The Blue Bird (1976)

A pair of peasant children, Mytyl and her brother Tyltyl, are led on a magical quest for the fabulous Blue Bird of Happiness by the Fairy Berylune. On their journey, they are accompanied by... See full summary »

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Alfred Hayes, Aleksei Kapler,

Stars:

Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Fonda, Ava Gardner

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Queen of Light / Mother / Witch / Maternal Love
Jane Fonda	...	The Night
Ava Gardner	...	Luxury
Cicely Tyson	...	Tylette
Robert Morley	...	Father Time
Harry Andrews	...	The Oak
Todd Lookinland	...	Tyltyl
Patsy Kensit	...	Mytyl
Will Geer	...	Grandfather
Mona Washbourne	...	Grandmother
George Cole	...	Tylo
Richard Pearson	...	The Bread
Nadezhda Pavlova	...	The Blue Bird
Georgiy Vitsin	...	The Sugar
Margarita Terekhova	...	The Milk

Storyline

A pair of peasant children, Mytyl and her brother Tyltyl, are led on a magical quest for the fabulous Blue Bird of Happiness by the Fairy Berylune. On their journey, they are accompanied by the humanized presences of a Dog, a Cat, Light, Fire, Bread, and other entities.

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Plot Keywords:

bread | bird | children | fire | journey | 

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Taglines:

A cavalcade of magic. A carnival of fun. The Blue Bird is magic for everyone.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA Soviet Union

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 April 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Pássaro Azul

Filming Locations:

Moscow, Russia

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$887,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lenfilm Studio, Tower International, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Award-winning cinematographer Jonas Gritsius was replaced by Freddie Young when it was discovered that he had never before shot a film in color and had no idea what he was doing.

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Connections

Version of The Blue Bird (1918)

User Reviews

Don't skip this one based on press.

I watched this last night, taped it off a TCM showing. This film is a lot better than reviewers said. I'd say it's a must-see for Elizabeth Taylor fans. She obviously enjoyed her roles. Patsy Kensit is simply adorable in this. The film has deep, yet surreally portrayed concepts involving life and death, sin and love. Certainly perfect for young children with a strong moral philosophy. The story is fantasy, some sets are better than others, it's all very colorful and has an early 19th century feel. If you are a student of set construction, choreography, ballet in film, or escapes to alternate realities, you will enjoy this perhaps more than you think you should.