Birdman of Alcatraz

UPC: 027616858702

Studio: MGM

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Questionable for Children]

Summary: In this film based on a true story, Burt Lancaster plays Robert Stroud, a withdrawn prison inmate who cures a sick bird that flies into his cell and eventually becomes a world-renowned ornithologist -- all while serving a life sentence. An overbearing warden (Karl Malden) eventually transfers Stroud to the notoriously brutal prison on Alcatraz, but he is able to continue his research, abort a riot, start a romance, and eventually get his story out through a determined reporter (Edmond O'Brien). Directed with his usual solid craftsmanship by John Frankenheimer, Birdman Of Alcatraz tells a quietly moving tale for which Lancaster, Telly Savalas (as one of Stroud's fellow inmates), and Thelma Ritter (as Stroud's mother) all received Oscar nominations. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Foreign Actor – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – null Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Black and White Cinematography – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – National Board of Review Volpi Cup for Best Actor – Venice International Film Festival Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Supporting Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Original theatrical trailer
English: mono
French and Spanish subtitles

Birdman of Alcatraz

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 04/10/2001

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Vistavision

Audio: 1 USA & territories, Canada

Runtime: 149 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Scene Selections
0. Scene Selections
1. Chapter 1 [3:35]
2. Chapter 2 [8:08]
3. Chapter 3 [14:38]
4. Chapter 4 [9:28]
5. Chapter 5 [14:53]
6. Chapter 6 [4:59]
7. Chapter 7 [2:36]
8. Chapter 8 [8:41]
9. Chapter 9 [11:44]
10. Chapter 10 [3:32]
11. Chapter 11 [6:41]
12. Chapter 12 [7:58]
13. Chapter 13 [7:40]
14. Chapter 14 [7:59]
15. Chapter 15 [3:53]
16. Chapter 16 [7:28]

Brendon Hanley

Burt Lancaster sits comfortably in his manly yet sensitive mode as Robert Stroud, and director John Frankenheimer gives him an easy road to absolution. The film manages to stay interesting despite being locked for the most part inside a jail cell. In what has to be his best movie role (outside of perhaps The Dirty Dozen), Telly Savalas brings a lot to the proceedings as a jail mate of Stroud's. Thelma Ritter, a consistently underrated character actress, is also notable as Stroud's mother. As Hollywood went through a significant transition in the mid-Sixties, Frankenheimer helped to reshape the action-thriller genre with a string of exciting, intelligent, and successful movies with a distinct political awareness: The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May, The Train, Seconds, and The Fixer were all made in a six-year period after The Birdman from Alcatraz. ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Adrienne Marden  Actor 
Nick Dennis  Actor 
William Hansen  Actor 
George Mitchell  Actor 
Robert Burton  Actor 
Stella Johnson  Actor 
Leonard Penn  Actor 
Raymond Greenleaf  Actor 
Chris Robinson  Actor 
Edward Mallory  Actor 
Harry Jackson  Actor 
Harry Holcombe  Actor 
Lewis Charles  Actor 
Len Lesser  Actor 
Elmer Bernstein  Composer (Music Score) 
John Frankenheimer  Director 
Harold Hecht  Producer 
Stuart Millar  Producer 
Guy Troper  Producer 
Guy Troper  Screenwriter 
Burt Lancaster  Actor 
Karl Malden  Actor 
Thelma Ritter  Actor 
Neville Brand  Actor 
Betty Field  Actor 
Telly Savalas  Actor 
Edmond O'Brien  Actor 
Hugh Marlowe  Actor 
Whit Bissell  Actor 
Graham Denton  Actor 
James Westerfield  Actor 

Country: USA