Review of The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003) by Julietta D — 20 Feb 2011

FANTASTIC! This documentary is about a formidable man named Mark Bittner who is sort of homeless- he lives rent free in an old unit by Telegraph Hill in San Francisco and his life is devoted to the care of wild parrots. He has named the whole flock consisting of more than 12 parrots! Mr. Bittner wanted to be a musician but after many failed attempts, he traveled Europe, then moved to San Francisco determined to become a writer. That also did not work...so he was homeless for years, living under bridges, warehouses, rooftops, etc. His search led him to a flock of parrots and it took about one year for the birds to trust him completely. Folks the story of Tupelo and Connor is very sad so ensure you have kleenex handy.

I want to share something that Roger Ebert said about this amazing documentary: " Mark Bittner is calm, intelligent, confiding, wise and well-spoken. You would be happy to count him as your friend. He has not worked in 30 years, lived on the street for 15 of them, and in recent years devoted his life to getting to know 45 wild parrots who formed a flock in San Francisco. It takes a lot of time to get to know 45 wild parrots as individuals, but as he points out, "I have all the time in the world.".

"The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill," a documentary about Bittner and his birds by Judy Irving, is making its way around the country as an underground phenomenon, fueled by fans who urge their friends to see it. 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.".

YES Mr. Ebert is right on the money about this one and I urge all of you to watch it because its that good! If I return to San Francisco I am going to the spot where it was filmed. BTW Judy Irving, the director, became the girlfriend of Mark Bittner..that goes to show how life has some twists and turns and Mr. Bittner wrote a book of the same title and it became a bestseller! So you see life after all is good, even for this bohemian!