I watched this again the other day for the first time since my original viewing about 40 years ago.
As it so happens, I toured Alcatraz about 6 months ago and none of the scenes supposedly inside the prison were actually filmed at Alcatraz. This isn't surprising since Alcatraz was still an active prison at the time of filming.
As far as the movie, Lancaster was superb and deserved his Oscar nomination. All of the other actors were also very fine except for Telly Savalas who was rather hammy as Feto Gomez. Lancaster had the mannerisms and gait a man might have who had spent 50 years in prison, nearly all of it in solitary. One of Lancaster's finest roles, if not his finest.
I haven't read the book by Tom Geddis that this film is supposedly based on, but if the film was a faithful adaptation, then Geddis should have been paid as a novelist not as a nonfiction author.
Stroud was not a nice man and did not appear to be rehabilitated or mellow as he aged - even though he became a renowned expert on birds while at Leavenworth. According to the National Park Service sources at Alcatraz, Stroud was a difficult, violent person almost until the end. Only his deteriorating health "mellowed" him, not his bird work.
In the film Stroud (Lancaster) complains to Warden Shoemaker (Karl Malden) that the prison system was "repressive" and robbed men of their individuality. Oh, boo-hoo: murder is even more repressive and permanently robs the victims of their rights to individuality. In real life, Stroud continually demonstrated that he was a menace to others when he was in and out of prison. The film's attempts to soften or lessen the severity of Stroud's crimes and psychopathic personality was one of the things I found most disappointing in this treatment.
There were other fabrications or omissions that detracted from the film for me: Stroud was an ardent homosexual (he often wrote homosexual erotica while in prison) who several times attempted to rape other prisoners. This aspect of his personality was not even remotely hinted at in the film. In addition, Stroud had no role whatsoever in the 1946 so-called "Battle of Alcatraz". This film paints him as someone who tried to make peace and who was instrumental in ending the assault. In fact, the weapons Stroud is shown dropping out the window in the movie were found on the dead inmates when authorities finally restored order.
In summary, this movie is a fine example of a great director at the peak of his powers. The story is compelling and the acting is first rate. However, the plot is largely fictional and the viewer will learn almost nothing about Stroud himself. It is no more enlightening on Stroud than JFK was about the Kennedy assassination, which is why I gave this film a 7 instead of 8. As long as the viewer is aware that it is almost completely sanitized, they are encouraged to view and appreciate this excellent film.
As it so happens, I toured Alcatraz about 6 months ago and none of the scenes supposedly inside the prison were actually filmed at Alcatraz. This isn't surprising since Alcatraz was still an active prison at the time of filming.
As far as the movie, Lancaster was superb and deserved his Oscar nomination. All of the other actors were also very fine except for Telly Savalas who was rather hammy as Feto Gomez. Lancaster had the mannerisms and gait a man might have who had spent 50 years in prison, nearly all of it in solitary. One of Lancaster's finest roles, if not his finest.
I haven't read the book by Tom Geddis that this film is supposedly based on, but if the film was a faithful adaptation, then Geddis should have been paid as a novelist not as a nonfiction author.
Stroud was not a nice man and did not appear to be rehabilitated or mellow as he aged - even though he became a renowned expert on birds while at Leavenworth. According to the National Park Service sources at Alcatraz, Stroud was a difficult, violent person almost until the end. Only his deteriorating health "mellowed" him, not his bird work.
In the film Stroud (Lancaster) complains to Warden Shoemaker (Karl Malden) that the prison system was "repressive" and robbed men of their individuality. Oh, boo-hoo: murder is even more repressive and permanently robs the victims of their rights to individuality. In real life, Stroud continually demonstrated that he was a menace to others when he was in and out of prison. The film's attempts to soften or lessen the severity of Stroud's crimes and psychopathic personality was one of the things I found most disappointing in this treatment.
There were other fabrications or omissions that detracted from the film for me: Stroud was an ardent homosexual (he often wrote homosexual erotica while in prison) who several times attempted to rape other prisoners. This aspect of his personality was not even remotely hinted at in the film. In addition, Stroud had no role whatsoever in the 1946 so-called "Battle of Alcatraz". This film paints him as someone who tried to make peace and who was instrumental in ending the assault. In fact, the weapons Stroud is shown dropping out the window in the movie were found on the dead inmates when authorities finally restored order.
In summary, this movie is a fine example of a great director at the peak of his powers. The story is compelling and the acting is first rate. However, the plot is largely fictional and the viewer will learn almost nothing about Stroud himself. It is no more enlightening on Stroud than JFK was about the Kennedy assassination, which is why I gave this film a 7 instead of 8. As long as the viewer is aware that it is almost completely sanitized, they are encouraged to view and appreciate this excellent film.