Birdy (1984)
Nicolas Cage: Al Columbato
Photos
Quotes
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Sergeant Al Columbato : Maybe life is shitty. It is shitty. I'll tell you something. I'm not trying to pin life anymore. I don't even fucking understand it. I just want to make it through with some dignity, like everybody else. Of course, if there was any real dignity, there wouldn't be any sex.
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Birdy : Do you like pigeons?
Sergeant Al Columbato : What's to like?
Birdy : They fly.
Sergeant Al Columbato : They fly. So what?
Birdy : That's enough.
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[about his psychiatrist]
Sergeant Al Columbato : I don't trust the guy. Everything's too interesting to him.
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Sergeant Al Columbato : You always were hard to hurt, Birdy. Real losers never hurt.
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Birdy : Last night I flew. I really know what it feels like to fly.
Sergeant Al Columbato : Oh, you flew? How you flew?
Birdy : Well, I'm not sure. It's not something you can really take apart. When I fly, it's like in a dream. Only it's not a dream. The thing is, Al, you can't really put it into words. You just kind of have to feel it.
Sergeant Al Columbato : You're telling me you can fly like a bird?
Birdy : When I fly, Al... I am a bird.
Sergeant Al Columbato : This is getting too weird, Birdy. You gotta stop it with this.
Birdy : I thought if anybody would understand it would be you, Al.
Sergeant Al Columbato : Well, I don't. I don't even wanna hear about it.
Birdy : Why?
Sergeant Al Columbato : Because I'm tired of it! We used to have fun together. Now you are always off by yourself flying around inside your goddamn head! I hope this dream or whatever it is goes away. I think it's bullshit.
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Sergeant Al Columbato : You ain't gonna fly any more than I could, Birdy.
Birdy : The reason you couldn't fly, Al, is you don't believe you could fly.
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Doctor Weiss : You mean the spitting?
Sergeant Al Columbato : Yes.
Doctor Weiss : The army left a bad taste in his mouth.