Bird is a 1988
American biographical film, produced and directed by
Clint Eastwood with the 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
collage of scenes from Parker's life, from his childhood in
Kansas City, through his marriage to
Chan Richardson, to his early death at the age of thirty-four.
Production
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.
[Interview with Teddy Edwards on ArtistInterviews ] 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 dollars, not counting Eastwood's fee,
although in interviews Eastwood sometimes said the film only cost $9.1 million to make.
Awards
Forest Whitaker's performance as Parker earned him the
Best Actor award at the
1988 Cannes Film Festival and a Golden Globe nomination. In addition, the film also won an Academy Award for
Best Sound.
