Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 147 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: John Frankenheimer
Stars: Burt Lancaster, Karl Malden and Thelma Ritter
IMDb score:
7,8 (21.677)
Releasedate: 4 July 1962
Birdman of Alcatraz plot
"Inside the rock called Alcatraz they tried to chain a volcano they called 'The Bird Man'!"
Tom Gaddis tells of the man about whom he wrote a book. 1912. Robert Stroud is sentenced to life in prison for double murder. He spends a lot of time studying birds during his captivity which is why he is called the Birdman. In time, he is transferred to Alcatraz, the highest-security prison in America.
Actors and actresses
Robert Stroud
Harvey Shoemaker
Elizabeth Stroud
Bull Ransom
Stella Johnson
Feto Gomez
Tom Gaddis
Roy Comstock
Dr. Ellis
Kramer
Reviews & comments
rep_robert
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- 27567 messages
- 4183 votes
The Birdman of Alcatraz is not a prison movie like many others. The emphasis is more on the personal drama than on the action and thrill, which is actually quite refreshing. Lancaster is a wonderful actor who plays a sublime role as a bird lover in this film. The drama remains subtle and the Birdman of Alcatraz does not fall into cheap sentiment. The balance between lightness and drama is perfect.
It's a shame that the film looks a bit fragmented in the beginning and that I had trouble really getting into the story. 2.5 hours is also a decent amount of time, which sometimes results in somewhat long-winded scenes. Fortunately, Lancaster and associates can handle this with ease.
4.0*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Insignificance
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- 3220 messages
- 5589 votes
Solid prison drama, carried by a fine Lancaster who also ages convincingly. Insofar as escape is a theme, it is mainly locked in a mental aspect; escaping the rigid prison system. Stroud does it via a sparrow. With such a special underlying story a thick sandwich, but on the way it loses a bit of taste. The fact that Frankenheimer does not use sentimental bells and whistles is absolutely commendable.
How he tries to achieve such a thing in a covered and contrived way, is less effective. At a certain point, not much is left of the stubborn, determined and hard Stroud with whom the film opens. The raw edge soon wears off, it gradually loses its ambiguity and so the closing part in Alcatraz barely gets off the ground. Conversations with an injured inmate and the director suddenly seem forced and the film leaves a shaky impression.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Dievegge
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- 3235 messages
- 8332 votes
The largely true facts are shown from a subjective angle. As a viewer, you are manipulated into feeling sympathy for a multiple murderer. His crimes are dealt with only briefly; his victims are presented as unsympathetic. Despite this lack of objectivity, it is a fascinating portrait of a sentenced to life imprisonment. There is certainly something to be said for his early release subject to conditions; on the other hand, it's understandable that someone who kills a jailer doesn't get a favorable evaluation. Robert Stroud has made a useful contribution to avian medicine. A person can have both good and bad qualities at the same time, becoming more gentle as the years go by and the testosterone level decreases.
Shadows of bars emphasize the feeling of being trapped. Skewed camera angles depict his drunkenness and disorder during the rebellion. The scene in which a sparrow pulls a cart is endearing. Birdman of Leavenworth would have been a more logical title. The first word has a literal and a figurative meaning. Birds symbolize the desire for freedom.
The actors pull out all the stops: Karl Malden as the resentful prison warden, Thelma Ritter in one of her many signature side roles, Kojak with her, and of course the Burtman who evolves from hot-tempered bastard to caring, wise old man. All this is dramatically supported by the symphonic sounds of Elmer Bernstein. Here and there reality is taken for granted, but it has become a gripping sketch of life.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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