Karl Malden - Harvey Shoemaker
Teddy Savalas - Feto Gomez
John Frankenheimer (Director)
Macho. That word brings a few names to mind right away. Charles Bronson, Eastwood, Lee Marvin, Steve McQueen, James Coburn and a score of others. The names listed are all male actors that reached the height of their success in the 60's or early 70's. In the 80's everything changed. "Macho" almost became a curse word. The village people song Macho Macho Man even added a homosexual undertone to the word. Men of courage, men of strong will and stronger opinions were a relic. They were a generation past. Then in the 90's these men were almost gone entirely from popular consciousnesses. They were replaced with sympathetic, caring sensitive men. The kinds of men that Marvin or Bronson would trompled over and used to wipe the bottoms of their boots.
Personally I wouldn't add Burt Lancaster to this list. He was in a rare group of actors that could bounce from role to role without carrying much typecasting around. I would add Gregory Peck to that list as well. In Birdman, Lancaster plays a convict without remorse for his crimes. He has killed a few men. Two while in prison. But Lancaster doesn't make this guy into a monster. He is simply a man of principal. He does what he believes is right without regards to what society thinks is correct or proper.
After butting heads more than a few times with the warden Storud is sent into solitary confinement. Therein he finds a small bird in the yard and decided to nurse it. This leads him on a journey to become one of the countries foremost experts on aviary science. The funny thing about this movie is that most of it does not take place in Alcatraz Prison. I guess it helps to name that detention center when it comes time to sell tickets. Even through this film was made in 1962, it has the feeling of a much older movie. Yet one that is still relevant and entertaining and engaging. I watched this with my daughters and it held their attention throughout.
One interesting relationship he has is with his mother. The fights he got into were due in part to people either disrespecting or even just asking about his mother. We later see that his mother has a very unhealthy control over her son. He later meets a woman while in prison that he marries. The puts the mother on a jealous tear. Both the female performances were very good.
While I wouldn't add Lancaster to my Top 5 Macho Men list, the director of the movie John Frankenheimer might compete for it. This film along with The Manchurian Candidate are my 2 favorite of his films. Both feature strong, if misguided, male characters. Both are chocked full of testosterone. Both have political implications.
I loved Frankenheimer's camera work in this black and white movie. The cinematography is great. The film is a touching one with a good sense of humor to boot. The music by Elmer Bernstien and pitch perfect (pun intended).
The film reminded me of a lot of other prison movies, probably to no surprise. I think one or two films might have borrowed from this one. I watched this movie as part of TMC's 31 Days of Oscar event. I give Birdman of Alcatraz ★★★★. Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.
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