Still more 31 Days of Oscar

Turner Classic's 31 Days of Oscar may be over, but I've still got a nice sized pile of stuff on the Tivo. Last nights television lull gave me a shot to catch up a little, so I caught The Birdman of Alcatraz.

Robert Stroud is a convicted murderer, a rebellious prisoner, a discipline problem, and is set to spend the rest of his life in solitary confinement until he develops a love of birds, which helps change his personality. His struggles reflect the inhumanity of the prison system.

I guess I had the misfortune of having seen The Shawshank Redemption first, because this might've been a fine film otherwise, but with similar themes, I couldn't help but compare the two, and Birdman of Alcatraz can't compete. I've also never been a big Burt Lancaster fan. I thought he was great in Field of Dreams, but I can't say I ever really enjoyed him in anything else. He's alright here, though I thought Telly Savalas and Karl Malden gave more memorable performances. But he was nominated for best actor for the role, so maybe I just didn't get it for whatever reason. It has the "based on a true story" thing going for it, I guess, which some people really get in to, but I only care if it's a good story, true or made up. Also, apparently the real Robert Stroud wasn't at all sympathetic, and was never the least bit remorseful about his crimes, so the "true story" aspect was a stretch.