Birdman of Alcatraz

"Inside the rock called Alcatraz they tried to chain a volcano they called 'The Bird Man'!"

1962 2h 27m EN

👍

7.5

SOLID

🍅

88%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.8

IMDB

★7.5TMDB · 359🍅88%Rotten Tomatoes●76Metacritic★7.8IMDB · 20,601

DramaCrimeHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Inside the rock called Alcatraz they tried to chain a volcano they called 'The Bird Man'!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon Prime VideoSubscription

MGM Plus Roku Premium ChannelSubscription

MGM PlusSubscription

Amazon Prime Video with AdsSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Burt Lancaster
Robert Stroud
Karl Malden
Harvey Shoemaker
Thelma Ritter
Elizabeth Stroud
Neville Brand
Bull Ransom
Betty Field
Stella Johnson
Telly Savalas
Feto Gomez
Edmond O'Brien
Tom Gaddis
Hugh Marlowe
Roy Comstock

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Frankenheimer
Writers: Guy Trosper
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.6M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

64 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Frankenheimer, shot by Burnett Guffey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Elmer Bernstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Edward Mann shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Burt Lancaster and Karl Malden and Thelma Ritter carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Inside the rock called Alcatraz they tried to chain a volcano they called 'The Bird Man'!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0055798 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Frankenheimer directs. Burnett Guffey behind the camera. Elmer Bernstein scores. Edward Mann cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.6M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
264 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by John Frankenheimer, shot by Burnett Guffey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Elmer Bernstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Edward Mann shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Burt Lancaster and Karl Malden and Thelma Ritter carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Inside the rock called Alcatraz they tried to chain a volcano they called 'The Bird Man'!".
8IMDB entry: tt0055798 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 12 themes, including "prison", "prisoner", "rebel", "difficult childhood".
10Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Burnett Guffey
Original score: Elmer Bernstein
Editing: Edward Mann
Makeup / hair: Robert J. Schiffer
Sound: George Cooper
Runtime: 147 min · 2h 27m
Status: Released
Budget: $2,650,000
Box office: $3,100,000
Return: 117% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 76/100
IMDB rating: 7.8/10 · 20,601 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

Nominated for 4 Oscars. 4 wins & 12 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

John Frankenheimer

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-07-20
★ 8/10
It's barely the start of the twentieth century when Stroud (Burt Lancaster) starts his long career in jail. He is already guilty of murder before he loses the plot with a malevolent guard and adds to his crimes. Sentenced to swing, it's only the direct intervention by his mother with the President himself, that sees his punishment commuted and him returned to the prison run by the psychologically brutal Harvey Shoemaker (Karl Malden) who rules his empire like it were a fiefdom - and Stroud is never to leave solitary confinement. On his brief daily wander round the prison yard he discovers a sparrow that has broken it's wing falling from it's nest. He decides to try and help it and after some extensive study becomes a bit of an expert in avian medicine and manages to help his new wife "Stella" (Betty Field) run a specialist business. The a transfer comes. To Acatraz he must go - and shortly after his arrival, he finds himself under the command of his old antagonist. Shoemaker is no thug, though - he does begin to develop a bit of a grudging respect for "Stroud" all while he starts from scratch with his bird business and, as the title suggests, begins to work on a plan even more audacious. Lancaster is super here. He plays the part to perfection with a balance of the violent, the calculating and the delicate that I think is pretty much unmatched in cinema. Malden also serves as an effective foil as the intellectual cat and mouse game becomes more attritional, sophisticated and powerfully portrayed. If there ever was a film about imprisonment offering lack of opportunity and purpose, this is it - and what's clear is that the authorities would have actively encouraged Stroud's gradual decline into cerebral morbidity had he not been astute enough to galvanise his friends on the outside and keep his wits sharp - and that's equally well presented by Guy Trosper's potent screenplay. The supporting cast is also strong with powerful efforts from Whit Bissell, Edmond O'Brien and Neville Brand helping to deliver classic big screen cinema that allows the star to be undeniably that.

Production companies