"The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill" is something of an anomaly in current film-making these days. An unassuming, quiet little movie (excepting the various "chatter" of bird species featured in the production), it chronicles the day to day life of Mark Bittner and his flock of wild parrots. Bittner, a San Fransisco resident who moved to the city near the end of the Beat era and the dawn of Haight Ashbury, struggled for several years as a street musician before giving up his dream of having a successful music career. Living as a homeless man for over a decade with the occasional odd job here and there, Bittner eventually settled down in a rundown little cottage near the top of Telegraph Hill, a charming, picturesque area of the city dense with myriad foliage and fauna. A natural bird sanctuary, the hill was also a nesting area for exotic wild parrots from South America who inexplicably showed up years before and made the area their home. Some local residents are interviewed who give various (and often humorous) theories on how the parrots may have ended up there but in the end it remains a mystery.
The film focuses on Mark Bittner's relationship with these amazing birds. Taking on the role of caretaker, he feeds and cares for the parrots, consisting mostly of cherry-headed green conures. He identifies all 45 of these creatures by individual speckled markings and names. The camera hones in on a number of the birds to give the viewer a front row seat to distinct personalities such as Mingus, Tupelo and the lone blue crowned conure of the group, Connor.
Director Judy Irving films this story of Bittner and his bird friends in a slapdash style that hardly calls attention to itself. She narrates at times and even discusses the fact that she wasn't quite sure what the focus of her film was originally going to be. The birds were a starting point but meeting Mark Bittner turned out to be more than just a happy accident. A lifelong naturalist and bird enthusiast, Irving rarely intrudes, letting her camera record very directly, simply and powerfully this story of a modern day St. Francis.
"The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" is almost artless in its presentation. Unlike "Winged Migration", the French 2001 Oscar- nominated documentary about migratory birds, Irving's film is competently photographed but lacking in the lush visuals that distinguished the former film. The Parrots stay close to terra firma, a necessity considering the menacing Red-Tailed hawks often hovering overhead.
Mark Bittner's story is truly inspiring and ultimately surprising. Judy Irving makes it even more so with an even-handed approach that almost, but not quite, collapses at the end. What could have ended on a sugary and sentimental note emerges as clear, forthright and unforgettable.
The film focuses on Mark Bittner's relationship with these amazing birds. Taking on the role of caretaker, he feeds and cares for the parrots, consisting mostly of cherry-headed green conures. He identifies all 45 of these creatures by individual speckled markings and names. The camera hones in on a number of the birds to give the viewer a front row seat to distinct personalities such as Mingus, Tupelo and the lone blue crowned conure of the group, Connor.
Director Judy Irving films this story of Bittner and his bird friends in a slapdash style that hardly calls attention to itself. She narrates at times and even discusses the fact that she wasn't quite sure what the focus of her film was originally going to be. The birds were a starting point but meeting Mark Bittner turned out to be more than just a happy accident. A lifelong naturalist and bird enthusiast, Irving rarely intrudes, letting her camera record very directly, simply and powerfully this story of a modern day St. Francis.
"The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" is almost artless in its presentation. Unlike "Winged Migration", the French 2001 Oscar- nominated documentary about migratory birds, Irving's film is competently photographed but lacking in the lush visuals that distinguished the former film. The Parrots stay close to terra firma, a necessity considering the menacing Red-Tailed hawks often hovering overhead.
Mark Bittner's story is truly inspiring and ultimately surprising. Judy Irving makes it even more so with an even-handed approach that almost, but not quite, collapses at the end. What could have ended on a sugary and sentimental note emerges as clear, forthright and unforgettable.