Birdy (1984)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Alan Parker

Writers:

Sandy Kroopf (screenplay) and
Jack Behr (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 December 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A soaring experience unlike anything you've ever seen before.

Plot:

Two friends arrive back from Vietnam, scarred in different ways. One has physical injuries, the other...

Plot Keywords:

Bird | Vietnam | Vietnam War | Prom | Junkyard

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Matthew Modine	...	Birdy
Nicolas Cage	...	Sgt. Alfonso 'Al' Columbato
John Harkins	...	Major Weiss M.D.
Sandy Baron	...	Mr. Columbato
Karen Young	...	Hannah Rourke
Bruno Kirby	...	Renaldi
Nancy Fish	...	Mrs. Prevost
George Buck	...	Walt - Birdy's Father
Dolores Sage	...	Birdy's Mother
Pat Ryan	...	Joe Sagessa (as Robert L. Ryan)
James Santini	...	Mario Columbato
Maud Winchester	...	Doris Robinson (as Maude Winchester)
Marshall Bell	...	Ronsky
Elizabeth Whitcraft	...	Rosanne
Sandra Beall	...	Shirley

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:16 (1985) | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | New Zealand:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

46th Street Station, cnr Market & 46th Streets, Santa Clara, California, USA

Company:

A&M Films

Trivia:

The soundtrack was composed and recorded in one weekend. Peter Gabriel used tracks from his third and fourth albums as bases for much of the music, including excerpts from "Not One Of Us", "Family Snapshot", "The Family and the Fishing Net", and "San Jacinto." One cue was simply an instrumental version of "The Rhythm of the Heat", and the main theme was a variation of "Wallflower."

Quotes:

[reaction to Al extolling the female breast]
Birdy: They're just like on a cow, but in a more stupid place.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

The interplay of an extrovert and an introvert is both hilarious and an intriguing psychological study.

Many critics rated this as one of the most overlooked films of the mid-eighties. The film has moments of deep seriousness blended with killer humour. The interplay of an extrovert and an introvert - the different ways that they think and react to situations - is often hilarious. The film can also be regarded as an intriguing psychological study, as Cage tries every technique his fast-paced mind can think of to snap his introverted friend out of his acute mental state - a condition caused by witnessing the horrors of warfare. It is extremely interesting to see what works in the end. Modine's physically-challenging performance is top-notch. Contains a great Peter Gabriel soundtrack as well. Although not to everyone's taste, I, for one, liked the "gag" ending. (10 out of 10)