's that deserves some appreciation. 9/10

I had not seen this until the other day, last time was over 40 years ago. I found my self thinking...wow that's Joe Pesci, that's Curtis Mayfield, that's Freddie Fender, that's Luis Guzman, that's Bruce Davison, and on and on, sometimes so young they're barely recognizable, you're thinking it can't be, but then it is, kinda like Cuckoo's Nest. So you have this huge cast, sometimes mainly famous as major music stars, all jammed together as cons united in one thing only, their lethal hostility to the "short-eyes, the chomo, the child molester. Even his few fellow white con-mates reject and despise him in this well known hierarchy of power and hate, brought to it's natural apogee in prison, where respect and power gain huge currency when there's nothing else to place value on, and social position isn't buffered and diffused by anything. Written by an ex-con, who also shows up in the film, sort of like Edward Bunker did in Straight Time with Dustin Hoffman and Theresa Russel and Gary Bussey and Emmet Walsh, to name a few in that great prison flick. There's no shortage of prison movies and over the decades the styles and security protocol's change, and this is no exception. The style of a 1977 NYC hell-hole is different from a 50's Alcatraz, or that super modern fictionalized thing with Stallone and Schwarzenegger, I think it was called Escape....but the Hatred and Frustration are always ready to explode in all these movies, and here an entire staff and every prisoner, some profoundly perverted themselves, are united in persecuting just one underdog, the Short-Eyes, who is automatically at the bottom of the Prison pecking order, as they often are out here, but vastly intensified in so claustrophobic an environment, where a special amplified premium is placed on WHO YOU ARE, not what you have. It's dated in some senses, which gives it interest as a period piece, but pretty spot on with the treatment of the central persecutory theme. It also can be deliberately funny and a lot of the action suggests these talented people were given a directorial nod to just interact, and much of the action has a kind of loose semi-rehearsed natural flow to it...like after hours musicians getting together to jam for the fun of it.....no surprise considering that some of yesterday's musical stars keep popping up. Touted for its realism, that I can't speak to from experience, but considering who wrote it and HIS experience, and the willingness to tackle a not-to-typical topic, it likely is pretty close to the bone. The first thing that struck me as odd were that all the prisoners seemed allowed to wear their street clothing....and maybe in 77 in some joints that flew......but it all adds up to the impending and inevitable conclusion. The Short-Eyes is ironically the most innocent person among them, the least lethal anyway, and his sickness or perversity, somehow seems mitigated in comparison to the ceaseless ocean of persecution around him. Of course all this makes for a very interesting sort of thing to watch. Certainly ensemble acting, in a sense like Weeds, that old prison flick led by Nick Nolte, but a lot grittier and compelling, and the only romance here is of the prison -homosexual variety, often performed by heteros using whatever is available, willing or not, the same guys persecuting and calling perverted the "Short-Eyes". Not for everybody i suppose, but some sort of classic thing in its own strange category. I'd rate it as a must-see for anybody really into movies which I 'd think we all are. It'll be especially interesting to older people who are gonna recognize these people who were and sometimes still are very famous. See it.

"Short Eyes," filmed in and about the Men's House of Detention ("The Tombs") graphically documents the thoughtless conditions which existed in American prisons in our not too distant past. Without constructive programs for learning, personal growth and self improvement, physically or mentally, the inmates were left to fester with their own negative thoughts and actions. The results of such ingrowth is presented in an inactement which helps to foster social change. While the drama may be repulsive in many ways, it nevertheless informs on a topic which is extremely important. It's up to voting citizens to wield their power in bringing about proper rehabilitative opportunites for so-called criminals. With men couped up in close confines with virtually nothing to do, who wouldn't be tempted to succumb to unconstructive activities. Miguel Pinero wrote a powerful, educational play, and members of the New York cast are to be congratulated in their skillful ensemble work.

A movie about prison life. It deals with the inmates--their lives, hates, sexual feelings and the rituals that happen in prison. Clark Davis (Bruce Davison) is thrown in with them--he's suspected of being a child molester ("short eyes" in prison slang). The other prisoners want to kill him...but Davis has talked to one prisoner Juan (Jose Perez) who has serious doubts about his guilt. But can he convince the others? This was a pretty big art house hit (here in Boston at least) back in 1977. It dealt with (for the time) a taboo subject matter. Then it completely disappeared. That's too bad--it deserves a wider audience. It was shot in an actual closed-down prison (the Tombs) in NYC. That really helps the mood and feeling of the film. The acting is very good by all--especially Davison, Perez and Joseph Carberry (as Longshoe). But this is a very hard movie to sit through. Davison's confession to Juan is VERY explicit, a sequence where a prisoner is beaten up and tortured by the others is unpleasant and the ending is very disturbing. It's not a perfect film. It was a stage play first--and it shows. The action never moves away from two areas and occasionally the inmates speak WAY too intelligentally for the characters they're playing. (I seriously doubt that the character Longshoe would ever know the word "quadroon"--or what it meant). Still a very powerful, disturbing drama. Well worth seeking out. Accomplished character actor Luis Guzman plays one of the inmates (good luck finding him).

