BEFORE: Sticking with the prison theme - and linking from "In the Name of the Father", Pete Postelthwaite was in "The Usual Suspects" with Kevin Spacey, who was in "Rocket Gibraltar" with Burt Lancaster (last seen in "Airport").
THE PLOT: A surly convicted murderer held in permanent isolation redeems himself when he becomes a renowned bird expert.
AFTER: Based on the true story of Robert Stroud, who became an expert on bird care and bird diseases while a prisoner at Leavenworth - why wasn't he called the Birdman of Leavenworth?
It's pretty easy to make the connection between a canary in a cage, and a prisoner in a cell. A childishly obvious metaphor, aren't they even called "jailbirds"?
Stroud seemed to get along with birds a lot better than he did with humans, and I can appreciate that. I'm not sure I agree with the points made against the penal system, and the causes of recidivism, though. Living in a prison cell does not necessarily make a person an expert on the causes of all crime.
This gives me the opportunity to look up information on the real Robert Stroud, and it seems the movie comes pretty close to the facts of his case, except that Burt Lancaster plays him as a mild-mannered sort, when the real inmate was described as a total jerk, and in fact diagnosed as a psychopath, but one with a high I.Q.
I've got 30 days left on my self-imposed sentence - and a nice round 250 films left on the list.
Also starring Karl Malden (last seen in "A Streetcar Named Desire"), Telly Savalas (last seen in "Kelly's Heroes"), Thelma Ritter (last seen in "The Misfits"), Edmond O'Brien (last seen in "The Wild Bunch") with a cameo from Len Lesser (Uncle Leo from "Seinfeld", also last seen in "Kelly's Heroes").
RATING: 4 out of 10 metal food trays
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