Cool Hand Luke
US (1967): Prison/Drama
Paul Newman was nominated for an Oscar® and George Kennedy received one for his work in this allegorical prison drama. Luke Jackson (Paul Newman) is sentenced to a stretch on a southern chain gang after he's arrested for drunkenly decapitating parking meters. While the avowed ambition of the captain (Strother Martin) is for each prisoner to "get their mind right," it soon becomes obvious that Luke is not about to kowtow to anybody. When challenged to a fistfight by fellow inmate Dragline (George Kennedy), Luke simply refuses to give up, even though he's brutally beaten. Luke knows how to win at poker, even with bad cards, by using his smarts and playing it cool. Luke also figures out a way for the men to get their work done in half the usual time, giving them the afternoon off. Finally, when Luke finds out his mother has died, he plots his escape; when he's caught, he simply escapes again. Soon, Luke becomes a symbol of hope and resilience to the other men in the prison camp -- and a symbol of rebelliousness that must be stamped out to the guards and the captain. Along with stellar performances by Newman, Kennedy, and Martin, the film features a superb supporting cast, including Ralph Waite, Harry Dean Stanton, Dennis Hopper, Wayne Rogers, and Joe Don Baker as members of the chain gang. Stuart Rosenberg directs for Warner Bros. (Mark Deming, All Movie Guide)
Some interesting Luke sidelights from the IMDb:
4 nominations, 1 Award
· Telly Savalas was originally cast as Luke, but was in Europe and refused to fly. Not able to wait for a boat journey, the producers cast Paul Newman instead.
· Bette Davis was first offered the role of Luke's mother, but refused the bit part. Jo Van Fleet played the part in the film.
· Luke's prison number (37) is a reference to the Bible - Luke 1:37 -- "For with God nothing shall be impossible."
· In the last scene the lights in the traffic signals are reversed: red on the bottom, green on top. Clearly it was the director's intent to defy authority.
· Supporting Actor 1967: George Kennedy
· Actor 1967: Paul Newman
· Writing (Screenplay based on material from another medium) 1967: Donn Pearce, Frank R. Pierson
· Music Scoring Awards (Original Music Score) 1967: Lalo Schifrin