Where was Brothers filmed?
1977
City Locations
North Dakota State Penitentiary; 9101 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA; 7831 South Broadway, Los Angeles, California, USA; Malibu Courthouse - 23525 Civic Center Way, Malibu, California, USA; Mayfair Hotel - 1256 W. 7th Street, Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles, California, USA; Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
Location Types
American, Police/Jails, Hotels/Motels, House
Location Styles
Americana/Anywhere America, Federal Building, Dated/50's-60's-70's Building
About Brothers
David Thomas (Bernie Casey), a friend, and his brother, Joshua Thomas (Owen Pace) drive to the city after killing a rabbit. As Joshua is dropped off, the friend robs a clerk as David remains in the car. David is charged as an accessory to a robbery, which results in a one-year sentence. However, different misdemeanors extend his time, and he is transferred to Mendocino State Prison after three years. Then, he becomes a part of the black prisoners in a cell block's top tier.
He is told to get used to how unfairly blacks are treated in the prison. His brother, Joshua meets Paula Jones (Vonetta McGee), a black activist, to extend her outreach to prisons. To help him not focus on anger, Walter (Ron O'Neal) gives David a book by Malcolm X, Frantz Fanon, and Che Guevara. Within eight months, Walter is scheduled for parole.
During the night, some white guards come to carry out rectal inspections. In his anger, he initiates a brawl, which results in him, and Walter being transferred to solitary cells. As they go for a shower, David shouts that Walter's parole has been rescinded, which the latter knows. Walter resists as the inmates were thrown into their cells, which resulted in the guard beating him to death. The head guard, Officer McGee (John Lehne), tries to cajole them not to mention what had happened.
However, David writes a small bulletin, which reports what happened to Walter. He manages to slip it to his brother during a visit, which eventually ends up with Paula Jones. As a result, a citizen's committee visits the warden.
David calls Paula as she passes his cell, telling her he is Joshua's brother. As the committee members leave, McGee gathers the guards to find out who printed the underground. David and Lewis (Denny Broker) are thrown into maximum security, but Paula manages to visit him through her influence. She plays the committee her taped conversation with David, and they convince the warden to return both Lewis and David to the general population.
During an exercise session, Lewis is advertently tripped by a white inmate, and as he retaliated he was shot by a sniper. After hearing a grand jury calling Lewis' murder a justifiable homicide, a riot broke out. A guard is pushed, and David is thrown into solitary confinement, alongside two other black inmates. The Davis brothers are asked to falsely testify - for special privileges - that they saw three black inmates pushing a guard over the rail.
As Paula leads a "free the Mendocino brothers" campaign, she asks David about publishing the underground, but she is scared it will only make things harder for him. However, David tells her to go ahead while hiring Joshua for protection. She buys a pistol for Joshua who holds the district attorney and the judge hostage but were all gunned down. The Davis brothers confess to the warden about their deal with McGee.
Eventually, as all white and black inmates learn that McGee wants to kill them all, David runs a guard across the yard with two guns. McGee shoots the guard but was shot by David, who was also shot by a sniper. Then, the white prisoners join the black inmates to stage a protest.
Brothers Locations
This is an American drama that was released in 1977. Directed by Arthur Barron, the movie was produced by Edward Lewis and Mildred Lewis. While the movie was released in theaters in 1977, it was available on VHS in 1998. The movie depicts the hardship of prison life, particularly for black inmates.
The movie was shot in the state of California. However, different locations were used in filming various scenes: North Dakota State Penitentiary; South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles; South Broadway, Los Angeles; Malibu Courthouse; Mayfair Hotel, Los Angeles; Los Angeles. Over the years, California has become a center of the film industry, with many iconic, top-rated movies filmed in this state.
Some of these aforementioned spots are great places to visit. As a result, if you wish to know more about the location of your favorite scenes, the following will provide more details.
Fun fact:
To maintain secrecy, the production of the movie was done without any announcements.
David sits in the car as his friend robs a clerk scene in Brothers
9101 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
The location of the scene is a great neighborhood that is known to be friendly. Tourists can easily make friends and settling down is much easier than in many other neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Visitors and residents can enjoy access to restaurants and stores.
This burgeoning neighborhood also boasts biking trails. Besides this, locals and tourists are exposed to a good standard of living. If you wish to visit this location, you can reach there by road.
The scene begins with David dropping his brother Joshua home. As Joshua tells David he wants to go with him, the latter says, "Not tonight, Josh. Be cool. I'll talk to you later." Then, David and his friend drive to a gas station, where David sits in the car as his friend robs the place.
David is in court for his hearing scene in Brothers
Malibu Courthouse - 23525 Civic Center Way, Malibu, CA
This old Malibu Courthouse used to be an important part of Malibu until it was demolished years ago. Although this location serves another function now, tourists can still expose themselves to the relevant history of the old courthouse by visiting the location. Besides this, movie lovers can also see the site of their favorite movie scene.
