User Reviews

This musical version of "The Blue Bird" is highly reminiscent of those awful, English-dubbed "Pippi Longstocking" movies from Sweden, where everyone is manic, grinning, out of step and out of tune. The same clueless qualities are on display here, only this picture was directed by George "My Fair Lady" Cukor and co-stars Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner, Cicely Tyson and Jane Fonda! Filmed in Russia (with the assistance of a Russian crew and Russian rubles), it's a remake of the Shirley Temple chestnut from 1940, adapted from the play by Maurice Maeterlinck, and literally defies explanation. Amateurish--and yet fascinatingly so--the movie is heavier than bricks and is never seamless; it feels patched together by a child's hands. I remember watching this on HBO many years ago several times, always in stunned, mind-numbing shock. Taylor (in four roles!) goofs around a little and she's fun to watch, Fonda has a pithy few seconds as Night, and Robert Morley is energetic without camping it up as Father Time; everyone else is out to sea. Forgettable, needless songs by Irwin Kostal and Andrei Petrov. Connoisseurs of bad cinema should feast on this for ages. Hey, terrible flicks can be fun, too. ** from ****

The Blue Bird (1976)

** (out of 4)

George Cukor directed this USSR/USA co-production of the classic story about two children who set out to find the Blue Bird of Happiness. The all-star cast includes Elizabeth Taylor in four roles including the Mother, Witch and Queen of Light, Jane Fonda as The Night, Cicely Tyson as Tylette and Ava Gardner as Luxery. THE BLUE BIRD has been filmed countless times over the years and this one here has the reputation as being one of the worst. It's strange to see all the talent that is wasted here but at the same time I think fans of the weird and surreal will probably want to check this out and they might get a few kicks out of it. This version here is completely weird from the opening scene to the last but I think this here is what keeps it entertaining. For the most part the performances range from poor to average but with a cast like this you expect much better. Taylor seems out of place in all four of her roles but I will admit that I got a kick out of her playing the witch. Fonda seems like she's caught up in a bad dream as she never feels in place. Gardner is wasted in her small role as is Robert Morley. Poor Tyson comes off the worst with a rather embarrassing performance. I'd say that the majority of the visuals are quite nice and we're given some good cinematography but all of this is pretty much wasted since the story never fully takes off. The dance sequences really don't add anything either and in the end this here is just a strange mix of fantasy and drama.

I have witnessed many bad films, and I really thought that Blues Brothers 2000 could not be out-done. But this is the most painful, excruciating and unbearable film ever. Do not watch it unless you have taken drugs.

The acting is terrible, the directing is terrible, the costumes are just unreal... I cannot go on. It hurts me to even talk about it.

What on earth were good actors like Liz doing? I can only assume that the back-ground of a Hollywood-Soviet joint children's film production in the middle of the Cold War was their contribution to bring the world together. Well, I can tell you this: I am a Brit, my wife is Slovak. We both saw it from other sides of the Iron Curtain, and we both agree - it sucks.

The mankind has been took at madness in a pressure world, everlasting work, tons of bills to pay, sadness and all sort of the misfortunes, then as escapism we quite often delve into fantasy, The Blue Bird was a fabulous fairy tale, taking two children in a travel to searching the Blue bird, they walking for many places through the time, meeting all kind of the characters, good and evil, even their grandparents already dead, Miss Taylor, Jane Fonda and Ava Gardner, and many more, each single scene has a specific meaningful, letting us to unknown wonder world, a special journey to forget our aches and pains, a joint venture USA-URSS co-production, where marvelous Soviet actors made it a pleasant picture, so easy to watch, based on Maurice Maeterlinck novel, a must to see!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2011 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5

A train wreck in every regard.

TV style fake sets. Terrible acting. Bad special effects. Embarrassing, stagey direction. Actors who can't sing. For a musical, the first number doesn't come until 30 mins in. And it's not worth the wait. Just awful in every regard. No wonder it's barely been seen since.

Taylor is pathetic. The entire film, if you can call it that, is so bad it has to be seen to be believed. Unlike a train accident however, it's very easy to turn away. There's no redeeming qualities at all. It's a horrendous chore to sit through, like water torture. It couldn't have been worse if they tried.

And to think that 20th Century Fox dragged their feet on Star Wars, only signing the contract at the 11th hour while this piece of crud had tons of money thrown at it at the same time.

Not even rose colored nostalgia can hide the sheer horridness of it all.

I rate it a 2 rather than 1 for a few unexpected laughs at Taylor on display, taking it seriously when it's just abominable.

