Olivier Messiaen and the Birds(1973)

Olivier Messiaen and the Birds Synopsis

"A renowned composer and organist, Olivier Messiaen was also a great teacher. Michel Fano, who took his composition class at the Paris Conservatory, films some of the privileged moments of his teaching. This film, co-directed with Denise Tual, also shows Messiaen as a devotee, an ornithologist, and a synaesthete, evoking the fundamental concepts of his inspiration with an often sparkling ease (the musician imitating certain bird songs in a manner reminiscent of Rouch recreating the cries of wizards for certain films). In this way, the film boldly collides sequences with visual or sound correspondences, the directors succeeding in dragging us into the world of mystery and dreams dear to the musician." (François Waledisch)

Olivier Messiaen and the Birds (1973) is a documentary film directed by Michel Fano, released on April 22, 1973 with a runtime of 1h 12m. It stars Sylvio Gualda, Michel Béroff, Iannis Xenakis and Alain Louvier.