Bird (film)
| Bird | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Clint Eastwood |
| Produced by | Clint Eastwood |
| Written by | Joel Oliansky |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Lennie Niehaus |
| Cinematography | Jack N. Green |
| Edited by | Joel Cox |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
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Release date
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September 30, 1988 |
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Running time
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155 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9-$14.4 million |
| Box office | $2.2 million |
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 34.
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.
In the 1970s, Parker's friend and colleague Teddy Edwards 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, 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, California as well as New York City.
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