51. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003) - Dir: Judy Irving
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill tells the remarkable story of Mark Bittner. Longing for a connection with nature in an urban environment, Bittner is drawn to study and befriend a flock wild parrots living in San Fransisco. I know it sounds cliche, but the film is truly uplifting, and it shows a wonderful side of humanity through the eyes and heart of its subject. I find it far too easy in life to let the bastards grind me down. With the constants onslaught of negative news showcasing the disgusting underbelly of our modern civilization, I view The Wild Parrots like a minor-miracle drug, a cinematic-pill that helps to restore the balance in my life. Every time I watch this great little documentary, I feel more positive, and more happy about life in general.
Some might call Mark Bittner a bum, or a vagabond. True, he avoided the pangs of paying rent for over 20 years, and he never had a “real” job, but I would ever call him a bum. Yes, at one time he was a homeless musician, but I think being a bum is more of a state of mind than a physical affliction. Bittner is a wandering soul, a passionate man, and a man who simply refuses to conform to modern American living. Judy Irving, the filmmaker, says that Bittner has an abundance of one thing: time. Because of his choices, Bittner has all the time in the world to live simply through simple living, and because of this, his life is changed in a spiritual way.
In many ways, I am jealous of Bittner's ability to live free. Birthed from his own desire for freedom, Bittner's admiration for the flock of wild parrots is authentic and endearing. A bird's ability to take to the air in majestic flight is a powerful symbol of untethered life, and I believe it is this ability that initially drew Bittner's unwavering attention. During the opening moments of the film, Bittner states how he has avoided being labeled an “eccentric”, as if he is a little ashamed of his passion and his chosen lifestyle. However, through his relationship with the parrots, three of them in particular, Bittner discovers the very things that make his soul content and happy.
The film focuses on a few of the key relationships Bittner has with some of the individual birds from the flock. Through the bird Mingus, we learn of Bittner's passion for music. With Mingus, Bittner shares a monastic bond, as the two have both decided to live apart from their respective flocks. While Mingus is a bit more manic than his human friend, he definitely represents Bittner's passionate side. Conner, the oldest bird of the flock, is an outcast. As a different sub-species of parrot, Conner is unable to find a companion, and so he often befriends other outcasts and other birds. Like Conner, Bittner also has trouble identifying with his own kind, and even in the stew-like mix of the San Fransisco Bay Bittner feels distant. However, the most profound relationship Bittner had was with a bird named Tupelo. Tupelo, sick and almost completely crippled, needed constant attentions. Bittner fed her, took her on walks through the hillside gardens, and was even with her when she died. Through this relationship, Bittner learns about the very essence of life itself, and its profound impact is life changing.
Like Bittner himself, the film is unassuming, quiet, and honest, and it is never slight. It is full of passion without being sappy or bombastic, and gives an earnest glimpse into one man's journey to find his true purpose. There are a few films I often revisit that actually make me want to live my own life differently, and this is one of them. While watching this film, I think of how much better life would be if I was a little more eccentric, and a little more passionate about the things that really, truly mattered in my life. If I lived more simply, with less things tying me down, things would probably be much better. I know this idea is nothing new, and in many ways it is seen as an outmoded pipe-dream of the 1960s, but I can't help but attracted by this romantic notion. However, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill is more than a film wallowing in the ideology of the hippy-sixties. It is a film that focuses on a man who embraces passionate living, a man who lives his life as free as the birds that fly through the skies, and I find myself longing to be just a bit more like Mark Bittner.
