The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill | 
 enlarge | Actor: Mark Bittner
Studio: DOCURAMA
Category: DVD
List Price: $26.95
Buy Used: $14.66
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Avg. Customer Rating:  155 reviews
Sales Rank: 5103
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc, Surround Sound
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 83
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: NVGD9693D
ISBN: 0767085973
UPC: 767685969335
EAN: 9780767085977
Theatrical Release Date: 2004
Release Date: December 26, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: In great shape, may have light wear.
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Product Description
This follows the ups & downs of a flock of wild urban parrots within the green niches of san francisco. Along the way we meet unforgettable characters like picasso & sophie the inseparable parrot lovers & connor the lovable outcast of the flock. Studio: New Video Group Release Date: 12/26/2005 Run time: 83 minutes
Amazon.com
Quiet patience and an observant eye turn a seemingly unpromising subject into a rich and fascinating movie. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill captures the life of Mark Bittner, a gentle homeless musician who's befriended a flock of wild parrots in a neighborhood of San Francisco. Following Bittner, the camera zooms in on individual parrots, revealing their individual personalities and the traits of their species. This leads to Bittner's own life, the network of friendships that support him, and the ways in which the parrots--a non-native species--interact with both the natural ecosystem and the city government; just about every topic opens up another until a flock of colorful birds represents a microcosm of nature and society. Filmmaker Judy Irving has created an exemplary documentary simply by paying attention to the details of the world around her subject. Everything you expect from a Hollywood blockbuster--romance, violence, humor, sorrow, strong personalities in conflict--is here in spades, except that the heroes and heroines have bright red and green feathers. Utterly rewarding. --Bret Fetzer Product Description:
An "engrossing, delightful film" (The Washington Post), The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill is the bonafide sleeper theatrical hit of the year. The film's endearing guide is Mark Bittner, an aging bohemian, but the supporting cast members, a rambunctious flock of urban parrots, are the true stars, and their surprisingly humanlike behavior makes for a wondrous and rare experience. The film follows the ups-and-downs of these wild birds within the green niches of San Francisco as Bittner befriends, feeds, and names the members of the flock. Along the way, we meet many unforgettable characters: among them Connor, the grouchy yet lovable outcast of the flock, crying for a mate but luckless in his pursuits, and "the lovers," Picasso and Sophie, inseparable until Sophie is forced into mourning when Picasso disappears. More than a mere birdwatcher, Bittner finds solace in his immersion with these strikingly beautiful creatures - but how will he cope when he's evicted from his sanctuary and forced to live away from the parrots? Packed with romance, comedy and a surprise ending that "makes you feel like you could fly out of the theater" (San Jose Mercury News), The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill shows just how wondrously similar the human and animal worlds really can be. Wild About Animals? See More! 
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| Customer Reviews: Read 150 more reviews...
 "Director's Cut: Full-Screen DVD" January 2, 2006
39 out of 39 found this review helpful
I'm Judy Irving, the producer/director of "Wild Parrots," and I'd like to address Wes's misconceptions in "Warning: DVD is not in wide screen." The film was shot in 16mm (1.66 to 1), which is the same shape as a tv screen. When it was blown up to 35mm for theatrical release, each shot in the movie has to lose 39% of its original image at top and/or bottom, to arrive at the 1.85 to 1 wide-screen aspect ratio. For each shot, I had to decide what to lose: head room? bottom? or a little of both? For the DVD release, I specifically requested that the film be mastered in its original 16mm dimensions, so that viewers could see 1) 39% more image, and 2) how each shot was originally framed. Wes's confusion may have resulted from IMDB stating that the film was shot in wide-screen. It wasn't. Enjoy!
For the Love of Birds January 18, 2006
23 out of 24 found this review helpful
This gentle documentary features Mark Bittner, an aging hippy and once-musician living in San Francisco, and the birds he loves, a flock of now-wild and breeding cherry-headed conures (and a few hangers-on) who reside in the city's trees. Viewers who don't have experience with the intelligence and antics of the parrot family might approach this film the way one of the tourists does at the beginning when he says, "If they have names, then they can't be wild." Viewers will soon understand the unique niche these parrots have forged for themselves in the urban environment. Non-native and yet able to find food because of imported landscape plants, these birds swoop over the hills in a raucous flock and have become as much a part of San Francisco as the more numerous pigeons.
