Review of Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) by Anastasia B — 14 Oct 2009
More a tale of personal growth and ultimate succes than a prison film, this one is a great story that could have been even greater, if it wasn't so polished, in order to meet Hollywood's criteria for a crowd-pleaser. The obvious symbolization of bird=freedom of the soul (even though behind bars) transforms Stroud from a vicious killer to a saint.
The true story of Robert Stroud is not exactly the one we see on the film. His darker sides are brushed off or ignored - like the fact that he killed people in cold blood for trivial reasons. Prison historians have said that the real Stroud was a merciless killer who showed no remorse for his crimes.
Still, the performance of Burt Lancaster makes it a classic film of human-interest, concentrating on Stout's intelligence and the fact that he he wrote two books: " Diseases of Canaries " and "Stroud's Digest on the Diseases of Birds". He also made several important contributions to avian pathology, most notably a cure for the hemorrhagic septicemia family of diseases, which gained him respect and also some level of sympathy in the bird-loving field.
This review of Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) was written by Anastasia B on 14 Oct 2009.
Birdman of Alcatraz has generally received very positive reviews.
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