Bird (1988)

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writer (WGA):

Joel Oliansky (written by)

Release Date:

30 September 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

"There are no second acts in American lives." - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Plot:

The troubled life and career of the jazz musician, Charlie "Bird" Parker.

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Jazz | Drug Addict | 1940s | Bebop

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 7 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Forest Whitaker	...	Charlie 'Bird' Parker
Diane Venora	...	Chan Parker
Michael Zelniker	...	Red Rodney
Samuel E. Wright	...	Dizzy Gillespie
Keith David	...	Buster Franklin
Michael McGuire	...	Brewster
James Handy	...	Esteves
Damon Whitaker	...	Young Bird
Morgan Nagler	...	Kim
Arlen Dean Snyder	...	Dr. Heath
Sam Robards	...	Moscowitz
Penelope Windust	...	Bellevue Nurse
Glenn Wright	...	Alcoholic Patient (as Glenn T. Wright)
George Orrison	...	Patient with Checkers
Bill Cobbs	...	Dr. Caulfield

Runtime:

161 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Argentina:18 | UK:15 | Spain:13 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:12 | Finland:K-10 | Norway:10 | Sweden:11 | USA:R | Germany:12 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Birds Landing, California, USA

Company:

Malpaso Company, The

Trivia:

Though the actual saxophone playing is original Charlie Parker performances, the body and fingering during those are performed by Charles McPherson, who had to learn to breathe exactly like Parker did in the recordings.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Charlie Parker goes to Dizzy Gillespie's house in the middle of the night and asks Dizzy to write down a tune, the year is 1953. The tune is "Now's the Time", which was published and recorded in 1949.

Quotes:

Chan Parker: Dizzy sent you a birthday card. Seems he's back in town. Do you owe him a phone call?
Charlie Parker: I owe Dizzy everything...except a phone call.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Clint Eastwood: The Man from Malpaso (1993) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Moonlight Becames You

Tragic story, great central performance

The story of jazz great Charlie Parker. The film follows his rise from clubs to records and follows him across tours, drug abuse, personal loss and his eventual death. At the time of his death at 34 he was so eaten up by drugs that the coroner assessed his age at 65.

This is a well put together film about a creative but flawed artist. The plot doesn't glamorise him too much, although it maybe sympathises a little with his addiction and doesn't show it quite as harshly as it could have done. That said he is a pretty unpleasant person when he isn't performing. The film focuses on his adult life, which is good as it saves us child actors running around and it means more time is spent on the important years. The covers a lot of time, but it doesn't feel rushed. His drug addiction is honestly handled and it shows both the ups and downs of his life as a user.

The direction is pretty good, it's obvious Eastwood likes his jazz, and he uses the clubs well getting a great sense of mood. Elements are quite funny and this tempers the more tragic side of his life well. Whittaker is excellent in the lead role, but Diane Venora as his wife is not as good. She doesn't totally carry her lines in the same way - she's OK but you feel like something is missing. The rest of the cast come and go - there are good performances all round from a mostly low-key cast. The main star is the music, and it's treated with a lot of respect with Eastwood giving it plenty of time and creating a good mood for it to work in.

Overall a tragic story well told with a good central performance and great music.