Robert Stroud is imprisoned for killing a man in Alaska. He is very rebellious and cannot stand authority figures of any kind. He gets into a fight with a warden over his mother's visiting rights and the man dies. Stroud is imprisoned for the rest of his life in solitary confinement. Somewhat bored, Stroud keeps a sparrow as a pet. This love of birds balloons until there are caged birds of every variety in his cell. He is particularly good at treating ill birds and he becomes an authority on bird diseases. He meets Sally, a fellow bird expert, and they marry. He is transferred to Alcatraz where is is denied access to birds. Still rebellious after all these years, he stokes up anti-authority feeling in Alcatraz and after a while, he is transferred to another prison and eventually paroled. Robert Stroud was a real life being, portrayed as largely an average, albeit gifted, man by Burt Lancaster. However, people who knew him say he was a giant douche and the film did not portray the real character of Robert Stroud. After all, the man was a murderer and not the saintly rescuer of sick birds that he is in the film. However, despite the real life version of Stroud coming to light, Birdman of Alcatraz is a compelling film with Burt Lancaster giving an excellent performance as only Burt Lancaster can. It is quite a long film for a man to be so enamoured of birds and devote so much time to this, but the supporting cast in the film - including Telly Savalas, Karl Malden and Betty Field - is very strong and they add to the film's depth. Whatever Stroud's character, the film is a testament to a man who had an unbreakable spirit and managed to achieve great things for the world of ornithology despite being locked up from the world. As I am a cage bird enthusiast, I loved the movie and I was very touched by the scenes of avian first aid. It is a very moving affair and the end of the film is upbeat. Maybe Stroud was a jerk, but Lancaster does an amazing job of wresting compassion towards the character.
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
