Burt Lancaster: Daring to Reach

Burt Lancaster was one of the best American actors of the 20th century. His performances were usually a unique blend of subtlety and power, as seen in such films as Elmer Gantry, Birdman of Alcatraz, and Come Back, Little Sheba. In Elmer Gantry he plays a compromised minister (in some ways a forerunner to Robert Duvall's character in The Apostle). Lancaster and Shirley Booth paint a sad, yet poignant portrait of the average dysfunctional marriage in Sheba. The film Birdman of Alcatraz provides us with Lancaster's excellent portrayal of a convicted murderer in prison who becomes a respected expert on birds. In each of these roles, Lancaster conveys a pathos both magnetic and compelling. This video provides a positive and compelling overview of his work.