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Warner Bros. (1988)
Drama | Music
USA | English | Color | 02:40
mike0221's movies
Bird
Saxophone player Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker comes to New York in 1940 and is quickly noticed for his remarkable way of playing. He becomes a drug addict but his loving wife Chan tries to help him.
Cast View all
|
Forest Whitaker | Charlie 'Bird' Parker |
|
Diane Venora | Chan Parker |
|
Michael Zelniker | Red Rodney |
|
Samuel E. Wright | Dizzy |
|
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 |
|
George Orrison | Patient with Checkers |
|
Bill Cobbs | Dr. Caulfield |
|
Hamilton Camp | Mayor of 52nd Street |
|
|
Chris Bosley | First Doorman |
|
|
George T. Bruce | Second Doorman |
|
|
Joey Green | Gene |
|
John Witherspoon | Sid |
|
Tony Todd | Frog |
|
|
Jo De Winter | Mildred Berg |
|
Richard Zavaglia | Ralph the Narc |
|
Anna Levine | Audrey |
|
|
Al Pugliese | Owner - Three Deuces |
Crew
| Director | Clint Eastwood |
|
| Writer | Joel Oliansky | |
| Producer | Clint Eastwood, David Valdes | |
| Musician | Lennie Niehaus | |
| Photography | Jack N. Green | |
Trailer
Edition details
| Packaging | Snap Case |
|---|---|
| Nr Discs | 1 |
| Screen Ratios | Fullscreen (4:3, Letterboxed) Widescreen (1.85:1) |
| Audio Tracks | Dolby Digital 5.1 [English] Dolby Digital Stereo [French] Dolby Digital Surround [French] |
| Subtitles | English | English (Closed Captioned) | French | Portuguese | Spanish |
| Layers | Single side, Dual layer |
| Edition Release Date | Jan 30, 2001 |
| Regions | Region 1 |
Personal
| Watched | |
|---|---|
| Index | 46 |
| Added Date | Mar 10, 2012 13:58:28 |
| Modified Date | Jun 12, 2022 00:31:57 |
Notes
WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
Legendary jazz musician Charlie “Bird” Parker died in 1955, but his music and his legacy lives on. Here, jazz fan Clint Eastwood pays tribute to Parker who, like so many other highly creative individuals, indulged in all that life can offer with a vengeance-often with deadly results. Forest Whitaker is Bird, and shows us with skill, Parker’s intense dedication to music and his just as intense interest in alcohol and drugs. Diane Venora is terrific as Charlie’s ever-loving, ever-suffering wife, Chan who contributed many memories for the making of this film that won an Oscar® for Best Sound. (Laurie Sevano)
DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1 DVD exhibits a picture that is quite dark with many scenes lacking visual information due to the dim character. The dated colors are limited to dingy hues, but with that in mind, balance is good, and blacks are deep. Film grain is revealed throughout. Minor edge enhancement is noticed, but the most distracting aspect of the picture is its dark character and poor contrast.(Suzanne Hodges)
Soundtrack:
Winner for Best Sound Oscar® in 1988, this soundtrack has been re-purposed in Dolby® Digital 5.1. This is, in general, a pleasing, amply immersive sonic presentation, with the music effectively spread across the screen soundstage and gently into the surrounds. Fidelity is rather good, and tonality seems neutral and therefore obviating the need for re-equalization. The music has been nicely recorded, and the sense of depth is compelling. This remastering effort seems to have taken good advantage of the split surrounds, which, though not engaged aggressively, serve to enhance the perception of spaciousness and envelopment. The dialogue is presented with clarity but also exhibits the original soundtrack’s dated fidelity. The .1 LFE is active, but infrequently so, and the low-end is acceptable. (Perry Sun)