A&M/Tri-Star. Director Alan Parker; Producer Alan Marshall; Screenplay Sandy Kroopf, Jack Behr; Camera Michael Seresin; Editor Gerry Hambling; Music Peter Gabriel; Art Director Geoffrey Kirkland
Matthew Modine
Nicolas Cage
John Harkins
Sandy Baron
Karen Young
Bruno Kirby
Belying the lightheartedness of its title, Birdy is a heavy adult drama about best friends and the after-effects of war, but it takes too long to live up to its ambitious premise.
Matthew Modine stars in the adaptation of William Wharton's novel as the title character who had been missing in action and now, psychologically ill and institutionalized, spends much of his time naked, curled up in bird-like positions and speaking to no one.
These posturings stem from a childhood affinity to birds which he shared to a significant degree with Nicolas Cage, who himself is banged up from the fighting, but is brought in to try to communicate with his boyhood pal.
Alan Parker's flashback direction ultimately serves to disjoint Birdy.
(Color) Available on VHS, DVD. Extract of a review from 1984. Running time: 120 MIN.
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