Birdman of Alcatraz

Birdman of Alcatraz tells the story of Robert Stroud, a convict whose violent past lands him in prison. After an encounter with a guard leaves him facing a life sentence, he is placed in isolation, where loneliness and despair nearly break him. His life takes a new direction when he finds a helpless bird and nurses it back to health. Although his education is limited, he goes on to study and breed birds, gaining recognition as an expert on them. His work is later threatened when he is transferred to Alcatraz, where such activity is not permitted. The film is based on a true story.

John Frankenheimer directed the film, the second of the eighteen features he made, following The Manchurian Candidate and preceding The Train. Guy Trosper wrote the screenplay and produced with Stuart Millar. Burt Lancaster plays Stroud, with Karl Malden, Thelma Ritter, Neville Brand, Betty Field and Telly Savalas among the credited cast of fifty. The production had a budget of three million dollars and took the same amount at the worldwide box office.

On IMDb it holds 7.8 out of 10 from around 21,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.5 out of 10 from 353 votes. A critics' rating of 7.2 out of 10 from 24 reviews places it below the audience scores on both platforms.