Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973)

• Director
  • Hall Bartlett
• Writers
  • Hall Bartlett(screenplay)
  • Richard D. Bach(book)
• Stars
  • James Franciscus(voice)
  • Juliet Mills(voice)
  • Philip Ahn(voice)

  Hal Bartlett co-wrote and directed this film curiosity, based on Richard Bach's best-selling fable, featuring an overbearing music score by Neil Diamond. The story begins as a flock of seagulls are pecking at the garbage left by a boat that has dumped a bunch of fish heads in the surf. One of the seagulls, Jonathan (voice of James Franciscus), would rather leave his life of garbage-picking and fly high in the sky to see other parts of the earth. Jonathan leaves the flock and flies around the world. He travels so far that he reaches an aviary heaven, where he meets Maureen Seagull (voice of Juliet Mills). Maureen introduces Jonathan to new experiences, and Jonathan returns to the flock to tell them the news. The other seagulls scorn him, but then they take notice when he heals a seagull that has died. Then the entire flock greets him as "the Son of the Great Gull."