The cat of your not-so-humble reviewer became mesmerized during the scenes that depicted the beginning of the orinthology career of titular scientist Robert Stroud (Burt Lancster) with the decades-long unfortunate incarceration. This member of the feline family then ran to the television, puts his front paws on the television stand, and intently stared with his nose inches from the screen. The intended takeaway is that Olive does a great job remastering this highly stylized black-and-white classic, rather than that cats are dopes.
The second aside of this review is that "Birdman" is a companion release of the Olive Blu-ray of the (reviewed) 1965 Lancaster comic Western "The Hallelujah Trail."
The realism of this film on the life of Stroud begins with Edmond O'Brien starting it with narration in character as real-life Stroud biographer Thomas E. Gaddis. This exposition introduces us to our subject in the 1910s as he is on a train from Alaska to begin his prison sentence in Leavenworth for killing a man in defense of a prostitute. An incident on that journey quickly establishes that Stroud is an angry young man who does not work or play well with others.
The arrival of Stroud at what is intended to be his home for the rest of his life further establishes that he does not adhere to the philosophy of following the indisputably strict rules and not causing trouble. Almost Norman Bates level mommy issues exasperate an already not great situation.
The turning point of the film comes when a purely random event triggers the subsequent developments that lead to the outside world knowing Stroud by his nickname decades after this evolution and more than 50 years after the release of "Alcatraz."
The mix of substance and depth comes regarding Stroud using his third-grade education as the starting point to developing a medicine for birds and becoming a leading expert on them literally without leaving his small cell. A parallel development is his enhancing his people skills. A turning point regarding that is a confrontation by a guard who calls Stroud on his lack of gratitude for the kindnesses shown him.
The larger picture regarding this is the nature of the prison system, which is another area of study by Stroud. The underlying issue there is the balance between incarceration rehabilitating and punishing with the related analysis as to the extent to which a prisoner can reasonably expect to be treated with dignity. Much of this centers around the long-term interaction between Stroud and warden Harvey Shoemaker (Karl Malden), who takes great pride in his management of prisons.
Another more relatable issue is that "Alcatraz" provides an interesting perspective regarding institutional life. Anyone who has lived in a boarding school and/or psychiatric hospital can relate to the frustration of Stroud being denied privileges to which he believes that proving himself to be a model member of the community entitles him.
The aforementioned mommy issues are a focal point of a heavily Freudian aspect of "Alcatraz." Thelma Ritter receives a well-deserved Oscar nomination for her portrayal of loving mother Elizabeth Stroud, who viciously turns on her baby when Stella Johnson enters his life and enters the mother of all marriages of convenience with Robert.
As the nickname of Stroud indicates, he ultimately ends up on The Rock. This quickly provides him a strong sense that he is not in Kansas anymore. It further helps ease him into the modern world.
All of this leads to an ending that is as happy as possible considering the subject matter.
The DVD extras are the theatrical trailer and audio commentary by a Stroud biographer.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Alcatraz" is strongly encouraged to email me.
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