Short Eyes is yet another 70's flick lost until recently in the world of obscure VHS,various licensing and grey market bootlegs. However, it is one of the best dramas of the decade and deserved the DVD re-release. The story centers about the denizens of "The Tombs", the Men's House of Detention in Manhattan, where it was filmed. Like many other prison-centered scripts, it fleshes out the microcosmic aspect of a isolated society and provides the alternate racial existence on "the inside" (where white is the minority). The story establishes the environment inside, outlining the groups and nearly making the life seem manageable. Then a white middle-class inmate arrives and is quickly exposed by a guard as a accused child molester, or short eyes. The group at large quickly responds as we see what this society really deems offensive. Along the way we experience religious presence, soulful expression, prison hierarchy, sexual intimidation, mental coercion, utter rage, blinding fear, confiding, alienation and displacement. In other words, the range of emotions from several characters displays to the viewer the depth and severity of how living in a world where entropy is the only constant. There is a passage in the movie where the complete ambivalence of every person becomes evident; there are no longer any allies or any semblance of trust when it is exposed that everyone will take what they want when possible. The guards are an important part of the population but there is no real opposition there- no protagonists to speak of, only a film of corruption over the cruel survivalist scene. Stirring, impassioned material. While there are no big stars in this, an independent adaptation of Miguel Pinero's early 70's play, it still has some amazing performances. Jose Perez does a stellar job as the one prisoner who can tolerate speaking with the 'short eyes'. Prolific character actor Bruce Davison is outstanding as the conflicted and confused molester, who cannot weather this change of environment. Nathan George, a great character actor who remained busy in the 70's, is in fine form here. Joseph Carberry is the central white inmate and wears his hate and mistrust as a badge of identity. And of course, there is no forgetting the cameos by the late Curtis Mayfield and Freddy Fender. In one group scene, Fender engages in a song ("Break The Dawn") captivating the entire population, an amazing slow soulful track that is matched by the following Mayfield song, "Do Do Wap is Strong In Here". Two smoky, slow-burn tracks sung by two legends that literally soothes the savagery here. A rewindable, unforgettable classic scene. In an extra note, superb modern Latino actor Luis Guzman appears as an extra here in his first film appearance. Look for him in the above Mayfield/Fender song sequence and in a few other scenes, sporting a blowout afro. There is ample reason why this is often referred to as a 'prison/horror film' but its really a stark, tense drama. Coupled with the Benjamin Bratt-lead Pinero, this is one of the best ways to get a taste of the lost genius of Miguel Pinero. The DVD issue of Short Eyes features a commentary track by the director along with Leon Ichaso, director of Pinero. Although there is much left open about this masterpiece, the commentary truly adds a lot of miscellaneous info that fans like myself would appreciate. Not to be missed.

"Short Eyes" is an interesting film, it has many good points but at the end of the day it suffers from being viewed with the experience of 23 years of other films between the viewer and the production. Even looking at it based on dramas of the time , it would have been dated then and a moral hodge podge of "hippy" sentiment without the real "streetwise" attitude that it needs and wanted to so much. It even has a dreadful prison "sing-a-long" (only included because Curtis Mayfield leads the scene (otherwise it would not have been shot !) , the song itself is so well produced , and without having a wild track added makes you laugh at the pretentiousness of the scene rather than take it seriously. Having said that thou , it still has one or two scenes that shock , and I did not expect the ending that we got , and I did like it and would recommend it to everyone , but as long as they understand the time it was from , its a good film but time is not being kind to it.

I had never seen the play performed on stage, but I do own the play script and read it many times, it is one of my favorite plays. I also own the DVD of the film. Miguel Pinero is the author and he appears in the film as Go Go, a character not in the play. Pinero did not act in the Broadway version. The Go Go character plants a shank on another prisoner, which does not make him popular with the other inmates. They take some revenge on him by breaking his arm, we don't see him again. Some of the actors who were in the Broadway version recreate their roles here" Joseph Carberry as Longshoe Murphy, an tough Irish inmate Robert Maroff as Mr Nett, the guard who hates the Clark Davis character as much as the prisoners, as he says his own daughter was molested. Tito Goya as Cupcakes, a young prisoner who gets unwanted attention from the more predatory inmates. Two actors with more movie experience have the pivotal roles of Clark Davis (Bruce Davison) the suspected child molester and Juan (Jose Perez) the prison trusty who acts as the moral center of the piece. They have a great scene together, the film took a awhile to get going but it becomes riveting from this moment on. When Clark tells Juan he doesn't remember if he did the crime he is now in jail for, he also confesses that he has done things like it in the past. Juan is disgusted but does come to see Clark as a sick but pathetic person. When the other inmates get together to kill Clark, Juan is the only one against it. the murder is not shown but it is still hard to watch. There is a scene in the play after the murder in which the top officer Capt Allard interviews each inmate on what happened. In the film he just addresses the whole gang at once, telling them that Clark was innocent of the charge as the victim identified several other men as the attacker. Even though he may not be guilty this time, Juan is the only one who knows of his past. The film is very good but I also recommend finding and reading the original play.

Miguel Piñero adapted his own play (and co-stars as Go-Go) in this no-nonsense examination of life behind bars in a racially-heated men's jail. The prisoners segregate themselves by race, insulting each other with slurs which quickly lead to thrown punches, and yet this racial pride is really the most we learn about any of them. Bruce Davison stirs things up as the new inmate, one of only three white men in the cell-block, who admits to having a fixation on little girls; he can't remember if he molested a recent accuser or not, but quickly becomes the target of the other inmates' rage. Davison's monologues about a lifelong predilection for jailbait don't quite contain the honest ring of truth, yet are still terribly difficult to listen to, as is most of the dialogue. The scenario is commendably not exploitative--and is blessedly free of being sexually or violently explicit--though the threat of rape hangs in the air, possibly meant as a scare tactic for younger viewers. Still, Piñero's narrative is loftier than your average cautionary tale, and the film--although far from incisive--is a hard-hitting portrait of jailhouse life. ** from ****