Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Director:

Stuart Rosenberg

Writers:

Donn Pearce (screenplay) and
Frank Pierson (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

1 November 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

"What we've got here is failure to communicate."

Plot:

A man refuses to conform to life in a rural prison.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Prisoner | Escape | Guts | Authority

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Luke
George Kennedy	...	Dragline
J.D. Cannon	...	Society Red
Lou Antonio	...	Koko
Robert Drivas	...	Loudmouth Steve
Strother Martin	...	Captain
Jo Van Fleet	...	Arletta
Clifton James	...	Carr
Morgan Woodward	...	Boss Godfrey
Luke Askew	...	Boss Paul
Marc Cavell	...	Rabbitt
Richard Davalos	...	Blind Dick
Robert Donner	...	Boss Shorty
Warren Finnerty	...	Tattoo
Dennis Hopper	...	Babalugats
John McLiam	...	Boss Keen
Wayne Rogers	...	Gambler
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Tramp (as Dean Stanton)
Charles Tyner	...	Boss Higgins
Ralph Waite	...	Alibi
Anthony Zerbe	...	Dog Boy
Buck Kartalian	...	Dynamite
Joy Harmon	...	The Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joe Don Baker	...	Fixer (uncredited)
James Bradley	...	(uncredited)
James Gammon	...	Sleepy (uncredited)
Norman Goodwins	...	Stupid blonde (uncredited)
Chuck Hicks	...	Chief (uncredited)
Rance Howard	...	Sheriff (uncredited)
James Jeter	...	Wickerman (uncredited)
Kim Kahana	...	Convict (uncredited)
Robert Luster	...	Jabo (uncredited)
Donn Pearce	...	Sailor (uncredited)
John Pearce	...	John (uncredited)
Cyril 'Chips' Robinson	...	Ben (uncredited)
Eddie Rosson	...	Luke's Nephew (uncredited)
Rush Williams	...	Patrolman (uncredited)

Directed by
Stuart Rosenberg

Writing credits
Donn Pearce		(screenplay) and
Frank Pierson		(screenplay) (as Frank R. Pierson)
Donn Pearce		(novel)

Produced by
Gordon Carroll	....	producer
Carter De Haven Jr.	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Lalo Schifrin

Cinematography by
Conrad L. Hall		(director of photography) (as Conrad Hall)

Film Editing by
Sam O'Steen

Art Direction by
Cary Odell

Set Decoration by
Fred Price

Costume Design by
Howard Shoup

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup supervisor
Jean Burt Reilly	....	supervising hair stylist

Production Management
Arthur S. Newman Jr.	....	unit manager (as Arthur Newman)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hank Moonjean	....	assistant director

Art Department
John Barton	....	assistant property master (uncredited)
Craig Binkley	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Don Miller	....	assistant property master (uncredited)
Wes Webb	....	carpenter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Larry Jost	....	sound
Dan Wallin	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Stunts
M. James Arnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hicks	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jordan Cronenweth	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Michael A. Jones	....	assistant chief lighting technician (uncredited)
Michael A. Jones	....	rigging gaffer (uncredited)
Harry Sundby	....	chief electrician (uncredited)

Music Department
Barney Kessel	....	musician: guitar, soundtrack (uncredited)
Dan Wallin	....	scoring mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Jalem Productions

Distributors

• Warner Brothers/Seven Arts (1967) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Finland (1968) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner-Tonefilm (1968) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1981) (1986) (Finland) (TV)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1973) (USA) (TV) (pan/scan)
• Scanvideo (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1996) (1998) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 | Singapore:PG | USA:GP (re-rating) (1970) | Norway:16 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Australia:M | Spain:7 | Portugal:M/12 | USA:Approved (certificate #21450) | Sweden:15 | France:-12 | New Zealand:PG | Finland:K-16 | Ireland:12 (blu-ray) (2008) | Ireland:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

Company:

Jalem Productions

Trivia:

Although she played his mother in the film, Jo Van Fleet was only 11 years older than Paul Newman.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When the Walking Boss shoots the snake, it appears to be a western diamondback rattler. This species is not found in the deep south where the film takes place.

