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'Carandiru' (2003) - One of the most realistic prison dramas ever made, this Brazilian production directed by Héctor Babenco pulls no punches in its depiction of life and death in what was once the biggest jail facility in Latin America.

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'Papillon' (1973) - French convict Henri Charrière's time spent at the infamous Devil's Island penal colony is told through Steve McQueen's portrayal of the man known as 'Papillon' (French for butterfly) due to the butterfly tattoo on his chest.

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'I Want To Live!' (1958) - Susan Hayward's portrayal of Barbara Graham, convicted of murder and executed in the gas chamber at San Quentin prison, earned her a Best Actress Oscar.

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'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994) - Adapted from a Stephen King novella and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, 'Shawshank' is often cited by critics as a quotable cultural phenomenon.

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'The Hill' (1965) - Sean Connery was at his height of fame as James Bond when he took a break from 007 to appear in this critically acclaimed movie, set in a British military prison in the Libyan desert during World War II.

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'The Great Escape' (1963) - This epic World War II drama is based on the real-life 1943 escape of POWs from Stalag Luft III in Nazi Germany.

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'The Green Mile' (1999) - Tom Hanks stars in this fantasy crime drama, adapted from a Stephen King novel, and set in 1935 during the Great Depression.

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'La Grande Illusion' (1937) - A masterpiece of French cinema, Jean Renoir's classic World War I drama revolves around a small group of French officers who are prisoners of war. While a war film, the story also examines the relationships between different social classes in Europe.

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'Kiss of the Spider Woman' (1985) - A Brazilian-American production, director Héctor Babenco's grim prison drama stars William Hurt and Raul Julia. Hurt won the Academy Award for Best Actor.

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'Caged' (1950) - Nominated for three Academy Awards, this obscure film noir portrays the story of a young newlywed sent to prison for being an accessory to a robbery. Eleanor Parker turned in a fine performance as the banged up bride.

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'Midnight Express' (1978) - Brad Davies stars as real-life Billy Hayes, who ended up in a Turkish jail after being caught drug smuggling. The story recounts his time behind bars and eventual escape, although the film deviated considerably from Hayes' earlier published account.

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'Jailhouse Rock' (1957) - One of Elvis Presley's finest screen performances, his performance of the song in the film, which is belted out to a choreographed dance routine, is regarded as one of the greatest musical set-pieces in entertainment history.

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'Celda 211' (2009) - Rookie prison officer "Malamadre" (Luis Tosar) pretends to be a convict after being left stranded by his colleagues in the aftermath of a riot in this highly successful Spanish prison film ('Cell 211' in English), directed by Daniel Monzón.

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'Escape from Alcatraz' (1979) - Clint Eastwood plays Frank Morris, one of three convicts who escaped from the notorious prison in 1962. Speculation as to whether the trio made it to dry land continues to this day.

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'Le Trou' (1960) - This French crime film is known as 'The Hole' in English, and is based on a real-life event concerning five prison inmates La Santé Prison in France in 1947. One of the non-actors used in the film, Jean Keraudy, was actually involved in the original escape attempt!

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'Cool Hand Luke' (1967) - Paul Newman turned in a masterful performance as the nonconformist Luke, but it was costar George Kennedy that stole the show, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in this gripping chain gang drama.

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'Brubaker' (1980) - Robert Redford's newly arrived prison warden Henry Brubaker goes briefly undercover to clean up a corrupt and violent penal system in this film based on a 1967 prison scandal.

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'Un Condamné à Mort s'est Échappé (1956) -

Released to English-speaking audiences as 'A Man Escaped,' this French World War II drama is based on the memoirs of André Devigny, a member of the French Resistance held in Montluc prison by German forces.  

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'Scum' (1979) - Hugely controversial at the time for its depiction of violence, 'Scum' authentically portrays the brutality of life inside a British borstal (today known as a young offender's institute). It was Ray Winstone's breakout film.

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'A Prophet' (2009) - Tahar Rahim stars in this tough French prison drama about an Algerian petty criminal who's manipulated by Corsican criminals, and eventually becomes an assassin and drug trafficker.

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'In the Name of the Father' (1993) - Based on the true story of the Guildford Four, four people wrongly accused of the fatal 1974 Guildford pub bombings in England, Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, and Emma Thompson all received Academy Award nominations for their respective roles in this biographical courtroom drama.

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'Dead Man Walking' (1995) - A prisoner on death row (Sean Penn) is visited by a Roman Catholic sister (Susan Sarandon) in this touching film about confession and subsequent redemption.

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'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner' (1962) - A rebellious youth (Tom Courtenay) is sent to borstal for burglary. His prowess as a long-distance runner earns the immature law-breaker special privileges.

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'The Hurricane' (1999) - Denzel Washington portrays former middleweight boxer Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter, wrongly convicted of a triple murder and now fighting to clear his name.

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'Stir Crazy' (1980) - Directed by Sidney Poitier, this amiable comedy paired Gene Wilder and Richard Prior as two friends who are handed down 125-year prison sentences after being framed for a bank robbery.

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'American History X' (1998) - A disturbing and uncompromising examination of prison life and the neo-Nazi movement, 'American History X' stars Edward Norton and Edward Furlong as two brothers in conflict with each other.

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'The Count of Monte Cristo' (2002) - One of many film adaptations of the 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas, this version follows the general plot of the book and was praised by critics for its Hollywood "Golden Age" atmosphere.

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'The Last Castle' (2001) - Robert Redford and James Gandolfini star in this action drama about a confrontation between inmates and the warden of a military prison.

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'Porridge' (1979) - A big-screen outing for the highly successful British TV series of the same name, the film stars Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale (father of Kate). Beckinsale died a few weeks after the film had wrapped. He was just 31 years old.

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'Birdman of Alcatraz' (1962) - Burt Lancaster's portrayal of convict Robert Stroud, who shared his jail time with several birds, including canaries, was well received. Much of the action, though, takes place in Leavenwoth Prison and not Alcatraz.

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'Escape from Sobibór' (1987) -

The 1943 Jewish uprising and subsequent mass escape from the Sobibór' extermination camp is recounted in this television film which starred Alan Arkin and Dutch actor Rutger Hauer (pictured).

See also: The 30 most essential cult films of all time.

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