Main Cast: Bruce Davison, Jose Perez, Nathan George, Don Blakely, Shawn Elliott
Release Year: 1977
Country: US
Run Time: 104 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
"Short eyes" is prison slang for a man who sodomizes little boys. Fitting this odious description is new inmate Bruce Davison, who is arrested and locked up with the scum of the earth. Despite their own depravities, Davison's fellow prisoners consider him the lowest form of human life, and proceed to treat him accordingly, in a series of appalling episodes that must have been as hard to film as they are to watch. Most of the supporting cast is comprised of real-life hoodlums, junkies and killers; small wonder that Davison retains his deer-in-the-headlights facial expression throughout the film. Short Eyes was based on a play by Miguel Pinero. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Tito Goya - Cupcakes; Bob Maroff - Mr. Nett; Keith Davis - Mr. Brown; Miguel Piñero - Go Go; Willie Hernandez - Cha Cha; Bob O'Connell - Mr. Allard; Mark Margolis - Mr. Morrison; Richard Matamoros - Gomez; Curtis Mayfield - Pappy; Joseph Carberry - Longshore; Tony di Benedetto - Tony; Freddy Fender - Johnny; Rodney Rincon - Pappy's Inmate
Credit
Paul Martino - Costume Designer, Robert M. Young - Director, Ed Beyer - Editor, Curtis Mayfield - Composer (Music Score), Curtis Mayfield - Songwriter, H.P. Denenberg - Songwriter, Martin Hirsch - Songwriter, Joe Babas - Production Designer, Peter Sova - Cinematographer, Walker Stuart - Producer, Robert M. Young - Producer, Lewis Harris - Producer, Marvin Stuart - Producer, Pat Prather - Set Designer, Miguel Piñero - Screenwriter, Miguel Piñero - Play Author
Short Eyes is set in an unnamed House of Detention in New York City, the prisoners of which are predominately black or Puerto Rican. One day, a new prisoner is brought in: Clark Davis, a young, middle-class white man accused of raping a young girl. His fellow prisoners immediately turn on him — pedophiles are considered the lowest form of prison life — except for Juan, one of the institution's older prisoners, who treats him with dignity. While Davis insists he doesn't remember raping the girl, he admits that he has molested several other children.
Nevertheless, the case against him is weak and, unless Juan tells prison authorities about Davis' confessions to him, it is only a matter of time before he is set free. As Juan struggles with what to do, the other prisoners plan to rid themselves of Davis permanently.
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