Bird (1988 film)
Encyclopedia
Bird is a 1988 American biographical film
, produced and directed by Clint Eastwood
of a screenplay written by Joel Oliansky. The film is a tribute to the life and music of jazz
saxophonist
Charlie "Bird" Parker
. It is constructed as a montage
of scenes from Parker's life, from his childhood in Kansas City
, through his early death at the age of thirty-four.
The film moves back and forth through Parker's history, blending moments to find some truth to his life. Much of the movie revolves around his only grounding relationships with wife Chan Parker
, Bebop
pioneer trumpet player and band leader Dizzy Gillespie
, and his influence (both musically and into the world of heroin addiction) on trumpet player Red Rodney
.
shared his reminiscences of the saxophonist
to Oliansky, who had wanted to make a biopic about Charlie Parker starring actor Richard Pryor
. The property was originally owned by Columbia Pictures
, which traded the rights to Warner Bros.
at Eastwood's instigation, in exchange for the rights to what would become Columbia's 1990 Kevin Costner
vehicle, Revenge
. There was a delay of a few years while the trade was completed, and by then Pryor had lost interest. The film was eventually shot in 52 days for $14.4 million dollars, not counting Eastwood's fee, although in interviews Eastwood sometimes said the film only cost $9 million to make. Locations used for filming include the Sacramento Valley, Los Angeles, and Pasadena in California and New York.
. Forest Whitaker
's performance as Parker earned him critical acclaim and several awards, including the Best Actor
award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival
and a Golden Globe nomination. In addition, the film also won the Academy Award for Best Sound (Les Fresholtz
, Dick Alexander
, Vern Poore
, Willie Burton).
, and considered of insufficient sound quality to accompany a feature film. Eastwood had some recordings of Parker made by Parker's wife, Chan
, from which he had a sound engineer electronically isolate Parker's solos. Contemporary musicians such as Ray Brown
, Walter Davis, Jr.
, Ron Carter
, Barry Harris
and Red Rodney
were then hired to record backing tracks on modern sound equipment. Dizzy Gillespie
was on tour at the time of recording, so trumpet player Jon Faddis
was hired to record his parts.
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
, produced and directed by Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
of a screenplay written by Joel Oliansky. The film is a tribute to the life and music of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Charlie "Bird" Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
. It is constructed as a montage
Montage
-Filmmaking:*Montage , a technique which uses rapid editing, special effects and music to present compressed narrative information*Soviet montage theory in the 1920s-Other:* Montage , Documentary television series from 1960s and 1970s...
of scenes from Parker's life, from his childhood in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, through his early death at the age of thirty-four.
The film moves back and forth through Parker's history, blending moments to find some truth to his life. Much of the movie revolves around his only grounding relationships with wife Chan Parker
Chan Parker
Chan Woods , well known as Chan Parker, was a wife of jazz musician Charlie Parker and later musician Phil Woods....
, Bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
pioneer trumpet player and band leader Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, and his influence (both musically and into the world of heroin addiction) on trumpet player Red Rodney
Red Rodney
Robert Roland Chudnick , who performed by the stage name Red Rodney, was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter.-Biography:...
.
Cast
- Forest WhitakerForest WhitakerForest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director. He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and for his recurring role as ex-LAPD Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the gritty, award-winning television...
as Charlie "Bird" ParkerCharlie ParkerCharles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer.... - Diane VenoraDiane VenoraDiane Venora is an American stage, television, and film actress.-Early life:Venora was born Diana Venora in East Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Marie and Robert P. Venora, who owned a dry cleaning establishment. Diane graduated from East Hartford High School, class of 1970. During her...
as Chan ParkerChan ParkerChan Woods , well known as Chan Parker, was a wife of jazz musician Charlie Parker and later musician Phil Woods.... - Michael Zelniker as Red RodneyRed RodneyRobert Roland Chudnick , who performed by the stage name Red Rodney, was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter.-Biography:...
- Samuel E. WrightSamuel E. WrightSamuel E. Wright is an American film and theater actor and singer who is best known as the voice of Sebastian in Disney's The Little Mermaid, for which he provided the main vocals to "Under the Sea", which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. He also voiced Kron in Disney's CGI film...
as Dizzy GillespieDizzy GillespieJohn Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz... - Keith DavidKeith DavidKeith David Williams , better known as Keith David, is an American film, television, voice actor, and singer. He is perhaps most known for his live-action roles in such films as Crash, There's Something About Mary, Barbershop and Men at Work...
as Buster Franklin - Diane SalingerDiane SalingerDiane Louise Salinger is an American actress, voice actress, and comedienne.-Filmography:* Creature as Melanie Bryce * Pee-wee's Big Adventure as Simone * The Morning After as Isabel Harding...
as Baroness Nica - Michael McGuireMichael McGuireMichael Thomas Francis McGuire is a British Labour Party politician.McGuire was a branch secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers. McGuire was Member of Parliament for Ince from 1964 to 1983, and for Makerfield from 1983 to 1987 when he retired...
as Brewster - James HandyJames HandyJames Handy is an American film actor. He appeared in more than eighty films and television serials between 1977 and 2011. He is best known for his appearance as Arthur Devlin in Alias and Lou Handleman in Profiler.-Selected filmography:...
