excellent really great movie , from 1972, alan alda, and roy jenson, are really brillant brillant actors

I remember seeing this made for TV movie when it was aired on CBS back in the day. It is a really compelling story with exceptional performances by Alan Alada, Clu Gulager (an actor I've always liked since I saw him in things THE KILLERS & THE VIRGINIAN TV series) but most especially the late Vic Morrow. He really shines as a thoroughly chilling monster, vicious and brutal. Everything builds to the final confrontation between his character and Alan Alda's. I remember it being a pretty brutal film but that was by the standards of 30 years ago.

Underlying meanings cannot be seen clearly by bystanders, its like looking through a thick glass panel where everything on the surface look glossy but what lurks beneath requires deeper insights into the system and human nature. A prison lock-up that does more harm than good gets the "big" cover up from people on the take, and people who wants to see justice done but were held back by the legal system. So everyone in the know, turns a blind eye believing that thorny issues will resolve itself. Vic Morrow was at his "chilling" best as Hugo Slocum, inmate leader. Failing to intimidate fellow inmates and naive new arrivals, Slocum would resort to violence, often resulting in death or severe injuries to his victims. Vic Morrow's portrayal of Slocum was three-dimensional. On the surface, Slocum looked every bit the disgusting leader, nothing-will-faze-him type. In the next instant, he was showering his affection on a young naive newcomer whom he thought would be a good substitute for the lack of the feminine touch in a man only prison. When Slocum failed to get the boy's cooperation, he let the other inmates have a go (brute force was used), I felt a sense of nausea surging through me, not so much the graphics, but the thought of what actually happened really turned my insides out. At this time, the camera panned to Slocum lying on his cell bed cringing and feeling restless, but whatever remorsefulness that Slocum may have had, did not make him attempt to stop it. Not recommended for children under 16. "Violence lovers" however, will be greatly disappointed for the lack of action. It is an art film with serious undertones. Not for the faint hearted. Superb acting especially by Vic Morrow and good support from Alan Alda, Billy Dee Willams and to a lesser extent, Glu Gulager.

The TV movie adaptation of Truman Capote's novel brings the horrific realities of prison life like no other film does. The movie addresses the various hardships that an individual can face while doing time in prison. The hardships can stem from being exposed to a tight brutal gang network within or from a corrupt correctional system. The movie is in essence seen through the eyes of rookie correctional officer Brian (Clu Gulager). Brian is at first enthusiastic about his new job as a prison guard. It however does not take long before he becomes disillusioned with the police corruption he witnesses. The movie itself however centers on two new inmates, Jonathan Paige (Alan Alda) a college professor convicted of manslaughter and Allan Campbell, a young teenager arrested for drugs. Jonathan and Allan quickly become friends despite their different backgrounds. Unfortunately Allan also befriends Hugo Slocum (Vic Morrow) the prison gang leader who has in fact taken a physical liking toward him. In the meantime, Jonathan accepts a position as a pharmacist and meets Lennox (Billy Dee Williams), a black idealist. It is in the pharmacy that Jonathan first collides with Hugo by refusing to become a fellow supplier in the drug trafficking business. Jonathan further draws Hugo's ire when he begins to protest Hugo's advances on Allan. The building tension between Jonathan and Hugo is such that both Lennox and Brian notice and become involved in their own way. It is only a matter of time before Jonathan decides that he has no alternative but to have a deadly confrontation with Hugo.

The movie as a whole is very grim and unsettling. There is at least one rape and one suicide scene in addition to the various gang hit killings throughout the movie. It is a movie well worth watching although some viewers may find it to be depressing and disturbing.

In a bizarre coincidence, there is a scene in which Vic Morrow's character states that he can get anything he wants in the prison except for a helicopter and a woman. It is a tragic irony that 10 years later, a helicopter propeller would kill Vic Morrow while he simultaneously held a girl during the filming of the Twilight Zone the Movie.

The Glass House is as accurate a portrayal of prison life as can be put to film according to former inmates. Movies such as "The Shawshank Redemption" which are appealing and well known do not accurately or fully depict the harsh realities of the brutal interaction between the various sorts of prisoners. It is a pity that this movie is not better known. It is perhaps for this sad fact that "The Glass House" was only released on DVD for a limited time.

This is WOW...Good Job Alan Alda!! I recommend this to anyone wanting to have an understanding of prison...and yes this is realistic!!