Forest Whitaker turns in a superb performance as the strung out musician, as does Diane Venora as his wife who supported him wholeheartedly but could not help him. Whitaker and Venora were also both honored for their work, Whitaker with Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival and Venora was the New York Film Critics choice for Best Supporting actress.
The Soundtrack, mostly Parker's music was remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 and is outstanding.It too was awarded with Best Sound at the Academy Awards.One of the songs that really stood out for me was "Bird's" rendition of "Laura" from the film noir of the same name.
The film does not glamorize Parker's life, but is an honest look at his departure from life and dependence on drugs.We see him turn inward at the loss of a child, the attempt at suicide, desperate attempts at finding work, and his depression at the change in the music world during the rock and roll revolution in the 50's, and finally his death at such a young age.
As far as the DVD, the sound was very good in the Dolby Dig 5.1.The picture was presented in the original widescreen aspect, but was very dark in places, making the actors undistinguishable at times.This may have been the way the film was made due to the dark content of the story. It was slightly distracting (my only reason for 4 stars) but otherwise an engrossing well made story with a great soundtrack.
Bebop Lives On in this film........Laurie
Every time I watch this film, I marvel at how Forest Whitaker renders the musician/addict with such pathos and compassion. Like his friends and lovers in the film, the viewer never loses a sense of empathy and willingness to help, no matter how futile such help may seem.
The supporting cast also delivers some fine performances. Diane Venora is strong and sympathetic as Chan Parker. And Samuel E. Wright presents a light and breezy Dizzy Gillespie, unburdened by the perils of drug abuse. Combined, they provide a perfect counterweight to Whitaker's dark and brooding Bird.
While the music in the film is wonderful to hear and beautifully recorded, the topic of why Bird was a musical giant is carefully avoided. I think that this was a wise choice by Eastwood, as it helps make Whitaker's Charlie Parker all the more accessible to us mere mortals. Tackling a personality as complex as Bird's within a single film would have been an unachievable and necessarily diluting task. Focusing primarily on his personal sphere makes for a much more satisfying film experience. Eastwood clearly did not intend for this to be the definitive biography of Charlie Parker, but instead, a more universal character study. Those who need to know more will find many excellent and detailed bios available.
True, the movie doesn't make a strong presentation as to why Parker is widely viewed as being a musical genius (arguably no one in jazz stands taller aesthetically). Those not familiar with Bird might be left pondering what his exact stature is: a one-of-a-kind musician, or picked off an assembly line of equally-talented modern jazz reedmen by Eastwood because his self-destructiveness makes for a more provocative story? Perhaps the answer is that Bird was unique, both as a musician and as a human being--his life was a disjointed blend of triumph and tragedy that translates well to a major motion picture aimed at the general public (something the music itself didn't succeed in doing, particularly during Bird's lifetime).
From what I know of Bird's life, the movie does a bit of a remix job with the facts, but I would say to a lesser extent than most motion picture bios. The cast performs admirably, and the DVD is in letterboxed, 5.1 audio, making this format the recommended one by far. Perhaps BIRD peeks into Parker's life from a bit of a side-angle. However, any faults must be balanced against the fact that the end-product effectively leaves it for the viewer to sort out what it all means, rather than doing the thinking for them by outlining a string of easy-to-digest answers in the plot...just like a great jazz improvisation!