A good family film that brings in elements of two films "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," and "The Wizard of Oz," and the book 'The Pilgrims Progress.' The cinematography is by the celebrated Russian Jonas Grisius, who had mesmerized us earlier with his works using black-and-white film stock. The film should stand out as Robert Morley's major performance as a bearded Father Time. Elizabeth Taylor dominates the film in multiple roles. Ava Gardner, Cicely Tyson and Jane Fonda have too short screen time to make an impact, compared to Ms. Taylor.

The IMDB credits state that scenes with. James Coco as Tylo the Dog were deleted--but he was vey much there in so many sequences in the version I watched..

I thought I had seen bad movies but this is the WORST movie ever laid down on film. If the film used to make this movie had been simply used for toilet paper, wound around a film reel then threaded and shown through a movie projector, it would have been a much better movie and a plot might even have been evident.

Please don't waste even 1 second of your life watching this movie. The only good thing that I received from this movie was the encouragement that a book I started writing (but quit because I thought it stunk) might be worth finishing, since ANY work of writing turned into a movie would be better than this one - even the directions on a frozen dinner would have been better than this movie, if made into a film.

However, I must say that if you love the sappiest 70's flute riffs ever made, you will LOVE this movie.

I see Elizabeth Taylor, standing at the gates of pearl, apologizing profusely and long for ever even CONSIDERING starring in a movie such as this....

...and poor TylTyl, having to go back to his earth-bound 6th grade class and suffer the laughter, derision, and persecution from his school mates after the movie came out..........I....I...

I'm sorry, the tears are flooding my keyboard such that I cannot continue...save yourselves and don't watch this movie!! rp

On a level of polished film making, this is possibly one of the shoddiest big-budget films ever made, but for viewers with the right (admittedly warped) perspective, it's terrifically entertaining. Most bad movies are merely ineptly made and therefore boring. But this film reaches such a surreal level of ineptitude that the viewer can only wonder, "What did I just watch? Was that a movie or was I hallucinating?" The script here is so disjointed and bizarre, it gave me the impression of what Ed Wood might have done if he had tried to make a children's film and had access to real stars. The plot is indescribable, so I won't try. Some golden moments are Will Geer and Mona Washbourne as the children's grandparents singing a song about how boring it is to be dead; Robert Morley decked out as Father Time in a slightly morbid Land of Unborn children; and my favorite, Ava Gardener in the Palace of Luxury, pointing out to the young boy all the luxuries (all grotesquely personified): the luxury of eating when not hungry, the luxury of loving one's own looks, etc. When the kid asks Ava, "Which luxury are you?" she leers at him and says, "You'll find out about me when you get a bit older."

I saw this film when it was first released. The ad campaign had made it sound like a charming children's fantasy, and the fact that it was filmed in the USSR brought out all the liberal parents and their kids. By the end of the screening, the theatre was empty except for my friends and me, rolling in the aisles with laughter. So, if you like inexplicable bad movies, the ones that make you wonder just what in the world the filmmakers thought they were doing, don't miss "The Blue Bird".

I love this film and it is my favourite film of all time. I think the cast, costumes and music are all original and brilliant. I cannot fault this film.It was introduced to me as a young child by my grandmother and I'm now 25 and i still enjoy watching it.This film makes me happy, i am an artist and have been so inspired by this movie. My grandmother prefers the b&w version - with Shirley Temple. I love this version, it contains some of the worlds most beautiful women: Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardener.It's true that this film is a little quirky and has some surreal scenes, but this only adds to the genius of it. I only wish that i had created this film, it's totally artistic and creative. A beautiful masterpiece.

I watched this last night, taped it off a TCM showing. This film is a lot better than reviewers said. I'd say it's a must-see for Elizabeth Taylor fans. She obviously enjoyed her roles. Patsy Kensit is simply adorable in this. The film has deep, yet surreally portrayed concepts involving life and death, sin and love. Certainly perfect for young children with a strong moral philosophy. The story is fantasy, some sets are better than others, it's all very colorful and has an early 19th century feel. If you are a student of set construction, choreography, ballet in film, or escapes to alternate realities, you will enjoy this perhaps more than you think you should.

I don't agree with the author of the previous comment about this film. The film has to be understood in the context of the time when it was made-at the height of the Cold War. It is one of very few examples of the US-USSR cooperation, especially, in the movie industry. I was very young when I saw it for the first time, on Soviet TV. Right after the signing of the nuclear arms reduction treaty between the US and the then-Soviet Union. The soundtrack of the movie is beautiful; and some of the best Soviet movie actors are cast in it, to say nothing about Elizabeth Taylor and Jane Fonda. Yes, it's not the Lord of the Rings, by all stretch of imagination. It's rather a children's story, a fairy tale, without computer animation and Oscars for it, but with some good old-fashioned ACTING. By the way, I'd love to purchase the movie and would appreciate any hints regarding to who carries it on DVD.

