Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) on Netflix
NR19622h 27mBiographyCrimeDrama
Robert Stroud, a rebellious Leavenworth inmate, clashes with warden Harvey Shoemaker. After he kills a guard, life in solitary awaits, where a fallen sparrow in the yard becomes his charge.
- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb7.8/1021,508 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes88%
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Plot summary
Imprisoned for a murder committed in Alaska, Robert Stroud arrives at Leavenworth, where he refuses to bend to the prison's rules and takes on its warden, Harvey Shoemaker. When a visit from his mother, Elizabeth, is turned away, he attacks a guard and kills him. His mother campaigns to spare him, and the sentence becomes life in solitary confinement. During a rainstorm in the exercise yard, Stroud picks up a fallen nest with an orphaned baby sparrow inside and nurses the bird. Other convicts begin keeping birds too, canaries sent from outside, and Stroud builds cages and a collection. When his birds sicken, he runs experiments to find a cure.
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Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Burt Lancaster committed heavily to the role of Robert Stroud, giving up eight months of his life and turning down roughly a million dollars in other work so the film would be made his way, according to publicist Maurie Siegel.
- British director Charles Crichton was originally hired for what was meant to be his American filmmaking debut, but he clashed with star Burt Lancaster and was replaced partway through by John Frankenheimer.
- Lancaster's gentle screen portrayal of Robert Stroud sharply contrasted with the real man, whom author Jolene Babyak likened more to Ted Bundy and said promoted bird cures that were actually potentially lethal.
- Alcatraz warden James F. Maroney turned down United Artists' offer to screen the finished film for the prison's inmates, after watching it himself with three staff members.
