Customer Reviews

Secrets of Alcatraz [VHS]

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I recently visited Alcatraz for the first time and found it both fascinating and creepy. That visit also led to a search for more information. I bought this video without really knowing what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised. This 48-minute video was made for the National Park Service, and a short version of it is shown on the Alcatraz tour itself.

This video presents what seems to be an unbiased look at the history of the island, from its use as a fort in the 19th century, to a military prison to the federal prison many of us remember it as. It features brief interviews with former guards and their family members (yes, families actually lived on the island while it was a prison) as well as inmates. It also has interviews with several American Indians who were among those who occupied the island from 1969-1971.

If I have one complaint, it is that I wish they had spent more time on the escape attempts, since that is what captures so many people's imaginations about the prison.

If you want to know more about Alcatraz, or you've been there and want a souvenir of the video they show, then I recommend this one.