Its appeal in film derives from its picturesque setting, natural beauty, isolation, and its history as a U.S. penitentiary (now a museum) – from which, officially, no prisoner ever successfully escaped.
His biography was written by Thomas E. Gaddis and then adapted into a film in 1962, with Burt Lancaster playing the lead role.
Many films and television series have exploited Alcatraz Island's reputation as a prison from which it was almost impossible to escape.
For example: Alcatraz's isolated and fortified image has meant that it has been used as a location for fictional hostage scenarios in various instances.
Alcatraz has also been portrayed often as a safe haven or base of operations in post-apocalyptic fiction, such as the film The Book of Eli (2010).