The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003)

A homeless musician finds meaning to his life when he starts a friendship with dozens of parrots.

Director:

Judy Irving

Stars:

Mark Bittner, Judy Irving

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Mark Bittner	...	Himself

Storyline

In San Francisco, there are at least two flocks of largely wild parrots who flock around the city. This film focuses on the flock of cherry-headed conures (and a lonely blue-headed one named Connor) who flock around the Telegraph Hill region of the city and their closest human companion, Mark Bittner . Through his own words, we learn of his life as a frustrated, homeless musician and how he came to live in the area where he decided to explore the nature around him. That lead him to discovering the parrot flock and the individual personalities of it. In a cinematic portrait, we are introduced to his colorful companions and the relationship they share as well as the realities of urban wild life that would change Bittner's life forever.

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Plot Keywords:

parrot | city | musician | nature | urban setting | 

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Taglines:

The true story of a bohemian St Francis and his remarkable relationship with a flock of wild red and green parrots

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

official Web site for the film Pelican Media

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 May 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Дикие попугаи с Телеграф Хилл

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$104,986, 18 February 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,058,229, 11 June 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pelican Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The flock of wild parrots fly behind the red-tailed hawk in order to escape it.

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Quotes

Mark Bittner: We're all one river till we hit this cliff. That distance between the top of the cliff and the bottom of the cliff is our life. And all the individual little droplets think they really are individual little droplets until they hit the bottom, and then they're gone. But that droplet doesn't lose anything, it gains. It gains the rest of the river.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous/D.E.B.S./Guess Who/The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2005)

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Soundtracks

Ain't We Got Fun
Music by Richard A. Whiting (uncredited) and lyrics by Ray Egan (uncredited) and Gus Kahn (uncredited)
Performed by Jack Kerouac

User Reviews

Much better than I was expecting and I was expecting to like it

Days after seeing this film I am still moved by it. It is an understatement to say that this film left a lasting impression on me. Getting up close to the individual themselves, which all had such distinct personalities and stories, changed the way I look at birds, having always been somewhat afraid of them.

Mr. Bittner is an very intelligent man, deeply empathetic and self-aware. The way he handles his departure from Telegraph Hill is truly noble and self-sacrificing.

Highly recommended. Bring a tissue. The cinematography and photography is phenomenal - some impossible-seeming shots left my jaw on the floor. The the ending was a fantastic surprise!