Bird (1988)

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

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writer:

Joel Oliansky

Stars:

Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, Michael Zelniker

Won 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 9 nominations.

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

Storyline

Saxophone player Charlie Parker comes to New York in 1940. He is quickly noticed for his remarkable way of playing. He becomes a drug addict but his loving wife Chan tries to help him.

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | jazz | drug addict | 1940s | woman | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Yardbird Suite

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$2,181,286

Company Credits

Production Co:

Malpaso Company, The, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

161 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

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 she'd kept in a bank vault.

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Goofs

Charlie Parker died in March, but in the movie he is buried in autumn; dead leaves are on the road.

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Quotes

Chan Parker: [after seeing Charlie having a overdose] That was stupidity. Now I have to call an ambulance.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Punchline/Heartbreak Hotel/Memories of Me/Bird/Kansas (1988)

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Soundtracks

One For Red
Performed by Red Rodney, Mike Lang, Chuck Domanico, John Guerin

User Reviews

Brilliant and Moving

Those viewers who claim the film is flawed are missing the point. Screenwriter Joel Oliansky (who also directed the film "The Competition") attempted (quite successfully I believe) to combine the elements of jazz music with the visual medium of film. Rhythm, tone, the improvisational aspects of be-bop, all of these elements go into creating a movie unlike any produced. It is not to be viewed in the traditional sense of linear story-telling. The mood created by Jack N. Green's cinematography is completed suited to the atmosphere of the 1940's and 1950's. As for acting, let us point out Forest Whitaker's Best Actor Award from the Cannes Film Festival and Diane Venora's Best Supporting Actress Award from the New York Film Critics. This film resounds with fine filmmaking, headed by Clint Eastwood's passion for the music. And what music! Parker's original solos were cleaned up and integrated with modern musicians into a seamless flow. The picture won the Best Sound Academy Award (sadly, its only nomination). Look at this film as a tribute to a man and a music, a recollection of a brilliant yet dissipated life, and a kind of filmmaking rarely seen by today's audiences.