Bird
Short description
Bird is a 1988 drama about the jazz saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker, played by Forest Whitaker. The story follows Parker from his arrival in New York in 1940, where his playing quickly draws attention, through a career defined by musical invention and by his dependence on alcohol and drugs. His wife, Chan, played by Diane Venora, tries to help him as his personal life grows increasingly chaotic. The film also features Michael Zelniker as Red Rodney, Samuel E. Wright as Dizzy Gillespie, Keith David and Michael McGuire.
Clint Eastwood directed and produced the film, working from a screenplay by Joel Oliansky. It was his thirteenth film as director, following Heartbreak Ridge and preceding The Rookie. Warner Bros. Pictures and Malpaso Productions backed the project, which runs 161 minutes.
Released in June 1988, Bird earned about 2 million dollars worldwide against a budget of roughly 9 million. On IMDb and TMDB, audience ratings sit around 6.9 out of 10, based on several hundred votes, while a critics' rating of 6.6 from 26 reviews places critical and audience responses fairly close together. The large credited cast of 36 reflects the film's broad portrait of Parker's world.
What's left behind the scenes
- Clint Eastwood spent a lot of time with Chen Richardson, Charlie Parker's (1920-1955) common-law wife, on whose memoirs the screenplay was based. Richardson gave Eastwood access to many recordings thought to be lost, kept in a bank vault.
- Initially, Richard Pryor (1940-2005) was supposed to direct the film 'Bird' for Columbia Pictures. Clint Eastwood persuaded the studio executives to exchange films with Warner Bros., taking 'Bird' for himself and relinquishing 'Revenge' (1989), which he had already begun filming and which was completed by Tony Scott (1944-2012).
- The film features saxophone compositions performed by Charlie Parker himself. Saxophonist Charles McPherson served as his double.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
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