CFS: ‘Birdy’ depicts life of a veteran

Shell shock is a military expression used to classify the behaviors that result from the trauma of battle or war. The reported symptoms of shell shock can range from fatigue to detachment from one's surroundings. The heartbreaking effects of war makes up the primary conflict of the sixth film in the Cultural Film Series.

The 1984 drama "Birdy" focuses on the significance of friendship, war and as anyone could presume — birds.

 The story is set in the 1960s, in a military psychiatric hospital in Philadelphia. The main character, Birdy, is a traumatized Vietam War veteran, with an obsession with birds.

In fact this veteran is in such a shocking state that he is often found perched on his hospital bed, like one of the birds he admires. 

When Birdy's psychiatrist is unable to help him, he calls for the patient's boyhood friend, Al. Played by then 19-year-old Nicolas Cage, Al is also a Vietnam veteran. 

Director Alan Parker, who also directed "Midnight Express" and "The Commitments," alternates flashbacks of the young men's childhood with scenes set in the present. 

The past events ultimately illuminate the reasons for Birdy's obsession with winged animals and his current condition. 

The film is based on William Wharton's 1978 cult novel.Wharton himself was a war veteran and a Philadelphia native. The film was shot on location in various local environments, including landfills, junk yards, and pitiable housing areas. This aspect of the film fully encompasses the dark nature of the story. 

The electronic musical score of the film, performed by Peter Gabriel, juxtapose the flashbacks from peaceful childhood memories to the extreme hostility of war. In addition to the powerful message of the film, it has won many film critics' approval. "Birdy" received the Grand Prize of the Jury at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival. 

The sixth feature in the ongoing Cultural Film & Lecture Series, "I Know a Place," "Birdy" will be shown four times in the Connelly Center Cinema: Saturday, March 20 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, March 21 at 3:30 and 7 p.m.; and Monday, March 22 at 7 p.m. 

Admission is free for students with ID from any academic institution and $5 for all others.