Director David Frankel on the set of "The Big Year" with Steve Martin (left) and Jack Black. ©Murray Close.Episode 33 of my podcast This Birding Life is now live over at Podcast Central and in the iTunes Store Podcasts category. This episode is an interview with David Frankel, director of the movie "The Big Year." David also directed the hit movies "Marley & Me" and "The Devil Wears Prada."
In the interview we chat about the making of the movie, the central theme of the movie and the book upon which it is based (Mark Obmascik's classic book The Big Year), the movie's all-star cast (Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, Jack Black, et al), and how birding and birders are portrayed in the film.
You can't swing a catbird by the tail these days without hitting some sort of reference to this movie on birding and movie blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and even the movie's promotional trailer, which is being run during NFL football games! I'm hoping this will be a really great boost for our favorite hobby, but I have to admit that I'm really curious about how Hollywood's latest portrayal of avid birders will be received by the world at large.
The three lead actors in "The Big Year" are, from left: Owen Wilson, Steve Martin, and Jack Black. Photo © Murray Close.
3 comments:
That was a great interview! Frankel seems like a great person.
I dunno...ya think a film about "competitive birdwatching" can find an audience?
I really think that this movie will attract a large audience and has the potential to top the box office. At first, I was not sure what to think about the movie and the effect it would have on the birder reputation. After listening to this interview, my thoughts have changed. It seems that The Big Year will have a positive impact on the birding community and will invite new bird watchers into the natural world.
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