Bird

Director: Clint Eastwood Clint Eastwood

Overview

The story of jazz saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker, this film pays full homage to his musical genius but also tells about the demons of alcohol and drugs that lead to his early demise.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/01/2010
UPC:	0883929126392
Original Release:	1988
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:40:00
Sales rank:	28,223

Special Features

Music-only audio track; Theatrical trailer; Whitaker,

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Forest Whitaker	Charlie 'Bird' Parker,Young Bird
Diane Venora	Chan Parker
Michael Zelniker	Red Rodney
Samuel E. Wright	Dizzy,Alcoholic Patient,Dizzy Gillespie,Alcoholic Patient
Keith David	Buster Franklin
Michael McGuire	Brewster
James Handy	Esteves
Morgan Nagler	Kim
Arlen Dean Snyder	Dr. Heath
Sam Robards	Moscowitz
Penelope Windust	Bellevue Nurse
George Orrison	Patient with Checkers
Bill Cobbs	Dr. Caulfield
Hamilton Camp	Mayor of 52nd Street
Joey Green	Gene
John Witherspoon	Sid
Tony Todd	Frog
Jo de Winter	Mildred Berg
Richard Zavaglia	Ralph the Narc
Anna Levine	Audrey
Al Pugliese	Three Deuces Owner
Hubert Kelly	John Wilson
Billy J. Mitchell	Billy Prince
Karl Vincent	Stratton
Lou Cutell	Bride's Father
Roger Etienne	Parisian MC
Jason Bernard	Benny Tate
Gretchen Oehler	Southern Nurse
Richard McKenzie	Southern Doctor
Tony Cox	Pee Wee Marquette
Diane Salinger	Baroness Nica
Natalia Silverwood	Red's Girl Friend
Duane Matthews	Engineer
Slim Jim Phantom	Grainger
Matthew Faison	Judge
Peter Crook	Bird's Lawyer
Alec Paul Rubinstein	Recording Producer
Patricia Herd	Nun
Steve Zettler	Oasis Club Owner
Ann Weldon	Violet Welles
Charley Lang	DJ at the Paramount
Tim Russ	Harris
Richard Jeni	Chummy Morello
Don Starr	Doctor at Nica's
Richard Mawe	Medical Examiner
Chris Bosley	Doorman #1
George T. Bruce	Doorman #2
John Miller	Southern Doctor
Johnny Adams	Bartender
Lennie Niehaus	Composer

Technical Credits

Joel Oliansky

Clint Eastwood	Director,Producer
Joe Day	Special Effects
Willie D. Burton	Sound Mixer,Sound/Sound Designer
David Valdes	Executive Producer,Producer
Phyllis Huffman	Casting
Joel Oliansky	Screenwriter
Brad Valdes	Executive Producer
Vern Poore	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Apart from being a notorious tough guy, actor/director Clint Eastwood is also a notorious jazz aficionado, and Bird is his sprawling, impressive tribute to one of the great jazz saxophonists of all time, Charlie "Bird" Parker. Parker, one of the originators of bebop, died at an early age due to a long-standing relationship with the high life. Forest Whitaker, who won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival for this role, does an excellent job of capturing the larger-than-life, ultimately destructive man whom many credit for inventing "cool." The film follows Whitaker's somber example, eluding explanations or historical documentation. Though Eastwood has made some very fine movies as a director, Bird is certainly his most accomplished and mature visually. He pulls out techniques that one might not have suspected he had. He also breaks away from the straightforward narrative style of his mentors, Don Siegel and Sergio Leone. Eastwood's almost impressionistic memory montage as Bird lays dying is probably the most striking directorial achievement that he has produced. The narrative is a bit too disorganized to deliver the full thematic punch that the movie strives for, but the performances of (Whitaker and Diane Venora as Bird's wife) and the lasting images make it a significant achievement for Eastwood behind the camera.