John
Charles, one of IGW's editiors, is also a frequent reviewer for the
newsletter. In this issue, he took time to view and review a film that
is one of my favorites. Perhaps it is not a classic, but it does
provide interesting roles for one of today's superstars and one of
today's most talented actors (IMHO)Birdy, reviewed by John Charles
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BirdyStarring Nicholas Cage and Matthew Modine
Running time 120 minutes. 1984
Based on the novel by the same name written by William Wharton, this is a story of friendship between two men. While there are homosexual overtones, there is nothing overtly homosexual between the two men, and the relationship is assumed platonic. Al (Cage) meets Birdy (Modine) when they are both in high school. It’s a mismatched friendship from the beginning, albeit a close one; Birdy is a socially awkward oddity, keeps his own company, and has a preoccupation with birds. Cage is a more typical kid who has friends and fits in well. While it’s understandable how the casting of Cage as a high school student came about—the movie is told in flashbacks, and he portrayed the character as a teen as well as an adult—thirty-something Cage playing a teenager stretched credibility a bit. Al is portrayed as heterosexual, having several groping sessions with girls, while Birdy’s sexual orientation, portrayed indirectly, is assumed to be gay. His desire to fly is a manifestation of his wish to escape his earthbound life, and all the difficulties it contains, and may be seen as a metaphor for such. Despite these differences, or perhaps because of them, the two become close friends; Al often enters and participates in Birdy’s world, even supporting him in his quest to fly.
As adults, Birdy and Al are drafted separately and sent to Vietnam, where they are both injured in battle. Al’s wounds are physical, Birdy’s are emotional. As a result of his experiences in Vietnam, Birdy is confined to a mental institution, mute and catatonic, and Al is brought to the hospital to try to coax him back to health. As the film progresses, we find that Al’s facial wounds, which are bandaged throughout the film, have also injured him psychologically. The Army psychiatrist who is treating Birdy is the adversary that Al and Birdy are set against as Al attempts to draw Birdy out. The film consists alternatively of flashbacks to the friendship that began in high school, and Birdy’s hospital room, which more closely resembles a cell.
The interactions between Al and Birdy as teens and adults are often tender, and as Al tries to help his friend, very loving. "Birdy" is a sweet story of an unusual friendship between two unlikely men, not an overly demanding movie to view, yet overall an absorbing one and well worth a watch.