Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973)

A skilled flyer but very rebellious young seagull is kicked out of his clan. However, instead of being sad or lonely, he decides to enjoy and explore his newfound freedom.

Director:

Hall Bartlett

Writer:

Hall Bartlett (screenplay)

Stars:

James Franciscus, Juliet Mills, Philip Ahn

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Franciscus	...	Jonathan Livingston Seagull (voice)
Juliet Mills	...	Marina (voice)
Philip Ahn	...	Chang (voice)
David Ladd	...	Fletcher Lynd Seagull (voice)
Kelly Harmon	...	Kimmy (voice)
Dorothy McGuire	...	Mother (voice)
Richard Crenna	...	Father (voice)

Storyline

Jonathan is sick and tired of the boring life in his sea-gull clan. He rather experiments with new, always more daring flying techniques. Since he doesn't fit in, the elders expel him from the clan. So he sets out to discover the world beyond the horizon in quest for wisdom.

---

Plot Keywords:

seagull | famous score | spirituality | anthropomorphism | new age | 

---

Taglines:

Everyone's Book Is Now Everyone's Motion Picture

---

Genres:

Drama | Family

---

Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's opening prologue dedication reads: "To the real Jonathan Livingston Seagull who lives within us all".

---

Quotes

Chang: I've gone everywhere and everywhen I can think of...

---

Crazy Credits

Opening dedication: To the real Jonathan Livingston Seagull, who lives within us all.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Falls (1980)

---

Soundtracks

Dear Father
Music and Lyrics by Neil Diamond
Sung by Neil Diamond
© 1973 Stonebridge Music (ASCAP) Used by permission. All rights reserved.

User Reviews

Really underrated movie adaptation of a famous novel

Not everyone may know the story of 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull'. But, if nothing else, at least many people certainly heard of it.

I like seagulls very much. They're such beautiful, elegant birds with a confident, even noble appearance. And they fly beautifully. A seagull's flight is one of the most graceful and fascinating things to see. As beautiful as they are, they're equally well known for their foul temperament...

One of the most different things about this movie is the fact that it has only birds (seagulls) on screen and no human characters at all. Plus, this is an animal movie different from the others. Instead of home pets, this one is about seagulls.

The story is about the title character, who is different from all the seagulls of his flock. Flying is his favorite thing. He flies with art and passion, but he dares to do things that other seagulls don't do, such as flying as high as possible (the more, the merrier - for him, sky is the limit) and flying in unusual speeds, as well as doing other "tricks" that other seagulls don't attempt. Of course that by being overambitious he's taking great risks...

Jonathan faces the reality of being different: his flock doesn't accept him and actually outcast him. However, that doesn't stop him from keep trying to learn and improve his flight skills so that he reaches what he is desperately trying to. And even though he later finds another flock which accepts him the way he is, he still loves his previous flock and wants to show them his talents.

This movie is certainly artistic when it comes to film-making. Besides the unique story (even if a bit lame), it has rich and gorgeous settings and landscapes, as well as a beautiful and relaxing musical score by Neil Diamond.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Juan Salvador Gaviota

Filming Locations:

Carlsbad Caverns National Park - 727 Carlsbad Caverns Highway, Carlsbad, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

JLS Partnership

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 99 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1