Birdman of Alcatraz Blu-ray Review

Bird Man of Alcatraz is certainly a lengthy film clocking in damn near 3 hours, but the performance from Burt Lancaster is phenomenal and the subject matter in itself is interesting, that being said, not sure when I’d revisit it, but hopefully soon.

 

 

Bird Man of Alcatraz
(1962)

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Genre(s): Drama
Twilight Time | NR – 149 min. – $29.98 | November 11, 2014

MOVIE INFO: Directed by: John Frankenheimer Writer(s): Tom Gaddis (novel); Guy Trosper (screenplay) Cast: Burt Lancaster, Karl Malden, Thelma Ritter, Edmond O’Brien, Betty Field DISC INFO: Features: Commentary, Theatrical Trailer Number of Discs: 1 Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 1.0) Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.66 Subtitles: English SDH Disc Size: 39.8 GB Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Region(s): A, B, C

 

PLOT SUMMARY

The one and only Burt Lancaster stars in Birdman of Alcatraz as Robert Stroud, the real-life two-time killer who, during decades in solitary confinement, remade himself as one of the world’s foremost experts on birds—this despite never having finished the third grade.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.25/5

The features are pretty light on this disc. We get an Audio Commentary with Film Historians Julie Kirgo, Paul Seydor and Nick Redman, the Original Theatrical Trailer and an Isolated Score Track. The commentary is well worth a listen especially if you enjoy more academic-inclined information, though the three are good friends and provide a fun track.

VIDEO – 4.0/5

Birdman of Alcatraz arrives on Blu-ray shown in its original 1.66 widescreen presentation and given a 1080p (AVC codec) high-definition transfer. Although released in 1962, this 50+ year old black & white film actually doesn’t look half bad with good detail although some minor dust marks and scratches. Even so, the darker shots look nice and even throughout.

AUDIO – 3.75/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track is more than serviceable for the material left. Since the bulk of the movie is dialogue-driven, I will give some high marks since dialogue is clear and even other elements, such as the train near the beginning or the chirping birds once Stroud found his passion.

OVERALL – 3.0/5

Overall, Bird Man of Alcatraz is certainly a lengthy film clocking in damn near 3 hours, but the performance from Burt Lancaster is phenomenal and the subject matter in itself is interesting, that being said, not sure when I’d revisit it, but hopefully soon. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time offers good video and audio transfers but the bonus material, save for the commentary, has much to be desired (which isn’t very much).

 

Published: 12/05/2014