Life Imitating Art
I watched a remarkable TV programme the other night - which reminded me of the film Escape from New York - directed by the one and only John Carpenter.
The TV documentary was made by none other than Louis Theroux - a true English eccentric - who keeps putting himself in harm's way - even though he look as though he couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag.
The subject of Louis's film was a jail in America where prisoners are left to more or less fend for themselves - once they have been safely locked behind bars by their guards.
So differences between the prisoners are often settled by violent fights - which the authorities make no attempt to break up - presumably because in one way or another the prisoners 'have it coming'.
What's remarkable is that this very scenario is what was foreseen in Escape from New York - a film where the whole of Manhattan Island has been sealed off - as a high security prison.
And the flotsam and jetsam of of America's underclass gets dumped there - with no hope, no future and no way out - so they take great pleasure in beating each other up - often to a bloody pulp.
The only thing missing from Louis Theroux's film was an interview with John Carpenter - but maybe Louis has not even seen Escape from New York - and is blissfully unaware of its famous anti-hero, Snake Plissken.
Someone should tell him, pronto.
What a scoop.
The TV documentary was made by none other than Louis Theroux - a true English eccentric - who keeps putting himself in harm's way - even though he look as though he couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag.
The subject of Louis's film was a jail in America where prisoners are left to more or less fend for themselves - once they have been safely locked behind bars by their guards.
So differences between the prisoners are often settled by violent fights - which the authorities make no attempt to break up - presumably because in one way or another the prisoners 'have it coming'.
What's remarkable is that this very scenario is what was foreseen in Escape from New York - a film where the whole of Manhattan Island has been sealed off - as a high security prison.
And the flotsam and jetsam of of America's underclass gets dumped there - with no hope, no future and no way out - so they take great pleasure in beating each other up - often to a bloody pulp.
The only thing missing from Louis Theroux's film was an interview with John Carpenter - but maybe Louis has not even seen Escape from New York - and is blissfully unaware of its famous anti-hero, Snake Plissken.
Someone should tell him, pronto.
What a scoop.