If you also wish to know more about the history of the area, ensure you visit the nearby Malibu library. Besides this, the Malibu farmers market is another place tourists should visit. There are amazing restaurants there and it is perfect for a beach clinic. Access to this area is possible by road.
David is in court for his hearing. He is asked by the Judge, "Are you represented by a council?" "No, I ain't got no council," David replies. "You will address the court as your honor." The judge affirms. He asks again, "Are you represented by a council?". David replies, "No, your honor." Then, Mr. Sirrell (Sam Nudell) is told to represent David "for the purposes of arraignment".
Sirrell tells David privately, "You've got yourself quite a problem, son." In his defense, David tells him he wasn't aware of what his friend tried to do. Sirrell tells him he is an accessory to robbery, pointing his mother to the fact David had a gun within his possession. He is told to plead guilty to get a reduced sentence, which he agrees to.
David meets Walter for the first time scene in Brothers
North Dakota State Penitentiary - 3100 Railroad Avenue, Bismarck, ND
The North Dakota State Penitentiary is a prison that is focused on strengthening the community and influencing changes. This location is close to Environmental Training Center, as well as Northwest Tire Truck and Farm Center, which provide tire and wheel services. If you wish to visit the site of your favorite movie scenes, access is by road through railroad avenue.
David is escorted by a guard to his prison cell. As he enters, Walter stares at him as he tries to get himself all set. Then, Walter tells him, "Why don't you try the other side?" David didn't respond. Then, Walter stands up and asks him as he pours himself a cup of water, "you want a cup?" Again, David didn't offer a response. Eventually, he takes the drink and they both talk about how he got there.
Walters tells him he is in for 10 years, but up for parole in "eight months, four days, and in about 13 hours". Walter asks for David's name, and he tells him his.
David and Walter play a card game scene in Brothers
North Dakota State Penitentiary - 3100 Railroad Avenue, Bismarck, ND
This location represents a component of the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Most of the scenes in this movie were shot at this location. For this reason, if you love many prison scenes in the movie, then you should visit this area to enjoy a first-hand experience of how the movie shooting was done.
David and Walter are playing cards in the room. David jokes about beating him. Walter replies, "you know this game does have its limitations, which you are very good at." Then, Walters tells David he is going to introduce him to chess, but David says chess is a slow game. Walter tells him that chess is good for the mind.
Walters continues by saying that he doesn't like what he sees when he watches David. He says that David appears to be doing time, rather than using time. David replies, "let me tell you something, man. In here, time is time." Then, he introduced David to many books.
Paula buys Joshua a gun at a gun store scene in Brothers
7831 South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA
This movie scene was shot at a location that has many fine buildings and is known to be a friendly neighborhood. There are lots of attractions there. The dining scene of this neighborhood is a fine one. Furthermore, it is no strange news that Los Angeles has great weather, and this location is no exception.
You should visit this place to see the site where this scene is filmed. Getting there is not hard. Access is possible by road.
This scene begins with Paula telling Joshua that they will try all they can to take the necessary steps. Joshua replies, "it won't matter. David will never get a fair trial. Neve will." The store owner brings out the gun to be purchased and asks for Paula's driver's license. She is then asked to sign.
Paula hides in a hotel scene in Brothers
Mayfair Hotel - 1256 W. 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA
Since the shooting of this scene, this hotel has emerged as one of the top hotels in Los Angeles. The grand first impression this hotel makes on you cannot be ignored. It boasts a restaurant, a fine swimming pool, and bars for relaxing. You will also come across various facilities that serve many outdoor functions.
You can visit this location to enjoy a fine time in Los Angeles. This 249-room, 15-story hotel has emerged as a top tourist attraction in the city. Besides the special services, the site of your favorite movie scene is a place you should visit.
Paula is convinced to go underground as her life may be in danger. Paula says, "I hate the thought of running away." Paula is told that with the mass hysteria, she stands as much a fair trial as David. As she stays in the hotel, she is not happy that she is in hiding. She remains haunted by the nightmare of what happened to Joshua, blaming herself for buying him a gun.
She becomes one of the most wanted on the FBI list. She is believed to be with a male companion. She listens to the news on the TV.
Conclusion
This 1977 American movie depicts how hard prison life is for inmates, especially African Americans. It also shows how bad institutional brutality can be. This movie was filmed in various locations in Los Angeles in the state of California.
Over the years, Los Angeles has been a hub for filmmakers, with many movies shot in this area. Some of these highly-rated movies are Blade Runner (1982), La La Land (2016), The Player (1992), Jackie Brown (1997), Nightcrawler (2014), and Drive (2011), among many other movies.
Visiting these areas in Los Angeles can grant you the chance of exploring your favorite movie scenes. Besides this, Los Angeles is characterized by racial, demographic, climate, cultural and economic diversity. Indeed, it is a truly special place for all tourists to visit.