Product Details

• Actors: James Franciscus, Juliet Mills, Philip Ahn, David Ladd, Kelly Harmon
• Directors: Hall Bartlett
• Writers: Hall Bartlett, Richard D. Bach
• Producers: Hall Bartlett
• Format: Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: December 7, 1992
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (150 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300216586
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,395 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

There isn't a lot of middle ground when it comes to Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which comes to DVD in 2007, 34 years after it was released theatrically, 15 years after it appeared in the VHS format, and nearly 40 years after the first publication of Richard Bach's novella. One person's poetic is another's pretentious; while many find inspiration and enlightenment in its allegorical message of self-realization and fulfillment, many others are repelled by its sophomoric, superficial moralizing. There is, however, one aspect of director Hall Bartlett's film that pretty much everyone agrees on: it's beautifully photographed, and richly deserving of its 1974 Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography, with shot after breathtaking shot of the titular bird and his flock on the wing (and done without CGI or other modern technological trickery, other than the use of some radio-controlled models). Still, even an ornithologist would grow weary of endless shots of seagulls soaring and swooping, and when they start to talk, well, that's where the battle lines are drawn. James Franciscus, speaking in a hoarse, urgent whisper, supplies the voice of Jonathan, a young gull obsessed with flying higher, faster, and "without limits." This doesn't sit too well with the conformist stiffs who run the show, and the rebellious Jonathan finds himself an outcast… at least until he hooks up with some other, more evolved birds, who show him an existentially higher place and encourage him to return to his flock (who have names like Kirk Maynard, Judy Lee, and Charles-Roland) and share his profound life lessons with the others. If all of that sounds a bit sententious, that's because it is; while there's no arguing with the film's positive gist (basically, that it's good to be yourself and take a few risks), it's hammered home with all the subtlety of a Thomas Kinkade painting. Neil Diamond's music doesn't help, either, as the songwriter (with collaborator Lee Holdridge) delivers some of the most cloying songs of his career, somehow managing to sound sentimental and grandiose at the same time. In the end, perhaps the best solution is to watch Jonathan Livingston Seagull with the sound off. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

158 of 163 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good movie, on several different layers, June 3, 2002

By 

Robert Hess (Lake Forest Park, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jonathan Livingston Seagull [VHS] (VHS Tape)

It is of course important to mention first off that this is not your standard movie. For a movie going audience conditioned by such spectaculars as Harry Potter, Titanic, Star Wars, and Spider-Man, it would be hard to imagine exactly how this would play out in the theaters today (as I recall, it didn't fair to well back in 1973 either).

All of this doesn't mean this isn't a -good- movie. It contains a lot of sweeping ocean scenery, with of course lots of wonderful footage of seagulls. It also has the great score by Neil Diamond, and then woven throughout this is the original story by Richard Bach. And it is perhaps in that order that this movie exists. It is a relaxing, calming, as well as uplifting (on a very subtle scale) experience. To watch it with the same rapt attention that you might a modern "spectacular", you would no doubt be quickly disappointed and bored. Instead, it should be watched at a time when you just want to relax, no pressing chores calling your name, and no interruptions that you might need to deal with. You might think of this as the closest thing to a full-body massage for the mind, encapsulated in a hour and a half movie.

One caveat however, is that I would recommend that you read the book first, because there are times when exactly what is going on with the seagulls is a little confusing, and difficult to figure out from what happens on-screen.

While I doubt it will ever happen, I would love for this to be released on DVD, it would greatly improve the quality of the video and soundtrack (both copies I've seen of this movie have had an mildly distracting "tracking" problem which results in pops and crackles in the audio), and it would perhaps also allow supplimentary audio tracks with discussions from Richard Bach, Neil Diamond, and perhaps others associated with this film (Hall Barlett, the director died in 1993).

83 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still a star album after 28 years., October 26, 2001

By 

ch0pper "ch0pper" (SOUTHAMPTON, Hampshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jonathan Livingston Seagull: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Audio CD)

My brother introduced me to this record just after it was first released some 28 years ago. I can remember the occasion as if it were yesterday. I was sleeping late on a Saturday morning and I was awakened by music echoing through the house. Music that was haunting, expressive, flowing. Words that were insightful, thoughtful, introspective and, most of all, moving.

Eventually, I got up and went downstairs to find out what I had been listening to, and I discovered that it was Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Neil Diamond. Well, I was captivated; truly, deeply captivated. I'd rarely heard such rich, wonderfully expressive modern music before. Yes, I knew of Neil Diamond, but this record made me see and hear him in a new light.

I bought the album and wore it out after many playings over many years. I've seen the film so many times I've lost count, but one thing still gives me shivers as I watch it is the combination of absolutely superb photography matched to the superlative soundtrack. I cannot understand how, in Britain at least, this film got relegated to art-house status and didn't get the wide release it dererves.

Even today (now I have the CD) I find that in troubled times I can darken my lounge, lie back in my favourite chair, listen to this music and feel my worries subside. It is so relaxing.

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Johnathan Livingston Seagull, December 2, 1999

By 

Penny (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jonathan Livingston Seagull [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie is so uplifting! The music and photography are mesmerizing, as well as the messages of striving to reach past your perceived limits to totally new horizons. When I'm troubled I watch the movie or listen to the cd and remember that it's the striving in life that makes us who we are, not our present problems.