The movie begins with an introduction: "To the real Jonathan Livingston Seagull who lives within us all." Then it pans to a solitary boat afloat on a silent sea. Within minutes, beautiful seagulls reveal their greedy, ugly nature when they carnivorously fight to exist on overthrown fish heads from the sailing vessel. Nonconformist Jonathan soars above this world in which we live, seemingly peaceful and serene, while scurrying life battles for survival in a cruel and vicious world. But in the distance flies Jonathan Livingston Seagull, unconcerned with the scavangers below, only desiring to overcome the challenges of flight. Majestic scenes of sea and sky are the backdrop for flights of surrender and freedom as he steadfastly pursues his desire to fly... fast... faster... until he's the fastest seagull at speeds of 200+ mph.
Ridiculed and outcast from his family and flock, Jonathan flies alone "lost on a painted sky where the skies are hung for the poet's eye... you may find him on a distant shore by the wings of dreams through an open door." Undaunted, his new-found talent takes him beyond the Heavens through colors of paradise and sky to a spiritual threshold that goes beyond the limits of reality where he realizes that he must go back to the flock and share his knowledge, so they, too, can break the bonds that tie them to an unfulfilled mundane world.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull was nominated for an Academy Award and features legendary Neil Diamond's Grammy and Golden Globe winning score. The voice talents of Juliet Mills, Hal Holbrook and James Franciscus lend compassionate familiarity.
As an ex-pseudo-hippie, I thought this movie was inspirational and spiritual despite its awkward voiceovers, and challenge everyone to seek the Jonathan Livingston Seagull within.
While this version is a visionary landscape, I caution parents that the scenes of carnage brought on by hungry fighting seagulls may be too graphic for sensitive eyes, but the message that Jonathan leaves for us is priceless and sensitive enough to touch anyone's heart with a true spirit of piercing the "reality" of life straight through to our dreams.