The first co-production between USSR and Hollywood would have to be this strange kiddie film that is so icky sweet, it makes "Barney" look like "Penthouse Forum" in comparison! Some kids meet up with their fairy Godmother (Elizabeth Taylor dressed like a Mafia wife gone insane). With a wave of her magic wand, household pets, and inanimate objects come to life. The most disgusting has to be what happens to a pitcher of milk! It turns into a ballerina. To remind audiences of its milk origins, whenever the ballerina dances, we hear milk splash in a pitcher. It sounds as if the poor ballerina has a stomach disorder! The story goes that the production of this film was very rough. It went on forever. Jane Fonda supposedly kept on pestering the Russian workers, and it became an expensive mess.

When my son was approximately 7-8 years old, he loved watching this movie. At that time he was really into watching the Saturday afternoon monster movies, Ultra man etc. My daughters watched it a couple of years later and they both loved it too. Elizabeth Taylor is beautiful, but the storyline was nice too. Actually anything that held my son's attention had to be really good. As an adult, I watched it with the kids a couple of times and then that was enough for me, so I think it is really for the kids. I'd like to get a DVD of this movie because now I have two granddaughters. The four and half year old would really enjoy it. It would probably be another year before my other grandchild would sit still to watch it. I recommend this story for children, if you let them watch make believe and magical movies.

I am a fan of the earlier Shirley Temple version and just learned today of this 1970's version. Can't seem to find it anywhere to watch. Any suggestions???

Well, it's a movie of my childhood. I was charmed by it same as millions of Soviet kids did. Russian Soviet crew consisted of well-known actors who are amazingly remarkable even now when some of them are long dead. Music score plays tunes in your head once you've heard it. You need to be romantic or a kid to be succumbed completely in the plot and the play. I give it 100 points. P.S. I had no idea who Liz Taylor was when I had watched that movie almost 20 years back from now.

Excellent, brilliant film! If you know what the happiness is, you'll search for it in that film. You'll be a guest in your own past, in your memory.. and you'll enter the amazing world of the future, which is always young. You'll enter the Castle of Darkness and the Palace of All the Enjoys of the World. You will have a lot of difficult adventures. You will have some true friends and some very envious enemies.. The Blue Bird - the symbol of happiness - is always flying somewhere close, but you can't get it in your hands. You'll probably try to answer to one question: "where your happiness is, if you have enjoyed it not once."

This film immerses us into a fairytale atmosphere. As for me, I watch it many times, by the way, both in Russian and in English. It's too pleasantly to realize that Soviet Union and US joined together: legendary Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner, Jane Fonda and outstanding soviet actors Georgiy Vitsin, Margarita Terekhova, Oleg Popov. I was a little child when I found this masterpiece...Even then it left an imprint in my heart, and I'll always remember it with great pleasure and kindness! And know I can recommend u to watch this film and enjoy the playing of the best actors of 20th century. Don't miss this fairytale!

This movie is a wonderful movie . its with great pride that i seen it back when i did , a child of all ages should see it for what it is a fantasy , about caring for someone and learning how to work together , it has its ups and downs but so do other movies , i give it thumbs up and hope to see it available on dvd some time

This film immerses us into a fairytale atmosphere. As for me, I watch it many times, by the way, both in Russian and in English. It's too pleasantly to realize that Soviet Union and US joined together: legendary Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner, Jane Fonda and outstanding soviet actors Georgiy Vitsin, Margarita Terekhova, Oleg Popov. I was a little child when I found this masterpiece...Even then it left an imprint in my heart, and I'll always remember it with great pleasure and kindness! And know I can recommend u to watch this film and enjoy the playing of the best actors of 20th century. Don't miss the fairytale

I remember hearing the horrendous reviews when this film was originally released. Thirty-three years later, I finally managed to actually see it on YouTube. My, oh, my. Considering the budget and talent involved, it is indeed one of the worst films ever made. Most often, it comes across as a filmed stage play - one with incredibly bad performances. The technical aspects are well below par. The whole naive "political" background actually makes the film even more annoying...did these people actually think that they were performing some sort of noble gesture, bringing the world's superpowers together? If you haven't seen this, really, I suggest that you skip it. It might play as "good bad," if you've had a few drinks with friends. But watching this sober, is just plain tedious.

A fairy tale, a musical. The most famous film adaptation of the play of the same name by the Belgian writer and playwright Maurice Meterlik, staged by two superpowers of those years (the USSR and the USA), namely the studios Lenfilm and Twentieth Century Fox under the direction of director George Cukor (staged "Philadelphia Story" and my favorite picture "My Fair Lady"). And since I am not familiar with the original play, I will evaluate the picture as an independent work. And I stumbled upon this picture by chance - and now I'm glad that I didn't pass by, and took the time to do it. And here's my brief opinion for you - An incredibly strong Soviet-American fairy tale. Only good impressions (and a wet handkerchief) remained from the viewing, but, in addition to the pros (which certainly paint this picture), I have to cancel its cons (which are not so noticeable, but you need to pay attention to them). And this should be the end of such an important introduction and get to the point.

