Editing John Frankenheimer (section)

===''Birdman of Alcatraz'' (1962)===

{{quote box|width=30em|bgcolor=cornsilk|fontsize=100%|salign=center|quote=“I can't really think of a scene in ''Birdman of Alcatraz'' I liked. I like the total effect of the film, but I don't think there was any scene that stands out for me as being extraordinary in any way.” {{snd}}John Frankenheimer in Gerald Pratley's ''The Cinema of John Frankenheimer'' (1969)<ref>Pratley, 1969 p. 227</ref>}}
Based on a biography by [[Thomas E. Gaddis]], [[Birdman of Alcatraz (film)|''Birdman of Alcatraz'']] (1962) is a documentary-like dramatization of the life of [[Robert Stroud]], sentenced to life imprisonment in solitary confinement for killing a prison guard.<ref>Baxter, 2002: Frankenheimer's  “documentary style, produced an intense story of injustice and endurance.”<br>Pratley, 1969 p. 58: “This film is almost pure documentary.”</ref> While serving his sentence, Stroud ([[Burt Lancaster]]) becomes a respected expert in avian diseases though the study of canaries. Frankenheimer traces Stroud's emergence from his anti-social misanthropy towards a humane maturity, despite the brutal conditions of his incarceration.<ref>Walsh, 2002 WSWS: “...Stroud's transformation from a sullen misanthrope into a humane and thoughtful individual.”<br>Stafford, 2003 TCM: Stroud's Stroud's“life-altering experience...establishing himself as one of the world's leading authorities on canaries.”<br>Pratley, 1969 p. 59-60: Frankenheimer offers a narrative in which Stroud's “character changes completely...becomes a slow, quiet, thoughtful man.”</ref>

In 1962, the production and filming of ''Birdman of Alcatraz'' was already underway when United Artists enlisted Frankenheimer to replace British director [[Charles Crichton]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/16/movies/charles-crichton-film-director-dies-at-89.html |title=Charles Crichton, Film Director, Dies at 89 |last=Honan |first=William H. |author-link=William H. Honan |date=September 16, 1999 |access-date=August 7, 2018 |newspaper=[[NY Times]] |publisher=[[The New York Times Company]]}}</ref><ref>Stafford, 2003 TCM: Remarks on Crichton dismissal.</ref> As such, key production decisions had already been made, and Frankenheimer regarded himself as a “hired director” with little direct control over the production.<ref>Pratley, 1969 p. 64-65, p. 66: “hired director”</ref> Producer [[Harold Hecht]] and screenwriter [[Guy Trosper]] insisted on an exhaustive adaption of the Gaddis biography. The filmed rough cut that emerged was over four hours in length. When simply editing the work was ruled out as impracticable, the script was rewritten and the film largely re-shot, producing a final cut of 2 ½ hours.<ref>Strafford, 2003 TCM: The rough cut “ran four and a half hours [requiring a] re-write of the script. ‘That's what we did. Then we went back and re-shot the whole first part of the movie.’” Stafford is quoting from a [[Charles Champlin]] interview with the director.<br>Pratley, 1969 p. 66</ref> According to Frankenheimer, he had an option in the 1950s to make a television adaption of the Stroud story, but CBS was warned off by the [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]], and the project was dropped.<ref>Prately, 1969 p. 64: Frankenheimer recalls that the Bureau threatened to withhold any future cooperation with CBS if they sponsored the story. He also cites anticipated difficulties handling small birds in a live TV drama.</ref><ref>Stafford, 2003 TCM: Stafford or Frankenheimer may be confusing USBP interference regarding film vs. TV</ref>