as Esteves - Damon WhitakerDamon WhitakerDamon Whitaker is an American actor; and brother of actor Forest Whitaker. Because of his resemblance to his brother, he often plays younger versions of Forest's characters- Filmography :* The Lazarus Papers - Doc Bagley...
as Young Bird - Morgan Nagler as Kim
- Arlen Dean Snyder as Dr Heath
- Sam RobardsSam RobardsSam Prideaux Robards is an American actor.-Life and career:Robards was born in New York City, the son of actors Jason Robards and Lauren Bacall. He began his acting career in 1980 in an off-Broadway production of Album, and made his feature film debut in director Paul Mazursky's 1982 film Tempest....
as Moscowitz - Penelope WindustPenelope WindustPenelope Windust is an American actress who starred on television, and in a few movies. She studied drama at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Tech just before its merger into Carnegie Mellon University in 1967...
as Bellevue Nurse - Glenn Wright as Alcoholic Patient (as Glenn T. Wright)
- George Orrison as Patient with Checkers
- Bill CobbsBill CobbsWilbert "Bill" Cobbs is an American film and television actor. He has starred in over 120 television programs and movies.-Life and career:...
as Dr Caulfield
Production
In the 1970s, Parker's friend and colleague Teddy EdwardsTeddy Edwards
Theodore Marcus "Teddy" Edwards was an American jazz tenor saxophonist based on the West Coast of the US. Some consider him to be one of the most influential jazz saxophonists.-Biography:...
shared his reminiscences of the saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
to Oliansky, who had wanted to make a biopic about Charlie Parker starring actor Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets...
. The property was originally owned by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, which traded the rights to Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
at Eastwood's instigation, in exchange for the rights to what would become Columbia's 1990 Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
vehicle, Revenge
Revenge (film)
Revenge is a 1990 crime-drama-thriller directed by Tony Scott, starring Kevin Costner, Anthony Quinn, Madeleine Stowe, Miguel Ferrer and Sally Kirkland. Some scenes were filmed in Mexico. The movie is a production of New World Pictures and Rastar Films and released by Columbia Pictures...
. There was a delay of a few years while the trade was completed, and by then Pryor had lost interest. The film was eventually shot in 52 days for $14.4 million dollars, not counting Eastwood's fee, although in interviews Eastwood sometimes said the film only cost $9 million to make. Locations used for filming include the Sacramento Valley, Los Angeles, and Pasadena in California and New York.
Reception
Bird received positive reviews from critics, scoring 74% on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. Forest Whitaker
Forest Whitaker
Forest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director. He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and for his recurring role as ex-LAPD Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the gritty, award-winning television...
's performance as Parker earned him critical acclaim and several awards, including the Best Actor
Best Actor Award (Cannes Film Festival)
The Best Actor Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of movies at the festival. It was first awarded in 1946.- Award Winners :-External links:* * ....
award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival
1988 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Ettore Scola*Claude Berri*David Robinson*Yelena Safonova*George Miller*Hector Olivera*Nastassja Kinski*Philippe Sarde*Robby Muller*William Goldman-Feature film competition:* A World Apart by Chris Menges...
and a Golden Globe nomination. In addition, the film also won the Academy Award for Best Sound (Les Fresholtz
Les Fresholtz
Les Fresholtz was an American sound engineer. He won two Academy Awards for Best Sound and was nominated for ten more in the same category. He worked on over 110 films between 1968 and 1996.-Selected filmography:...
, Dick Alexander
Dick Alexander
Dick Alexander is an American sound engineer. He won two Academy Awards for Best Sound and was nominated for six more in the same category. He has worked on over 170 films and television shows since 1975.-Selected filmography:...
, Vern Poore
Vern Poore
Vern Poore is an American sound engineer. He won an Academy Award for Best Sound and has been nominated for four more in the same category. He worked on over 60 films between 1975 and 1996.-Selected filmography:...
, Willie Burton).
Music
Initially, when Columbia owned the project, the studio executives wanted to hire musicians to re-record all of Parker's music, largely because most of the original recordings were in monoMonaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
, and considered of insufficient sound quality to accompany a feature film. Eastwood had some recordings of Parker made by Parker's wife, Chan
Chan Parker
Chan Woods , well known as Chan Parker, was a wife of jazz musician Charlie Parker and later musician Phil Woods....
, from which he had a sound engineer electronically isolate Parker's solos. Contemporary musicians such as Ray Brown
Ray Brown (musician)
Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
, Walter Davis, Jr.
Walter Davis, Jr.
Walter Davis, Jr. was an American hard bop pianist.Born in Richmond, Virginia, Davis performed as a teenager with Babs Gonzales and his group Three Bips and a Bop. In the 1950s, Davis recorded with Melba Liston, Max Roach and played with Roach, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie...
, Ron Carter
Ron Carter
Ron Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
, Barry Harris
Barry Harris
Barry Doyle Harris is an American bebop jazz pianist and educator.-Biography:Harris left Detroit for New York City in 1960...
and Red Rodney
Red Rodney
Robert Roland Chudnick , who performed by the stage name Red Rodney, was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter.-Biography:...
were then hired to record backing tracks on modern sound equipment. Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
was on tour at the time of recording, so trumpet player Jon Faddis
Jon Faddis
Jon Faddis is an American jazz trumpet player, conductor, composer, and educator renowned for both his highly virtuosic command of the instrument and for his expertise in the field of music education...
was hired to record his parts.
External links
- Bird — from ClintEastwood.net