The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (Special Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Director: Judy Irving
Actors: Charles Mingus, Gary Scott Thompson, A. Pushkin, Claude Picasso, Helen Olive
Studio: NEW VIDEO GROUP
Category: DVD

List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $25.96
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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 156 reviews
Sales Rank: 35683

Format: Collector's Edition, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 300 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.4

MPN: 139821
UPC: 767685139820
EAN: 0767685139820
ASIN: B001DXS4GA

Theatrical Release Date: 2004
Release Date: October 28, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new Item. CD, DVD, Book, VHS more than 400 000 titles to choose from. ALL days Low Price !
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (Special Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

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Customer Reviews

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5 out of 5 stars an incredibly tender experience    January 6, 2009
Matthew G. Sherwin
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill is an outstanding documentary about a bohemian ex-musician who gradually befriends a flock of wild parrots in the Telegraph Hill section of San Francisco. During the film's eighty-three minutes you are never once bored; Judy Irving directs this loving story with sensitivity, realism and a lot of heart and admiration for Mark Bittner, the man who makes friends with the parrots.

We get Mark's story mostly through Mark himself--Judy Irving films him studying the birds and feeding them as he talks to the camera about how the birds gradually came to trust him. We also learn how they loved to be fed by him as he held out birdseed in his hands. I was especially touched by how Mark Bittner gives names to several of the most outstanding members of the bird flock and we learn about the birds as Mark also tells us what he discovered by watching them through binoculars and up-close, too.

Mark Bittner is especially caring and protective of the birds even if he doesn't admit to it directly; he takes sick birds inside his small home so that he can help them recuperate or be with them as they die from illness or old age. That's very moving.

Through Mark we meet Connor, the blue headed parrot who is the outcast of the flock because he has blue feathers on his head instead of red features; and we meet Sophie and Picasso, two love birds (no pun intended) who eventually become separated when Picasso mysteriously stops showing up at mealtimes. Sophie mourns the loss of Picasso and the close-up shots of them cuddling are adorable.

Eventually Mark must move out of his cottage when extensive renovations have to be made; and what happens to the flock when he is no longer there for him? Will they be helpless or will they be able to fend for themselves? Will other people in Mark's neighborhood take over the responsibilities of feeding the parrots? Watch the movie and find out! And yes, we DO get a surprise ending--a very happy one indeed!

The DVD comes with quite a few extras; and this impresses me. We get an "update" on the flock and we also get almost a half-hour of Mark's own home movies of the birds. There are deleted scenes and urban legends about the flock and its origins. There is a more serious short about the possible origin of the flock as well; and the update of a bird named Mingus at a safe haven in Arizona called The Oasis is very well done.

The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill is a documentary of an unusual but extremely touching, true story of how one man established a unique loving relationship with a rather wild flock of parrots. I even shed a few tears when Mark had to leave his home so they could renovate it! I highly recommend this film for animal lovers and people who enjoy documentaries will also love this film.



4 out of 5 stars Love is in the air in San Francisco    December 16, 2008
Pamela Gebert (San Diego, CA USA)
A unique and moving true story about a man who fed and took care of the wild parrots flying free in San Francisco. Perfect gift for anyone who lives in San Francisco or visits.


3 out of 5 stars If you're a bird lover, you'll probably like it    December 12, 2008
Filimon Teodor-Mihai (Romania)
This isn't an actual artistic movie, more like a documentary, which might make it a little bit boring sometimes - but thinking about it as a story about us, not just the birds, makes it a lot more interesting. A real-life story with real experiences, it kind of put life itself into perspective.


5 out of 5 stars Pieces of eight, pieces of eight!    November 7, 2008
L. Power (San Francisco)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

There's more interesting wildlife in San Francisco than you might imagine.

I vividly remember going to this movie in San Francisco. About a week later walking about a block from the Embarcadero Cinema, I hear this tremendous squawking sound from the trees. I look up to see these parrots flying around a block away from where I saw them in the movie. A friend of mine saw the whole flock as he was driving down Columbus Avenue.

So, Wild Parrots is a great documentary where Mark Bittner has shown us the personalities of these different birds, and documented their trials, their dysfunctional love lives, and the dangerous lives they lead.

In this presentation of a great and compelling story, its possible to recognise our own humanity in the lives of these birds, and to feel a strong sense of wonder at how this movie came to be made. Its also a great love story for the main character, and I was truly impressed with the quality of this movie and have recommended it to numerous people.

If you have friends who love wildlife documentaries, they will definitely love this movie.

As in many movies about San Francisco, the city itself becomes a character in the movie.

I hope you find this review helpful. If you were to find this review helpful, please click yes.


5 out of 5 stars An Endearing Documentary    October 25, 2008
Michael B. Druxman (Los Angeles)
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Judy Irving's touching film about San Francisco bohemian Mark Bittner and his caring for a flock of wild parrots that reside in that city by the bay, is the most endearing documentary to come along in years. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will touch your heart.

Thanks to Bittner, these beautifully-photographed birds take on almost human personalities. Thus, when he is forced to leave them, we share his emotional devastation.

There are many extras on this DVD, including deleted scenes and a Flock Update, filmed a year after the documentary was completed.

Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD