Film of the Day: 44
Bird (1988)
Clint Eastwood has been quite the versatile director since 1971 with Play Misty for Me and is still in top form today. However the man who once had no name is usually associated with staring in the dollar trilogy, Dirty Harry or his more modern directorial work like Unforgiven or Mystic River onward.
We tend to forget some of his earlier work such as High Plans Drifter, a western which John Wayne was very critical about and told Eastwood in a letter (most probably because of the violence). White Hunter Black Heart (which was nominated for a Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival) and Bird.
Bird marks a tour de force performance by Forest Whitaker (who is now most known for playing Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland). Forest plays legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie 'Bird' Parker. He fully threw himself into the character as he descends into hell with a horrible addiction to heroin (which he had since he was in his teenage years) and really understood the music as well.
Clint also gives a great insight on the man's life and we get a great feel of the times (the 40s and the 50s). From the old jazzy bars to the old streets of New York. The same year Clint stared in The Dead Pool (Dirty Harry 5).
So why is Bird the film of the day? Well being that Bird (along with Louis Armstrong) is one of the most influential Jazz saxophonists, it's a great film to commemorate the saxophone, which was invented today in 1846 by the Belgian clarinettist Adolphe Sax. After 14 different designs, it became a usual instrument for military band music, yet later became known for the Blues, Rock n Roll and most of all, Jazz. This is one of Eastwood's most under appreciated films.
Click here for the trailer
We tend to forget some of his earlier work such as High Plans Drifter, a western which John Wayne was very critical about and told Eastwood in a letter (most probably because of the violence). White Hunter Black Heart (which was nominated for a Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival) and Bird.
Bird marks a tour de force performance by Forest Whitaker (who is now most known for playing Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland). Forest plays legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie 'Bird' Parker. He fully threw himself into the character as he descends into hell with a horrible addiction to heroin (which he had since he was in his teenage years) and really understood the music as well.
Clint also gives a great insight on the man's life and we get a great feel of the times (the 40s and the 50s). From the old jazzy bars to the old streets of New York. The same year Clint stared in The Dead Pool (Dirty Harry 5).
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| Adolphe Sax |
Click here for the trailer
The Saxophone is probably one, if not the most, popular musical instrument around. Rock and Roll bands used it quite a bit, and it still forms an important part of Jazz or any other Band today!
ReplyDeleteNot too fond of jazz music mind you!
Bird Parker was unknown to me as Louis Armstrong was THE MAN!