The Birdmen (1973)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Memorable, crazy movie

Did you people see the same film I saw?

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I don't know if I can trump the rest of you with my age but I first saw this movie on TV in 1975. (some of you probably weren't even born yet). Anyway, it came on TV again a year later, 1976 (hey, I can add). Since then, I've just been waiting and looking. And remember a good 20 of those years "waiting and looking" there was no such thing as an the Internet. I searched through EVERY video rental store I could find (we didn't know what a DVD or CD was back then). In fact when I started looking for this movie there was NO where to look because video machines hadn't been invented yet. So as a 10 year old I got my pencil and loose leaf paper and started writing TV stations to please play the movie. I was in Canada so I wrote to the 2 Stations in Canada and the 3 in America. But nothing. Now here it is AND I discover there are people from all over the world who love this movie too. I feel like a black person returning to Africa. I have found "my people". Of course, it's about time this movie came into it's own. you wouldn't believe the weird looks a 10 year old gets when a bunch of grown ups are discussing their favorite movie stars (Richard Burton, David Niven, Gregory Peck, Charleton Heston) and I slip by with my glass of Kool-Aid and say, "my favorite actor is Rene Auberjonois." You'd have thought I had a banana growing out of my head! (I actually wrote to Rene Auberjonois about this movie because it had so many titles it was making it difficult to look for. He wrote me back a lovely note AND sent me a photo which he wrote the name of the movie and my name on it as well. By then he was on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and most people knew who he was. That renewed my vigor to keep looking) But I think what those who haven't watched the movie and are reading these reviews should notice something important. Almost all of us gave this move a 9 or 10 stars. Personally I WANTED to give it 10 stars but that would mean "perfection" and I just can't hold to believe that there is anything this side of heaven that doesn't have at least ONE FLAW.Which brings us to Doug McClure. HE AIN'T IT! They may make characters to spoof him on "The Simpsons" ("Hi. I'm Troy McClure"). But good old Doug redeemed his entire career of somewhat goofy movies with this one. Way to go Doug! And thanks to the rest of you who have reminded me that we are never alone. Just perhaps a little distant from those we belong to. Love Laura-Lee

There is a song in this film which the prisoners sing. It is from the Death Camps and they taunt the Nazis with it when they burn their uniforms. I am trying very hard to get a copy of the film or the soundtrack so that I can have that music....I would be very grateful to anyone who could help me obtain the music.Odd that such an obscure film should have such an affect on so many people so many years later. I think that I saw the movie on TV once (or maybe twice, I am not sure). I have never been able to forget the movie. Some parts that I remember mostly are when the blind pilot insists that they allow the plane to be used by the intelligence operative and the phony officer who is really a nuclear scientist. What a great story! I am very humbled that so many of you admit that the film had such an affect on you. It did on me also. I entered the Service and stayed for almost 24 years active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard. I had some Marine Corps reserve time in college before that.What a wonderful film! I would really like to have that music!Tom Barnes [email protected]

Reply to your comment of 28 June 2004 Author: Walter Collins ([email protected]) from Shreveport, LA USA on IMDb.com - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066833/#commentRe: The Birdmen (1971) (TV) – I saw the same movie. The same scene that you mentioned, the POW singing a German song, is the scene I remember the most. At the time I went to the library and was able to locate the song in a book about protest songs.Here's some information from the internet Die Gedanken sind Frei the German title translate to Our (My) Thoughts Are Free and here is a YouTube link, if your interested http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_6YQ-knKFw&mode=related&search= And finally here is an English translation of the German lyrics.Die Gedanken Sind Frei (Our Thoughts Are Free)Die Gedanken sind frei My thoughts freely flower, Die Gedanken sind frei My thoughts give me power. No scholar can map them, No hunter can trap them, No man can deny: Die Gedanken sind frei!I think as I please And this gives me pleasure, My conscience decrees, This right I must treasure; My thoughts will not cater To duke or dictator, No man can deny-- Die Gedanken sind frei!And if tyrants take me And throw me in prison My thoughts will burst free, Like blossoms in season. Foundations will crumble, The structure will tumble, And free men will cry: Die Gedanken sind frei!Neither trouble or pain Will ever touch me again. No good comes of fretting, My hope's in forgetting. Within myself still I can think as I will, But I laugh, do not cry: Die Gedanken sind frei!-- Traditional(Source for translation of song - http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1185.html )

I think this movie is one of the best made for the period and about the war. The determination of the POW's to escape and the importance of one man to the world, and the US government is shown in the drama. The actors include Chuck Connors, and others fit like a glove into their roles.