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, Maggie McCall, Ivan Stormgart

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mark Bittner	...	Self
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maggie McCall	...	Self - Urban Legends
Ivan Stormgart	...	Self - Urban Legends
Gary Thompson	...	Self - Urban Legends
Elizabeth Wright	...	Self - Urban Legends
Jamie Yorck	...	Self - Urban Legends

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:

title directed by female | parrot | city | musician | nature | 

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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

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

[first lines]
French Tourist: Bonjour. Regarde ça. Wow.
Mark Bittner: You're not Fanny, either. Where's Fanny? Come on Fanny, where are you? There you are. Yes.

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Crazy Credits

Shot on location -- no digital special effects.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert & 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

I Want It On DVD!

I just saw this on April 28, 2005, in the theater, and it was great! It was a last minute decision for us to go to the movies, and this was the first film to begin since we arrived, so we picked it, just for the heck of it. We had no idea what to expect, but both ended up loving it. I actually almost cried once, but I won't give away the moment.

It has a great message, regarding how many people view animals incorrectly, thus, treating them inhumanely sometimes, even when they think they are treating them great.

I was told by the Producer/Director/Editor, Judy Irving, that it won't be out on DVD until early 2006, after the theatrical distribution is over.

Here is the website for the film. You can email them to be added to a list, so you will be notified of when the DVD is available. But if you have the chance, I highly recommend seeing it in the theater. They deserve the money and recognition from the box office sales, plus, seeing it on the big screen is much nicer, IMO.

http://www.wildparrotsfilm.com/

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:

$36,731, 13 February 2005

Gross USA:

$3,058,527

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,218,709

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pelican Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1