El hombre de Alcatraz

GOOD NEWS: This is a riveting film start-to-finish, which is hard to do considering it runs over two hours. Burt Lancaster, one of the better actors, perhaps, of all time, gives a tremendous and very memorable performance. It's a cliché but this IS one story you will not forget!

Director John Frrankenheimer also is one of the best ever. Check out his resume, if you question that last statement. He has some masterful camera shots in here. In addition to the talents of the director and main actor, you have Karl Malden,Thelma Ritter, Telly Savalas and Edmond O'Brien - no slouches they - in solid supporting roles. The DVD also helps highlight the wonderful black-and-white photography.

Most prison stories are bleak and depressing. This one is not. Oh, it has some melodrama and a few tough scenes which include prison violence, but generally it is a fascinating character study....and, even for those of you who are not bird lovers, full of interesting information about our feathered friends. How they trained the birds to do some things in here also is amazing.

BAD NEWS: What a disappointment to do some research about the real "birdman," Robert Stroud. It turns out, as other reviewers have noted, the man was a sleaze-bag. No sense going into details since some of them are simply revolting. For those who simply want to remember this as a great movie and a great performance by Lancaster, do yourself a favor and leave it at that. In this case, ignorance IS bliss!

What a beautiful film portrayal. Though this movie is slow-paced it is worth the effort to get involved viewing it. Lancaster and Malden are perfect antagonists on screen. The tenderness and gentleness shown to the birds by the inmates in the prison contrasts not only the harsh prison environment accompanied by the violent existence of everyday life but also the inner characters' of the prisoners' themselves whose tough exteriors mask the gentle love that surfaces when the birds are introduced into Robert Stroud's cell. Telly Savalas is in his element when this coarse and tough brute is elevated to tender emotions he thought did not exist in himself anymore after spending most of his life behind prison walls. This film has had a direct impact on my life as Robert Stroud's book on Bird diseases and their treatments have cured my own flock from ailments from time to time and I am so grateful for his brilliant common sense approach to disease and medicine. This is a brilliant film that I thoroughly enjoy each time I watch it. John Frankenheimer - where are you when we need you?

There are many combinations in Hollywood that produce fine work; and, then, there are those that produce tremendous work. Directors and actors can often be at odds, but when they are in sync, something wonderful can come of it. Hitchcock made classics with Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant; Scorcese and Deniro transcend their contemporaries; and Burt Lancaster and John Frankenheimer made great movies together.

I've always liked Burt Lancaster. At first, I had only seen his swashbucklers and his westerns. But, as I discovered his dramas, my respect grew. Lancaster was the perfect leading man. He was tall, good looking, charming, and loaded with charisma. What's more, he had talent. He could turn out a pirate yarn or play a con artist who finds love; a marshall in the most famous gunfight, or a general who abandons his oath; a ghost of a doctor who gets that one at-bat, or a prisoner who becomes an expert on birds. Lancaster is brilliant in this film.

Lancaster was more than a movie star; he was an actor. He never sought the easy route, his life had never been easy. Maybe that's why his movies stand out. Nothing good ever comes easy.

Lancaster presents a brilliant portrayal of Robert Stroud. Whether it is historically accurate or not is beside the point. Lancaster represents the indomitable human spirit; no matter what challenge life throws at him, he rises above. Lancaster is understated in this role, but so powerful. He doesn't need method or make up or any tricks; just his humanity.

So many movies shine due to the presence of Lancaster; but his collaborations with Frankenheimer shine brightest. Frankenheimer is highly underrated, due to his later work; but, there was a period when he was one of the best. The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May, The Train, and Birdman of Alcatraz are clear examples of his talent. Do yourself a favor, when you see a movie in the video store, or on tv, look for the names Frankenheimer and Lancaster. If you find them, watch the movie. You'll be glad you did.

This is a loose telling story of Robert Franklin Stroud (Burt Lancaster) who became known as The Birdman Of Alcatraz.

Have to say I have avoided this film for years purely because of its leading man, but before you Burt Lancaster fans jump on me let me say here and now that I'm now very much a convert these days. A dear on line friend of mine convinced me to check out some of his work last year after they found out I wasn't all that impressed with him, so after watching Atlantic City and his supreme film noirs, I was quickly back in line. This one landed from the rental folk strangely after me enjoying Lancaster in The Unforgiven only last week.

A strange thing with prison films is that few of them actually capture the oppressive feel of incarceration, so when I see one that does, then I'm very over the moon. Director John Frankenheimer manages to put the viewer in with Stroud because the pace is perfect, it's meant to be slow, prison time is slow time, the film is always close and intimate to give you the feel of being there. This film, much like two other greats from the genre in Papillon & Escape From Alcatraz, needs its lead actor to be restrained yet brood with menace, and Lancaster delivers from the top draw here. How unfortunate for him that he should turn in a fantastic turn in the same year that Atticus & Lawrence were dazzling cinema goers. The film never veers into over sentimental slumber because there is much more going on with Stroud, be it his Mother, business acumen, or the political fall out of this murderous man's time in prison.

Watching such macho men like Lancaster & Savalas grow fond of our feathered friends is priceless and brings about scenes that are both touching and poignant at the same time. Whatever the distortion of the facts as regards Robert Stroud's penal life, one thing we do know is that he made an official impact and it makes for one hell of a story. Added bonus here is that you've got Frankenheimer directing deftly in his black & white style, aided considerably by the smart cinematography from Burnett Guffey. And of course from a memorable performance from Big Bad Burt.

I was so impressed I ordered it for my own collection. 9/10

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.