Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)

A surly convicted murderer held in permanent isolation redeems himself when he becomes a renowned bird expert.

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Guy Trosper (screenplay), Thomas E. Gaddis (book)

Stars:

Burt Lancaster, Karl Malden, Thelma Ritter

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Burt Lancaster	...	Robert Franklin Stroud
Karl Malden	...	Harvey Shoemaker
Thelma Ritter	...	Elizabeth Stroud
Neville Brand	...	Bull Ransom
Betty Field	...	Stella Johnson
Telly Savalas	...	Feto Gomez
Edmond O'Brien	...	Thomas E. 'Tom' Gaddis
Hugh Marlowe	...	Albert Comstock
Whit Bissell	...	Dr. Ellis
Crahan Denton	...	Kramer
James Westerfield	...	Jess Younger

Storyline

In 1912, the notorious and violent prisoner Robert Franklin Stroud is transferred to the Leavenworth Prison convicted for murdering a man. When a guard cancels the visit of his mother Elizabeth Stroud due to a violation of the internal rules, he stabs and kills the guard and goes to trial three times. He is sentenced to be executed by the gallows, but his mother appeals to President Woodrow Wilson that commutes his sentence to life imprisonment. However, the warden Harvey Shoemaker decides to keep Stroud in the solitary for the rest of his life. One day, Stroud finds a sparrow that has fallen from the nest on the yard and he raises the bird until it is strong enough to fly. Stroud finds a motivation for his life raising and caring birds and becomes an expert in birds. He marries Stella Johnson and together they run a business, providing medicine developed by Stroud. But a few years after, Stroud is transferred to Alcatraz and has to leave his birds behind.

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Plot Keywords:

bird | prison | convict | solitary confinement | murderer | 

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Taglines:

now the world will know the story of the most defiant man alive!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 July 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Gefangene von Alcatraz

Filming Locations:

Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Norma Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

147 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The masterminds of the Battle of Alcatraz are named Logue and Burns in the film. In real life their names were Marvin Hubbard and Bernard Paul Coy.

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Goofs

In his narration at the start of the film, Gaddis states that Stroud has been in solitary confinement since 1916, the year Kaiser Wilhelm ordered the sinking of the Lusitania. This is incorrect on two counts. First, while Germany was then waging unrestricted submarine warfare and regarded any ships traveling to or from the British Isles as fair targets, neither the Kaiser nor the German government gave any specific order to target the Lusitania. Second, the ship was sunk in 1915, not 1916.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tour guide: ...during which you will see all of the man-made and natural beauties, the most spectacular bay in the world. You'll pass beneath the famous Golden Gate Bridge, considered by most authorities to be one of the most striking structures ever erected by man. From the bay, you will thrill to the magnificent San Francisco skyline. Your cruise ship, the Harbor King, will circle Alcatraz, a maximum security prison containing the most dangerous criminals in America. It has been the home of ...

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Connections

Referenced in South Park: Cat Orgy (1999)

User Reviews

Story of one man who has many others like him.

John Frankenheimers 1962 film about a convicted double murderer who turns his half-life into something meaningful by becoming an expert on the diseases of birds. Although this is not a completely accurate tale of Robert Stroud who became known as The Birdman of Alcatraz the performance of Burt Lancaster makes it a classic film of the human-interest story genre. Genuine WWII hero turned actor Neville Brand likewise turns in a strong performance as a stern yet sympathetic guard at the Leavenworth Penitentiary. Karl Malden is cast as the by the book bureaucratic prison official who's life continues to cross paths with the incarcerated Stroud. Veteran character actress Thelma Ritter is Strouds over protective mother who will do anything for her loving son realizing that where he is is probably the best place for him.

The film strangely shows the mental capabilities of a person and how much someone can achieve when one wishes to. The Stroud character has only an elementary school education at the films beginning yet applies himself to obtain knowledge equal to that of a college educated individual.

Although the story takes place in a prison this is not just a prison picture but more of a story of one man conquering his own ignorance by reaching into himself and casting out the demons that put him in the situation that he must live with. There are perhaps many such people in this countries prisons who have done similar as the main character in this movie.