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Jonathan Livingston Seagull movie synopsis. Jonathan is sick and tired of the boring life in his sea-gull clan. He rather experiments with new, always more daring flying techniques. Since he doesn’t fit in, the elders expel him from the clan. So he sets out to discover the world beyond the horizon in quest for wisdom.
As the film begins, Jonathan Livingston Seagull is soaring through the sky hoping to travel at a speed more than 60 miles per hour (100 km/h). Eventually, with luck he is able to break that barrier, but when Jonathan returns to his own flock he is greeted with anything but applause. The Elders of the flock shame Jonathan for doing things the other seagulls never dare to do.
Jonathan pleads to stay and claims that he wants to share his newfound discovery with everybody, but the Elders dismiss him as an outcast, and he is banished from the flock. Jonathan goes off on his own, believing that all hope is lost. However, he is soon greeted by mysterious seagulls from other lands who assure him that his talent is a unique one, and with them Jonathan is trained to become independent and proud of his beliefs. Eventually, Jonathan himself ends up becoming a mentor for other seagulls who are suffering the same fates in their own flocks as he once did.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a 1973 American drama film directed by Hall Bartlett, adapted from the novella of the same name by Richard Bach. The film tells the story of a young seabird who, after being cast out by his stern flock, goes on an odyssey to discover how to break the limits of his own flying speed. The film was produced by filming actual seagulls, then superimposing human dialogue over it. The film’s voice actors included James Franciscus in the title role, and Philip Ahn as his mentor, Chang.
Whereas the original novella was a commercial success, the film version was poorly received by critics and barely broke even at the box office, though it was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing. The soundtrack album, written and recorded by Neil Diamond, was a critical and commercial success, earning Diamond a Grammy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Director Hall Bartlett first read the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull in a San Fernando Valley barbershop when he impulsively decided to call the publisher, Macmillan, and then author Richard Bach, to buy the film rights. Bartlett suggested that the story needed to be told simply, without animation or actors, and acquired the property for $100,000 and fifty percent of the profits. He granted Bach final approval rights on the film and all advertising and merchandising “gimmickry.” During production, Bartlett declared, “I was born to make this movie.”
Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973)
Directed by: Hall Bartlett
Starring: James Franciscus, Juliet Mills, Philip Ahn, David Ladd, Kelly Harmon, Dorothy McGuire, Richard Crenna, Hal Holbrook
Screenplay by: Hall Bartlett
Production Design by: Boris Leven
Cinematography by: Jack Couffer
Film Editing by: Marshall M. Borden, James Galloway, Frank P. Keller
Art Direction by: Sandy Dvore
Music by: Neil Diamond, Lee Holdridge
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: October 23, 1973
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