Bird (1988)

Bird (1988) is a biographical musical drama film, directed and produced by Clint Eastwood. In Kansas City, Missouri during 1939, young saxophonist Charlie Parker plays at the Reno Club, but his fast and erratic playing leads to a negative response from the audience. Moving to New York City, he performs at various jazz venues on 52nd Street and meets Dizzy Gillespie. Together, they develop a unique style of jazz that gains popularity as ‘bebop’. While playing with Dizzy, Charlie meets Chan Parker, a dancer and fellow fan of jazz. Despite his persistent attempts to ask her out, she rejects him and relocates to Chicago. Eventually, Chan returns and reveals that she is pregnant with another man’s child. Distraught, Charlie leaves for Los Angeles to join Dizzy in performance.

One evening, Red Rodney, a Jewish trumpet player, approaches Charlie and expresses his admiration. Despite their planned engagement with Dizzy being cancelled due to a lack of interest in bebop, Charlie remains in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, his struggles with addiction worsen and he spends eight months in the hospital. Upon being released and getting clean, he is grateful for Chan’s help in securing a booking at a New York club. It is there that she introduces him to her daughter, Kim. Later on, Charlie finds out that his friend Brewster has named his new club Birdland after him. In need of work and income, he decides to take a trip to Paris where jazz and bebop have an audience. Eventually though, he returns to New York and performs at the famed Birdland club.