FilmSkool — a free film school
Birdman of Alcatraz
After killing a prison guard, convict Robert Stroud faces life imprisonment in solitary confinement. Driven nearly mad by loneliness and despair, Stroud's life gains new meaning when he happens upon a helpless baby sparrow in the exercise yard and nurses it back to health. Despite having only a third grade education, Stroud goes on to become a renowned ornithologist and achieves a greater sense of freedom and purpose behind bars than most people find in the outside world.
1962 · Directed by John Frankenheimer · 147 min · Drama · Crime · History · 14 frames
Tagline
Inside the rock called Alcatraz they tried to chain a volcano they called 'The Bird Man'!
Crew
- Screenplay: Guy Trosper
- Cinematography: Burnett Guffey, John Alton
- Edited by: Edward Mann
- Music: Elmer Bernstein
- Produced by: Stuart Millar, Guy Trosper
Cast
- Burt Lancaster as Robert Stroud
- Karl Malden as Harvey Shoemaker
- Thelma Ritter as Elizabeth Stroud
- Neville Brand as Bull Ransom
- Betty Field as Stella Johnson
- Telly Savalas as Feto Gomez
- Edmond O'Brien as Tom Gaddis
- Hugh Marlowe as Roy Comstock
- Whit Bissell as Dr. Ellis
- Crahan Denton as Kramer
Production
- Country: United States of America
- Language: English
- Studios: Norma Productions, United Artists
- Budget: $2,650,000
- Box office: $3,100,000
- Themes: prison, prisoner, rebel, difficult childhood, human animal relationship, alcatraz prison, ornithology, biography, solitary confinement, black and white
Own the film
FilmSkool earns a small commission from qualifying Amazon purchases, at no cost to you.
More by John Frankenheimer
On this film
This is the plain index, shown because JavaScript is off. Every lesson here is a free video published by the channel credited on it and plays through that channel's own embed — FilmSkool hosts nothing.