Quotes:

Carr:Them clothes got laundry numbers on them. You remember your number and always wear the ones that has your number. Any man forgets his number spends a night in the box. These here spoons you keep with you. Any man loses his spoon spends a night in the box...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #7.58" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Plastic Jesus

Sticking it to the man

"For the secret of man's being is not only to live but to have something to live for. Without a stable conception of the object of life, man would not consent to go on living, and would rather destroy himself than remain on earth, though he had bread in abundance." - Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Luke returns home after the war. He's a drifter. A loner. He's been handed one bad hand after the next, and, no matter how he plays his cards, he always seems to lose. The film opens with Luke, drunk and shameless, knocking the heads off parking meters. The authorities try to cash in on our everyday movements, and this lack of freedom ticks Luke off.

Luke is sent to prison and what follows is one of the greatest existential movies of all time. Luke's conversations with God, his isolation and alienation, his experiences and a pair of profound scenes, both involving his mother, elevate "Cool Hand Luke" above most prison-break movies.

While "Shawshank Redemption" preaches hope and patience and "Cuckoo's Nest" harped on about freedom, "Cool Hand Luke" takes a far more mythical stance. We don't know much about Luke. He never looks anyone in the eyes when speaking and always has a sly grin on his face. And yet behind his smile we sense deep pain, his lack of control matched only by his dogged spirit to continue fighting.

While "Cuckoo's Nest" had a system that despite its flaws genuinely tried to heal and help others, Luke's social institution is corrupt and in many aspects pointless. Still, for a while Luke abides by it. He goes about the state's business with a smile, cutting grass and paving roads. He only has 2 years in chains. He can make it. And like he says, he has no place else to go. No plans. He plays his cards with cool, detached ambivalence.

In one beautiful scene Luke's dying mother comes to visit. Their conversation is genuinely touching. She tried her best with him, giving him nothing but love. And yet, no amount of motherly affection has helped Luke. Because of this she wishes mankind were like dogs. She wishes she could abandon her children and forget about them. Never having to worry or fret about how they are, what they'll do or where they'll go. She loves Luke, but hates the agony he puts her through. And yet we sense that she understands him intimately. Perhaps she admires him because she too has been dealt a life of bad hands.

Luke's outlook changes when his mother dies and the prison warden locks him in a box for no particular reason. When the Boss says "Just doing my job", Luke replies "That don't make it right." And it isn't right. But it's the system and so Luke has to abide.

From here on Luke begins to fight back. He may spend his life on his knees, but by God he will not submit to anyone! Of course the other inmates begin to idolise Luke, worshipping his never-give-up spirit. But rather than fight themselves, they sit back and exalt him. Luke begins to resent this. "Step feeding off me!" he yells. But they're content to sit on the sidelines. He's a one man revolution, and like many revolutionaries he's praised for his stance from afar but never actively supported.

Why do men have to die for causes before we take notice?

The film ends on an ambiguous note. Does Luke smile? Does he die? Does he survive? If he does survive, is his survival merely wishful thinking on the part of his fellow inmates? Note that the film's final image is a brief shot of a photograph. It was established in an earlier sequence that this idyllic photograph represents a lie. We also know that the photograph was torn to shreds earlier in the film. The ending thus suggests that though Luke has died and the system utterly beaten him down, the men nevertheless choose to believe in him. They believe he has risen (the film is filled with Christian imagery), that he's survived death and still fighting the fight, sticking it to the man for all of mankind.

But like that happy photograph, filled with false smiles, their belief is an illusion. Luke is dead, and though his fighting spirit remains in the hearts of these men, it will take a revolution to wake them up and shake them out of their weak surrender. What fuels their revolution, what fuels all revolutions, is the hope that Luke represents. Yes this hopeful idyll is a myth, but it is a necessary one which must be sustained lest we submit.

9/10- An accidental masterpiece. The planets really lined up for this one. The only flaw is an overly silly (though iconic) car wash scene.

Worth multiple viewings.