Bird
February 20, 2020
Clint Eastwood's 1988 award-winning labor of love garnered star Forest Whitaker the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival and Eastwood himself was honored as the Best Director at the 1989 Golden Globes Awards. Set during the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, this biographical film traces the life of jazz saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker—from his Bebop Jazz, to his drug problem and legal difficulties.
PRE-SHOW DISCUSSION
SIFF, KNKX, and Seattle Opera are partnering around Seattle Opera's production of "Charlie Parker's Yardbird" for this special screening event of Bird.
- 6:30 PM - Pre-show discussion - KNKX's Jim Wilke will host and moderate a pre-show discussion with Seattle-based saxophonist and clarinetist Jacob Zimmerman and Seattle-based saxophonist and singer Stuart MacDonald.
- 7:00 PM - Film
Saxophone player Charlie "Bird" Parker (Forest Whitaker) comes to New York City in 1940. He is quickly noticed for his remarkable way of playing. He becomes a drug addict, but his loving wife Chan (Diane Venora) tries unsuccessfully to help him. This music-driven film was an Academy Award® winner for Best Sound.
"In this movie and its hot, fast bursts of bop, Charlie Parker gets a fitting elegy. As we watch, a life opens like a slit vein. The smoke curls. The sax cuts. The song pours out. Bird lives."—Michael Wilmington, The Los Angeles Times
- Director: Clint Eastwood
- Principal Cast: Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, Michael Zelniker, Samuel E. Wright
- Country: USA
- Year: 1988
- Running Time: 161 minutes
- Producer: Clint Eastwood
- Screenplay: Joel Oliansky
- Cinematographers: Jack N. Green
- Language: English