I find it strange that even though Slater condemned the American penitentiary system of the period, the director (or somebody involved) insisted on painting an altogether patriotic picture. Why the string orchestra and the American flag where Young was being led away after winning his court case? The case was titled "The United States vs. Young" - and Young won. So why does the film still feel the need to be patriotic about it?
shareYour(not you specifically) patiotism(or lack thereof) shouldn't be based on what certain "representatives" of the country do. You can love your country and still fear your government.
sharewell i don't think that the flag in the end was a sign for patriotism!
ok, first i thought: "oh how great, another patriotic symbol!"
but then, just 2 or 3 seconds later, i said to myself: "wait! with this flag, they represent the cruel actions of the united states! perfect!"
For all of the german user: http://www.filmbericht.de !!!
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If the justice system works as it is supposed to (and, of course, it does not always), then after a competent and vigorous prosecution and a competent and vigorous defence, the guilty are found guilty of the correct crime (for example, manslaughter, rather than murder, in this case) and the innocent acquitted.
The US provides the forum for this contest because that is a function of our government. But its only interest (in theory) in the outcome is justice. If you accept the filmmaker's view in this case, then justice of a sort was done, and this was a victory, therefore, for the justice system as much as for justice itself and for Henri Young.
It is purely a convention that the case name in a federal criminal trial is the US v [name of defendant]. This does not mean that the United States (that is, we as a nation) "loses" if an innocent defendant is acquitted or a defendant is fairly found guilt of a lesser charge rather than unfairly found guilty of a greater charge.
There was therefore nothing in appropriate about the display of the US flag at the end of the case in this film.
If I remember correctly the flag was on a boat, and the camera just panned over the boat, then the BIG flag at the end, and finally settles for a shot of the water.
In my mind the calm ripples of the water was the intended part one was supposed to focus on like 'oh yeah we won and can calm down now'.
You have a perverse idea of what patriotism actually is if you managed to see the ending as patriotic.
I just watched the movie for the first time ever and when it came to that scene I thought it was intended as irony. To show just how flawed and brutal the US justice system can be. Throughout the movie they talk about the purpose of prison to rehabilitate but yet it actually does the opposite. The warden is talked about as one of the most powerful and respected in the country. In charge of multiple prisons, yet he's also described as being comparable to a Nazi.
So it may be that the flag shown shows there is hope for reform and making things better but they're far from perfect. At least Alcatraz was closed down in the 60s and Henry's case I'm sure helped bring light to so many people what was wrong with the prison.