The Blue Bird (1918)

Two peasant children, Mytyl and Tyltyl, are led by Berylune, a fairy, to search for the Blue Bird of Happiness. Berylune gives Tyltyl a cap with a diamond setting, and when Tyltyl turns the... See full summary »

Director:

Maurice Tourneur

Writers:

Maurice Maeterlinck (play), Charles Maigne

Stars:

Tula Belle, Robin Macdougall, Edwin E. Reed

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tula Belle	...	Mytyl
Robin Macdougall	...	Tyltyl
Edwin E. Reed	...	Daddy Tyl
Emma Lowry	...	Mummy Tyl
William J. Gross	...	Grandpa Gaffer Tyl
Florence Anderson	...	Granny Tyl
Edward Elkas	...	Widow Berlingot
Katherine Bianchi	...	Widow Berlingot's Daughter
Lillian Cook	...	Fairy Berylune
Gertrude McCoy	...	Light
Lyn Donelson	...	Night
Charles Ascot	...	Dog
Tom Corless	...	Cat
Mary Kennedy	...	Water
Eleanor Masters	...	Milk

Storyline

Two peasant children, Mytyl and Tyltyl, are led by Berylune, a fairy, to search for the Blue Bird of Happiness. Berylune gives Tyltyl a cap with a diamond setting, and when Tyltyl turns the diamond, the children become aware of and conversant with the souls of a Dog and Cat, as well as of Fire, Water, Bread, Light, and other presumably inanimate things. The troupe thus sets off to find the elusive Blue Bird of Happiness.

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Plot Keywords:

bird | diamond | happiness | blue bird of happiness | light | 

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Genres:

Fantasy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 March 1918 (USA)

Also Known As:

El pájaro azul

Filming Locations:

Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original Broadway production of "The Blue Bird" or "L'Oiseau Bleu" by Maurice Maeterlinck opened at the New Theatre (followed by the Majestic Theater) on October 1, 1910 and closed on January 21, 1911. Revivals were produced in 1911 and 1924.

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Connections

Version of Sinyaya ptitsa (1970)

User Reviews

Wow...parents back in 1918 must have really hated their kids!

I realize that this film has been remade several times, but there is no way I'll see any of the remakes after seeing this 1918 version. While some might find it charming or perhaps a classic, I just felt it was creepy and bizarre--sort of like morphing classical mythology with a fairy tale and "The Wizard of Oz" AND copious amounts of LSD!

The film is an allegorical tale about a couple of children who, with the help of a fairy and some ultra-weird new friends, go searching for the Blue Bird of Happiness. As for the friends, the fairy gives them a magic hat with which they can unlock the souls from a variety of objects and animals. With the hat, they are able to make their dog and cat look a lot like people and talk. But, it's even weirder when they unlock the souls within fire, water and bread(????). This motley crew goes from one odd vignette to another. But, by far, the creepiest and most disturbing is visiting dead Grandpa and Grandma and all the many little babies that had apparently died that would have been their brothers and sisters!! Who thinks of this stuff?! Most people wouldn't--provided they weren't off their meds!!

Apart from a creepy and incomprehensible story, the film does have a few things going for it--but only a few. The cinematography and sets, for 1918, were awfully impressive. Aside from that, I can't see much reason to watch this god-awful movie.

UPDATE: Despite my pledge, I have since seen two other versions--films that were as bad or worse than this one! The problem, no matter how impressive the cast or sets is the story--one that is just bonkers and non-entertaining to say the least.