Such a frustrating disappointment

hyped garbage

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Fascinating biopic about Robert Stroud, a man committed to life in prison who became one of the premier experts and authors in the world of bird diseases.The film has that raggedy visual style common to John Frankenheimer movies, which I like. But the screenplay is straight up inspirational Hollywood stuff about the inherent dignity of human life no matter what the circumstances, not a perspective I particularly share. It's also far too long, losing the thread of Stroud's story a bit along the way. A long segment detailing a famous escape attempt from Alcatraz will satisfy those who like a good prison break movie, but it feels tangential to the main plot and adds a good 20 minutes or so to the movie.Burt Lancaster was a go-to actor for steely resolve, and he reeks of it in this film. Another welcome presence is Thelma Ritter as Stroud's mother, a sweet old lady who turns out to have a heart of ice. Yikes, am I glad I wasn't born into this family. Lancaster and Ritter were both Oscar nominated, as was Telly Savalas as a fellow inmate and friend to Stroud. But one of my favorite performances came from the unrecognized Betty Field, as the woman who would eventually marry the incarcerated Stroud and turn his mother against him.Rounding out the film's quartet of Oscar nominations was the black and white cinematography of Burnett Guffey, who had already won for "From Here to Eternity" and would go on to win again for "Bonnie and Clyde."Aside: With her sixth loss, Thelma Ritter tied Deborah Kerr as the female actor with the most nominations never to have won, a record that stands to this day, though Kerr did win an honorary award in 1993. The all-time loser record goes to poor Peter O'Toole, with eight losses. O'Toole was also thrown an honorary bone in 2002, but lord knows he should have won legitimately any number of times.Grade: A-

I watched this again the other day for the first time since my original viewing about 40 years ago.As it so happens, I toured Alcatraz about 6 months ago and none of the scenes supposedly inside the prison were actually filmed at Alcatraz. This isn't surprising since Alcatraz was still an active prison at the time of filming.As far as the movie, Lancaster was superb and deserved his Oscar nomination. All of the other actors were also very fine except for Telly Savalas who was rather hammy as Feto Gomez. Lancaster had the mannerisms and gait a man might have who had spent 50 years in prison, nearly all of it in solitary. One of Lancaster's finest roles, if not his finest.I haven't read the book by Tom Geddis that this film is supposedly based on, but if the film was a faithful adaptation, then Geddis should have been paid as a novelist not as a nonfiction author.Stroud was not a nice man and did not appear to be rehabilitated or mellow as he aged - even though he became a renowned expert on birds while at Leavenworth. According to the National Park Service sources at Alcatraz, Stroud was a difficult, violent person almost until the end. Only his deteriorating health "mellowed" him, not his bird work.In the film Stroud (Lancaster) complains to Warden Shoemaker (Karl Malden) that the prison system was "repressive" and robbed men of their individuality. Oh, boo-hoo: murder is even more repressive and permanently robs the victims of their rights to individuality. In real life, Stroud continually demonstrated that he was a menace to others when he was in and out of prison. The film's attempts to soften or lessen the severity of Stroud's crimes and psychopathic personality was one of the things I found most disappointing in this treatment.There were other fabrications or omissions that detracted from the film for me: Stroud was an ardent homosexual (he often wrote homosexual erotica while in prison) who several times attempted to rape other prisoners. This aspect of his personality was not even remotely hinted at in the film. In addition, Stroud had no role whatsoever in the 1946 so-called "Battle of Alcatraz". This film paints him as someone who tried to make peace and who was instrumental in ending the assault. In fact, the weapons Stroud is shown dropping out the window in the movie were found on the dead inmates when authorities finally restored order.In summary, this movie is a fine example of a great director at the peak of his powers. The story is compelling and the acting is first rate. However, the plot is largely fictional and the viewer will learn almost nothing about Stroud himself. It is no more enlightening on Stroud than JFK was about the Kennedy assassination, which is why I gave this film a 7 instead of 8. As long as the viewer is aware that it is almost completely sanitized, they are encouraged to view and appreciate this excellent film.

This 1962 biopic from United Artists claims to tell the story of Robert Stroud. However, it is mostly fictionalised and refuses to depict the real Robert Stroud. The end product is merely a drama which addresses issues associated with the prison system which are still very much relevant today. In 1912, Robert Stroud is transferred to Leavenworth prison in Kansas to serve out a sentence for murder. During his first few years there, Stroud kills a prison guard who refuses to let him see his mother. Now facing the death sentence, Stroud's doting mother appeals to the President to have the conviction quashed. The President obliges, but Stroud must spend the rest of his life in solitary confinement. As the years pass, Stroud finds a baby sparrow in the exercise yard and nurses it back to health. Now taking an interest in ornithology(the study of birds), Stroud soon acquires a menagerie of finches and sparrows which changes his life. He even finds a cure for a deadly virus among the birds and writes a book on how to treat them, gaining the nickname "Birdman".In reality, Robert Stroud was a psychopath, not the mild mannered individual who is shown in the film. There are instances of Stroud threatening to kidnap and murder the children of some of the prison guards. Although Hollywood could not glorify an individual with such tendencies, especially in 1962, hence why this movie has been watered down. However, the ever brilliant Burt Lancaster transforms Stroud into a likable character. The robust script gives the character some truly memorable lines("a man ain't whipped until he quits")and it is Burt's unsurpassed professionalism which makes the character succeed. Karl Malden is also superb as the governor, Harvey Shoemaker. Malden would always inject passion into the characters he played and it shows here. It was also great to see an early role for Telly Savalas(with hair!)as convict Feto Gomez. The Greek gets a substantial amount of screen time and executes his role with the awe striking charisma that I have come to expect from him. Neville Brand, Hugh Marlowe and Thelma Ritter also shine in supporting roles.John Frankenheimer's direction holds the movie firmly together by making each character real. The film depicts it's characters as human beings and not just prisoners/guards. The highlight of the film is the heated discussion between Stroud and Shoemaker regarding the progression of the penal system. Shoemaker believes he has succeeded in transforming the prison into a more human environment. Stroud knows that this new system is no different from the old one. The prisoners have the ideals of the prison staff pressed onto them thus when they are released they have been robbed of their individuality which acts as a catalyst in encouraging them to re-offend. A scathing comment on the justice system handled in a mature way by Frankenheimer. There's also a particularly moving scene after the riot in which a young convict dies as Stroud begs him to reconsider what it means to be alive.Birdman is a rather long slog, but it's easy on the eye. On top of this the sturdy script and rich characterisations make it an engaging watch. 8/10.

A surly convicted murderer (Burt Lancaster) held in permanent isolation seemingly redeems himself when he becomes a renowned bird expert.I added the word "seemingly" to IMDb's plot summary because I think whether or not he redeems himself is a matter of opinion. In fact, it is something worth discussing -- does he redeem himself? Does he rehabilitate himself? I think it unclear; while he surely finds a passion for something and achieves a level of respect, does this justify his crimes? I would also like to single out Karl Malden. Malden is not as well-known as Burt Lancaster (and even Lancaster is not as well known today). Malden showed a great range of emotion here and I think the transformation of the warden is every bit as remarkable as Stroud's growth. And Malden's career is quite impressive... people should make more of an effort to see his work.