Birdy is a 1984 American drama film directed by Alan Parker and starring Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage. It is based on the novel of the same name by William Wharton, although the film is set in the Vietnam era and not the Second World War era.
Synopsis[edit][]
Two teenagers, Birdy (Modine) and Al (Cage), become friends at school and serve in Vietnam. Birdy already has a disturbing fixation with birds and his Vietnam experiences push him over the edge: when he returns from the war, he is sent to a mental hospital for assessment and his friend Al stays with him to try to reach him before it's too late and he'll be separated from Birdy, leaving him alone and lost inside his mind. As the story develops, many flashback scenes show their life together as teenagers in 1960s America as well as their developing friendship and views of life.
At the end of the movie, Birdy starts talking again, but only to Al. They try to ecape and Birdy jumps down the roof, being uninjured.
Cast[edit][]
- Matthew Modine as Birdy
- Nicolas Cage as Al Columbato
- John Harkins as Dr. Weiss
- Sandy Baron as Mr. Columbato
- Karen Young as Hannah Rourke
- Bruno Kirby as Renaldi
- Nancy Fish as Mrs. Prevost
- George Buck as Birdy's Father
- Dolores Sage as Birdy's Mother
- Pat Ryan as Joe Sagessa
- James Santini as Mario Columbato
- Maud Winchester as Doris Robinson
- Marshall Bell as Ronsky
- Elizabeth Whitcraft as Rosanne
- Sandra Beall as Shirley
- Victoria Nekko as Claire
- Crystal Field as Mrs. Columbato
- John Brumfeld as Mr. Kohler