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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

It's a lifestyle. It's the beauty of love, the joy of freedom. It's the best-selling book. It's Neil Diamond. It's a motion picture.

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the films included in "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (And How They Got That Way)" by Harry Medved and Randy Lowell.

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Quotes

Father, Mother: Son, this may not be the best life, but it's all we know.
Jonathan: There's got to be more to life than fighting for fish heads!

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Crazy Credits

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

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Connections

Referenced in Key and Peele: Y'all Ready for This? (2015)

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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

Good story decent movie

First off if you are reading this you will most definitely read the book of the same title.

The book doesn't translate well into film due to it's short length so there is a lot of padding out of Jonathon just flying around visiting different places but the visuals on show are very good. The animatronics (rememeber they didn't have CGI back in the 70's) are first class and it really does look like live seagulls.

The movie is probably about the right length though at 95 mins perhaps trimming by 10 mins would not have harmed it.

As you'll know it's a feelgood story about the quest to be a better gull and the importance of tolerance and forgiveness.

I was a bit disappointed that one of the KEY SPOKEN LINES in the book was omitted from the script. When the young Jonathon is asked by his mother why he doesn't eat and is all bone and feathers he replies "I don't mind being bone and feathers, Mum. I just want to know what i can do in the air and what i can't, that's all. I just want to know" Considering the key part of the book is that Jonathon forsakes the squabbles and feeding frenzy to learn how to fly properly i would say that line is a pretty important one.

Still it's a decent movie which is pleasant to watch.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

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:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1