Film Gecko Five: Top Bird Movies
May 16, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
My friend, Rachel Dickinson, has a wonderful new book out called "Falconer on the Edge: A Man, His Birds, and the Vanishing Landscape of the American West." Check it out on Amazon.com.
The book tells the story of falconer Steve Chindgren, as well as the fascinating subculture of falconry and the people who participate in it. Rachel also goes into the forces that threaten this ancient sport: mining, gas industries, and agriculture.
Of course, all this has me thinking of movies about birds. Here are five that spring to mind. Tell me YOUR favorite bird movies in the comments below.
1. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003). This award-winning documentary features Mark Bittner, the self appointed caretaker of San Francisco’s flock of wild Cherry-Headed Conures. It tells the story of his journey to preserve the flock and its home. Buy it on Amazon.
2. Ladyhawke (1985). Rutger Hauer plays Captain Etienne Navarre, a man cursed for loving the beautiful Lady Isabeau (Michelle Pfeiffer). The curse: he becomes a wolf by night, while she becomes a hawk by day. Together, with a thief named Philippe Gaston (Matthew Broderick), they must try to overthrow the corrupt Bishop and break the spell. Tops in fantasy tales. Buy it on Amazon.
3. The March of the Penguins (2005). Narrated by Morgan Freeman, this doc takes a keen look into the lives of of the Emperor Penguins. These birds have it rough! But despite their harsh conditions and tragic lives (sitting for months on end with a precious egg between their feet), they continue to miraculously survive. Buy it on Amazon.
4. Birdman of Alcatrez (1962). It’s a prison movie about a bitter convict named Robert Stroud (Burt Lancaster), who nurses a feeble sparrow back to life that he found in the prison yard. There’s no happy ending here, but it’s a fascinating look at a real-life killer who manages to redeem himself through his power to heal birds. Buy it on Amazon.
5. The Birds (1963). Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren star in this Alfred Hitchcock film about birds … bad birds, birds who terrorize people on an island. One of Hitchcock’s best, this classic is filled with great effects and eerie quiet scenes intermixed with pecking birds. Buy it on Amazon.
Images: Amazon.com
