(Hm, the Statue of Liberty seems to be still intact in the movie, but the imagery already worked for Planet of the Apes...)

Manhattan is a prison and the president got lost right in the middle of it. Just saw it again on TV last night and it’s still great. The ending is actually much better than I remembered. It’s not just that Snake Plissken destroys the ultra-secret tape while walking away. Before that he can ask a favour from the president and all he asks for is a simple answer to a simple question: "A lot of people have died. What do you think about that?" The president tries to smile and tells him that he’s gotta get ready for his big TV-appearance. Plissken is obviously referring to the war going on in the background and not to his adventure in Manhattan. This one answers the questions about the characters motivation and why everyone in Manhattan knew his name. He is a military veteran, but at some point he switched sides. In the opening, we also learn about a militant group of socialists which has highjacked the "Air Force One" and crashes it in New York City. Plissken is a cynical bastard. "What president", he asks when he is told about the crash. But the reactions he gets from the criminals in Manhattan tells a different story. He is a legendary figure with a shady past, but everyone is impressed by his appearance. A worthy remake of Rhett Butler in a way, but not just another Han Solo. Snake Plissken is an anti-hero on his own.

There was a potential to have another look at his political background and his connections in the underground. But then there was "Escape from L. A."! Let’s forget about it. It’s definetely the worst sequel ever made and a movie that should be destroyed forever. The original is an impressive low-budget-film that looks like it costed ten times more. Worth stuying for anyone working in production design. Dystopian New York was filmed in a part of St. Louis which had just suffered from a big fire. Was it St. Louis? Not sure, too lazy to look it up now. Go and listen to the audio-commentary on the dvd then!

In Europe only a lousy version seems to be available though... But there is a Special Edition Box with two discs in the US (MGM, code 9, remastered,anamorph, 2.35:1, sound in English (5.1) and French (mono), subtitles also in Spanish). It sounds like you can finally enjoy the look and feel of the movie the way it should be if you can get your hand on it. Disc 2 has a the legendary alternative bankrobbery-opening showing how Snake got caught, two audio-commentaries which are supposed to be great, a featurette called "Return To Escape From New York, photo-galleries, the trailer and a comic-book. There is another dvd-version without these features sold in Sweden and Denmanark which has a documantary called "Snake Plissken - Man of Honour" on it instead. Then there is the videogame and a comic called Snake Plissken Chronicles from Hurricane Entertainment and CrossGen Comics.

And there is still this anime-project: Facts: Production Company: Production IG (Ghost in the Shell) Director: Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) Screenwriters: Corey Mitchel, William Wilson (John Carpenter & Debra Hill are also involved) Producers: John Carpenter, Debra Hill, Kurt Russell Composer: John Carpenter (rumour) Voices: Kurt Russell (true), John Carpenter (rumour) etc Release Date: Summer of 2005 Misc: The first-ever true collaboration between a Japanese Production company and an American company on an anime film.

Snake Plisskens fanclub will keep you informed...

What’s John Carpenter doing nowadays? Looks like you missed the big contest over at creativescreenwriting.com last year:

"This free contest is looking for the "next, great John Carpenter film." That means it is only open to suspense scripts -- great stories that build slowly to a shattering conclusion. Think Halloween, think Escape From New York, think John Carpenter's The Thing. THE PRIZE: The winner will receive a $500 option on their screenplay (enough to pay their attorney) against a six-figure purchase price, and the winning script will be read by writer/director John Carpenter."

Well, how about "Escape From Hollywood? Kurt Russell is desperately looking for a comeback too, come on!