Bird
10,568
Drama
This film is a tribute to the life and genius of saxophonist great Charlie Parker. Bird is a collage of passages from Parker's remarkable life, from his childhood in Kansas City, through his tumultuous interracial relationship with Chan Richardson, to his tragic death at the age of 34.
Media | Author | Review | ||
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"[It] is less moving as a character study than it is as a tribute and as a labor of love. The portrait it offers, though hazy at times, is one Charlie Parker's admirers will recognize." | ||||
"It supplies us with images to go with the music, and it provides an idea of the man, more than 30 years after his death (...) A long, complex, ambitious movie, and it contains a lot of great music (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)" | ||||
"You may catch yourself wondering if he's ever going to die, if you'll ever find out more about him (...) [It is] fascinating in its own peculiar way but incapable of flight." | ||||
"At last American cinema has done black music proud. Unforgettable." | ||||
"Eastwood has succeeded so thoroughly in communicating his love of his subject, and there's such vitality in the performances, that we walk out elated, juiced on the actors and the music." | ||||
"In a remarkable directorial effort, Eastwood shows a great flair for atmosphere and composition and presents a nuanced, complex, humane portrait of Parker's talents, obstacles, virtues and failings" | ||||
"[It] is the most serious, conscientious, and accomplished jazz biopic ever made, and almost certainly Eastwood's best picture as well." | ||||
"A compelling mix of music and misery" | ||||
"As Eastwood said, Parker was a paradoxical character, both self-destructive and full of life, and the movie, simultaneously dark and exhilarating, takes that as its theme." | ||||
"At two hours and 43 minutes, Eastwood's Bird is a hypnotic, darkly photographed, loosely constructed marvel that avoids every cliche of the self-destructive-celebrity biography" | ||||
"It's more than a labor of love -- it's a powerful summoning of devoted craft, conveying the pain and complexity of a great musical innovator, avoiding almost totally the usual Hollywood cliches." |
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