Birdman of Alcatraz Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Birdman of Alcatraz Blu-ray Movie Review

Evidently 'Birdman of Leavenworth' didn't have quite the same ring.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 21, 2014

San Francisco, the iconic City by the Bay, is a wonderland of sorts for tourists, what with its many attractions like the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown and insanely twisty Lombard Street. But one of the best tourist attractions is actually out in the bay itself, the legendary island where Alcatraz Prison still stands, albeit in a barren, officially abandoned, state. Tour ferries take untold thousands of folks to the facility every year, and it’s possible to walk in the echoing concrete caverns and see where such infamous folks as Al Capone spent years longing for freedom. The name Robert Franklin Stroud may not initially ring bells the same way “Capone” does, but if one mentions Stroud’s soubriquet, the Birdman of Alcatraz, the light of recognition usually dawns, albeit often in the form of memories of the much lauded 1962 film starring Burt Lancaster. The ironic thing about Birdman of Alcatraz is that relatively little of the film actually takes place on the island penitentiary, as due to Stroud’s supposed unstable behavior, he spent much of his incarceration in solitary, deprived even of the company of his beloved birds. That oddity aside, as well as the fact that this supposed “biographical” film plays pretty fast and loose with the actual facts (as tends to be the case with Hollywood versions of life stories), Birdman of Alcatraz offers one of Lancaster’s most quietly commanding performances in a story that’s both touching and oddly inspirational.

Those iconic San Francisco Bay Ferries are front and center as Birdman of Alcatraz opens with real life author Tom Gaddis (Edmond O’Brien), the man who wrote the biography of Stroud, walks past the boarding area to gaze out over the bay toward The Rock. Gaddis begins to recount his fascination with Stroud, and the film’s narrative proper then begins, with Stroud (Burt Lancaster) already well into a life of crime and indeed on a train taking him and a gaggle of other men to prison. The train car is stifling, with several of the men seemingly close to passing out, and when Stroud decides to take matters into his own hands, his contentious, violent manner is made more than apparent, something that brings him into potential conflict with a guard named Bull Ransom (Neville Brand).

Stroud’s fracas on the train also makes him an object of disparaging interest by martinet Leavenworth warden Shoemaker (Karl Malden), who does not suffer fools or intransigent prisoners gladly. Stroud’s only real human connection is with his elderly mother Elizabeth (Thelma Ritter), but when Stroud’s own disorderly conduct deprives him of a visit from her, he loses it in the prison cafeteria one day and ends up fatally stabbing a prison guard. Suddenly the stakes are much higher and Stroud seems to be heading straight toward a hangman’s noose.

Relentless politicking by Elizabeth saves Stroud from execution, but the trade off is he’s sentenced to a life of solitary confinement, where ironically only his interactions with former nemesis Ransom break up the daily monotony. He does get a bit of a breather in a courtyard to walk around and take in some fresh air, and on one of those occasions he finds a wounded sparrow. That begins Stroud’s lifelong obsession with birds, an interest that is shown to spread to other prisoners, so that one wing (no pun intended) of Leavenworth becomes a virtual aviary.

Birdman of Alcatraz takes its sweet time showing the slow, steady transformation of Stroud from an insolent, even violent, prisoner to a man who finds his rather odd calling in life and begins to pursue knowledge and growth. Lancaster does a really fantastic job depicting Stroud’s quiet menace which (at least in the early going) can suddenly erupt into homicidal rage. Evidently the real life Stroud was more perpetually encumbered by his violent side, and it can’t be denied that Guy Trosper’s screenplay wants to make Stroud ultimately a rather noble character, a decision which may rob the film of some veracity if not any real emotional impetus.

This fairly claustrophobic piece of filmmaking relies on performances for the bulk of its impact, and in that regard there’s impact to spare. Lancaster received an Academy Award nomination for his finely tuned work here, and he brings a certain savage grace to the character of Stroud. Also nominated were Thelma Ritter as Stroud’s determined mother and Telly Savales as an inmate buddy of Stroud’s. The entire supporting cast is wonderful, though, including a career high turn by Neville Brand as the guard who slowly but surely develops a friendship with Stroud.

Director John Frankenheimer is perhaps a bit too on the nose with shots that contrast the cages the birds are kept in with the similar constraints of the prison cells, not to mention the wistful looks Stroud gives his winged charges as they fly toward freedom. While the real story of Stroud may not have the cathartic, almost revelatory, quality that the film depicts, there’s an inherent “feel good” aspect to this film that suggests that rehabilitation is possible, albeit typically when it comes from within rather than being imposed from without.

Birdman of Alcatraz Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Birdman of Alcatraz is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. While perhaps not quite at the generally lustrous levels of Judgment at Nuremberg , another recent circa early sixties United Artists release licensed by Twilight Time, Birdman of Alcatraz benefits from a stable and organic presentation that looks clear and stable. Frankenheimer inserts some stock footage now and again (I had frankly never noticed in previous viewings of the film that even the train establishing shot early in the film seems to be stock), and some of those elements have fairly bad damage along with a more pronounced grain structure. Much of this film is framed in midrange to close-up, and detail and fine detail is often excellent, especially in some of the great shots of Lancaster's hands encasing various birds. Black levels are perhaps just a bit on the wan side, as is contrast, but overall this is a very pleasing and natural looking presentation.

Birdman of Alcatraz Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Birdman of Alcatraz features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix that capably reproduces the film's original theatrical exhibition. O'Brien's narration can sound just a bit boxy at times, but generally speaking dialogue is very cleanly and clearly presented and Elmer Bernstein's wistful score sounds mellow and moving. There are no issues with damage, dropouts or other anomalies.

Birdman of Alcatraz Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 3:03)


• MGM 90th Anniversary Trailer (1080p; 2:06)


• Audio Commentary features film historian and editor Paul Seydor hosted by Twilight Time's Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman. This is a wide ranging discussion, mostly by Seydor and Kirgo, which covers a number of topics. Interestingly, Seydor sees less of a "transformation" in the Stroud character than a simple "unfolding" of elements that were there to begin with.


• Isolated Score Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.

Birdman of Alcatraz Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you've gone on the Alcatraz tour, you know that Stroud is mentioned as one of the "stars" of the prison, even if his time on The Rock was evidently largely birdless. This film may have only a tangential relationship with the real story (maybe it's time for some enterprising individual to revisit Stroud's life and offer a more honest assessment), but it maintains a sure and steady grasp on both interest as well as emotions. Lancaster has one of his finest screen roles in this film, and the supporting cast is similarly excellent. This release boasts generally excellent technical merits and comes Recommended.