11/03/06 The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill

The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill (2003), directed by Judy Irving

watched w/ Leslie; DVD rental (Blockbuster) @ home; suggested by Jenny

Since nature/animal documentaries are abundant in today's cinema, and I'm usually a sucker for watching them mindlessly (a la the Discovery Channel while scarfing on late-night munchies in college...hey wait a second, just what are you implying?), all it takes is one good review for me to plop down in front of the screen to take in a film of nature's wonderous beauties. However, considering Jenny likes to recommend to us some movies that she's never even seen, I'm curious as to whether she's truly seen this at all...nonetheless I appreciate and value her opinion in these matters, so I am fully willing to check this one out as well. Granted, it has gotten a lot of critical acclaim as well, but I tend to not let those critiques mean much to me...I don't know those random newspaper people, so why should I trust them and their stars or "thumbs up" anyway?! Oh wait, if anyone is out there reading this very review of mine, I am the pot calling the kettle black. Disregard that cynical take...just enjoy a mindless review of me mindlessly watching a nature documentary. This one has an added splice of life to it, in that the nature is being found in an urban setting, namely the city trees in San Francisco's waterfront Telegraph Hill neighborhoods. The story centers around a particular flock of red-headed (and one blue-headed) wild parrots that have taken refuge in the city's treetops, and have become acquainted with one of the local residents, a man named Mark Bittner. Mark, a former homeless musician who found solace in finding and interacting with the wild birds. A lot of his own (and humans alike) character traits are echoed in the actions of the parrots, which leads the documentarian and narration into many parallels between the species. Getting to know the parrots by cute names given to them & their characteristics, Mark grew intimate with their experiences and created a very close bond with the animals. What is even more engaging is the fact that the man himself was being observed and studied with a loving eye by the filmmaker Judy Irving in such a profound way, that it lead to their eventual blossoming love...and the two are now married! How's that for life imitating art, or vice versa, or well, I'm not even sure if that's it, but it sure is ironic...don't you think? In any regards, the documentary itself was a bit too slow-paced for my liking, but the fact that the guy's group of best friends is a flock of wild parrots, and he falls for the documentarian of his life's work is pretty interesting in and of itself. For more of the bohemian Mark's exploits (like his subsequent book of the same title, and his love for bicycles and blues music) check out his website. For just witnessing his odd eccentricity, check out this film.

3 out of 5 stars