Filmmaker Judy Irving captures Bittner's need to do right by the parrots with loving photography and soft-spoken questions. When she asks her most pointed question, "What is the difference between you and the pigeon lady?", Bittner pauses for several beats before finally answering, with some pain, "I don't know." But we do know by then. His feeding the birds might not be any different but his curiosity about them and his drive to protect them distinguishes him. Irving has managed to portray, through Bittner's interactions and thoughts about "his" flock, the individuality of the birds: Mingus, an escaped conure who would rather live inside with Bittner than outside; Connor, the lonely blue-headed conure who inhabits the fringes of the cherry-headed society but who values his freedom over companionship; little nerve-damaged Sophie whose poignant devotion to her mate Picasso is heart-breaking; and, most touching of all, the cripple Tupelo who adores her trips into the garden while cradled in Bittner's hands. When a city councilman reveals that some environmentalists wanted the birds captured and exterminated since they are considered invaders, viewers will be horrified since, unlike the environmentalists, they have come to know and love these birds.
Irving provides context for the man/bird relationship through interviews with a lorikeet zookeeper at the San Francisco zoo, the locals who have their own theories about how the flock came to be, politicians, and tourists. This film is not a hard-hitting documentary since it fails to fully explore the underlying conditions and politics of the situation. Instead, it is a tribute to Bittner and the individual parrots he adopts as his friends. Viewers who cannot get enough of the conures will be delighted with the DVD extras, several of which follow up on events.
The film shows how right Bittner's fatalistic sixties' philosophy can be: if something doesn't work out, then it wasn't meant to be. You just have to wait for the right calling to come along. In Bittner's case, he has become a champion not only of these conures but of animal right/intelligence in general. -- Debbie Lee Wesselmann
First pressing has a sound issue December 15, 2005
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
March of the Penguins got all the publicity as the year's nature documentary hit, but Wild Parrots easily beats it on an emotional level. This was one of my favorite films of 2005, what a shame that it flew under the radar. Highly recommended, but beware...
The first pressing of the DVD was manufactured without Dolby 5.1 Surround sound, it is stereo only. (You can still generate surround sound using you receiver's Dolby ProLogic mode, but that's not as good as real Dolby 5.1). Pelican Media announced on its web site that it was a manufacturing error, and that subsequent pressings would be properly encoded. The second run won't be pressed until January 2006 though, so if you order early you risk getting a stereo-only copy. Pelican Media has offered to replace the defective disks, you can see details at PelicanMedia.org.
I'm WILD about the WILD PARROTS movie October 23, 2005
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
This DVD sounds AMAZING!
Even if it didnt have a single special feature-- I'd have to have this film in my personal DVD library, it's a spectacular life-affirming experience--
but holy moly--this DVD is chock full of special features--
the only downer is I have to wait so long to get this!
I can live with that----I give The Wild Parrots Movie ------10 STARS
Great local flavor! April 15, 2005
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
We all loved this movie. We live in San Francisco, but not in Telegraph Hill, and I'd heard about the parrots but hadn't ever seen them. So, after seeing it for the second time, we went looking for the parrots. We first found the cottage where Mark lived (now re-furbished) and just a few minutes later, the parrots came squawking overhead! What an experience. I loved seeing so many beautiful things about my own city, and loved the experience that it led me to.
The movie explores interesting questions, as well. What do we do with people who don't fit into our cultural expectations? Mark is a person who lives, not by working a 9 to 5 and paying rent. He lives a much more organic kind of life. Is this a sustainable model? I don't know, but I'd like to think that we could all follow our passions and live more organic lives.
And it's really amazing how the movie lets you know the parrots. I had no idea I'd ever think of parrots as having individual personalities, but the movie definitely does that! And I'm finding myself more connected with nature and other animals.
I also don't buy many DVDs, but I'll buy this one as soon as it comes out....and a few extra copies for friends who live far away but love San Francisco.
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