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Bird (1988)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
30 September 1988 (USA) moreTagline:
"There are no second acts in American lives." - F. Scott FitzgeraldPlot:
The troubled life and career of the jazz musician, Charlie "Bird" Parker. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Won Oscar. Another 7 wins & 6 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(7 articles)
At 50, Kind of Blue Still Totally Awesome (From newser. 17 August 2009, 12:16 PM, PDT)
Forest Whitaker Will Unveil Oscar Nominations 1/22
(From BroadwayWorld.com. 20 January 2009, 8:13 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Tragic story, great central performance more (29 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
161 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
DolbyCertification:
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:12Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Clint Eastwood approached Chan Richardson, Charlie Parker's common-law wife on whose memoirs the script was based, for input. She gave Eastwood a collection of lost recordings unlocked from a bank vault. moreGoofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Bird is reciting the telegram to be sent to Chan, and we see the telegram being printed as he speaks, he says "Forgive me for not being in the hospital with you," but the telegram reads "Forgive me for not being there with you while you were at the hospital." moreQuotes:
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.
more
Soundtrack:
Parker's Mood moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (29 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Bird (1988)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| A Failure of a biopic | epatten67 |
| Why was it Rated R? | mcbain20 |
| Best Jazz Movie Ever? | hansvandergeest |
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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.