The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003)
Pelican Media

Description

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.

Tags

Birds, Parrots

Collected reviews and ratings

9.2 Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

... in watching the birds and the man with an affectionate, curious eye, the filmmaker builds a story of surprising emotional resonance.
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9.0 Salon.com | Andrew O'Hehir

one of the most beautiful and endearing nature films you've ever seen, despite being filmed almost entirely within a major metropolis, and a love story that will repeatedly reduce you to tears.
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9.0 Amazon user reviews

Not only an endearing, entertaining and environmentally intelligent documentary, this film is also funny, thought-provoking and inspiring.
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8.2 DVD Verdict | Jonathan Weiss

So are you going to like this doc? Probably. But are you going to love, love, LOVE it? It all depends on what kind of bird you are.
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8.0 Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

It is the emotional intensity of Bittner's experiences with parrots, experiences so strong and moving that he himself wonders "how do you get so attached to an animal?" that form one of the keys to "Wild Parrots' " appeal.
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8.0 Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

Quite simply, a beautiful film, in both form and content.
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8.0 DVD Talk | Stuart Galbraith IV

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill isn't just for bird lovers and ornithologists, any more than March of the Penguins. Indeed, moviegoers who enjoyed that film will almost certainly find themselves equally enchanted by Judy Irving's film, a true story much closer to home.
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7.5 Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

It is not the film you think it is going to be. You walk in expecting some kind of North Beach weirdo and his wild-eyed parrot theories, and you walk out still feeling a little melancholy over the plight of Connor, the only blue-crowned conure in a flock of red-crowned conures.
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7.5 TV Guide | Maitland McDonagh

Though Bittner's slacker charm may not be to all tastes, the parrots are natural-born scene-stealers with more than enough charm to seduce the most dubious viewer.
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7.0 Variety | Dennis Harvey

... a charming look at the mildly eccentric man who gained modest feature-page celebrity for his familiarity with San Francisco's tropical parrot flock.
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7.0 New York Times | Stephen Holden

By the end of the movie, you might even begin reconsidering your relationship with the animal kingdom and questioning the distance you put between yourself and nonhuman species.
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6.0 BBC | Matt McNally

Some of the production is San Fran-cheesy and this is certainly not cool or edgy filmmaking. But in the spirit of all good documentaries, Wild Parrots transcends its ostensive subject.
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