So, the pros: 1. Scenario - the picture focuses on children, brother Tiltil and sister Mytil, who, after a childish prank, and the subsequent punishment from their mother, wake up at home, where a sorceress in red asks them to find the famous Blue Bird for a sick girl. The children agree, and on this journey they will be accompanied by an interesting company, where each of its representatives is a very bright personality, and most of them wish victory to our brave children. All of them will have to pass tests, know the wrath of the forest, visit the dungeon of the Lady of the Night herself, see and understand what Pleasure is and much more. During the trip, children will become strong, brave, understand what the Big World is, learn a lot, and most importantly, they will begin to appreciate their relatives, especially mom and dad. What about the Bluebird? Guess for yourself. The children in this picture cause sympathy, you worry about them, you wish them victory. And the company mates themselves teach them a lot and try to protect them from irreparable things. Yes, and the dialogues are pleasing - it feels like real people are talking. There is a subtext in the script, there is a moral, there is an instruction - everything that is needed for a good children's fairy tale (and not stupid entertainment, as it is now accepted).

2. Kindness and light - the picture is literally filled with these eternal concepts. She literally breathes them. When watching, anger, envy, aggression, goes into the darkest depths of the human soul, so that the viewer forgets about them at least for the time of viewing. All the adventures and temptations for the main characters are presented as correctly as possible, the sharp corners are greatly smoothed, while the idea itself is clearly clear to both children (the main target audience) and adults.

3. Emotions - when viewing this bright and kind picture, it is impossible not to feel emotions. And mostly from happiness, although there is also sadness, because the young actors did their best, and we are worried about them. I wasn't joking about the wet handkerchief - it's true. In an hour and a half, I got so used to the heroes that I couldn't hold back my tears in the finale.

4. Actors - just listen to who starred here: Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner, Robert Morley, Jane Fonda, Margarita Terekhova, Georgy Vitsin, Igor Dmitriev, Sergey Filippov and so on. And they all play here, in this joint picture. Two great acting schools, both equal in their performance. Yes, just for the sake of this, it is worth seeing this picture, because there were very few such joint works, and therefore each of them should be appreciated.

So, the cons: 1. Adventure with the forest - here the writers clearly did not put the squeeze on the moral message. After all, this adventure ends quite quickly, while it feels that there clearly should have been more than anything. It was possible to add a kind of ecological message wrapped in the shell of a children's fairy tale, but alas - this episode is the shortest of the whole series of adventures.

2. Few adventures are more of a quibble (not affecting the final score in any way), but I wanted even more adventures, even in the present, even in the future, it was possible to talk about class inequality (the beginning of the picture is just about this, but then they forget about this moment at all). But considering the budget of the picture (twelve lemons of cabbage leaves), the creators could connect the imagination and disperse, because at that time the budget was decent. But alas, we have what we have.

A little bit about the main characters: 1. Tyltyl performed by Todd Lukinland and Mitil performed by Patsy Kensit are a brother and sister who go on a journey in pursuit of a Blue Bird, while showing their best qualities. They are not capricious, kind, brave and courageous, so they will be able to achieve their goal, despite all the machinations of enemies. As already mentioned, the young actors coped perfectly! Clever girls!

2. Light, mom and a number of other characters performed by Elizabeth Taylor - the best Cleopatra of all time plays several roles here, but the most important of them is mom Tiltil and Mitil - a simple woman who daily performs a feat that is not often sung. But the character Light is a vivid reminder of this feat. My Lady Elizabeth was great here! Bravo!

Of course, there were some incidents during the filming. For example, Jane Fonda behaved with Russian colleagues just disgusting (although in the picture her mistress Night was very convincing). Although her behavior is understandable, because the picture was shot in 1975 - it was in that year that the barefoot peasants of this country kicked the star stripes out of Vietnam (I have greatly simplified here, but you understand the essence). And in financial terms, the picture was not very good - it failed miserably at the American box office, but in the USSR, on the contrary, it was a furious success. And what about today? Yes, this picture is almost forgotten, it is not shown on the "box", whether there will be a restoration of the picture is unknown. It's a pity, because this is a great family movie that NEEDS to be SHOWN to children and their parents, and to educate the younger generation on such a movie, only then we will have a future.

My rating is 10 out of 10 and my recommendation for viewing!

I loved this movie as a child. I would love to see it again and share it with my children. It is a wonderful movie for children and the young at heart. I like it much better than the Shirley Temple version.