I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

good back-story, and good acting

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

I've just re-watched this film yesterday when I'am almost 50 and I can say that "Juan Salvador Gaviota" is one of the best movies I've ever seen. And I can assure I've watched tons and tons of movies throughout my life. Photography is unbelievable. Also music from the Great Neil Diamond. The sequences of flight and the voice of seagulls. The depth of message. And it was made in 1973, when no digital effects were available... I recommend to everybody to see it. After much reflection, because life was presented to me, I understood that Juan Salvador Gaviota was, as the dedication of the book said, the film, the spirit that exists in each one of us and that to achieve perfection it only needs to be discovered.

*** SPOILER ALERT ***With all the good will in the world, I sat through Jonathan Livingston Seagull with an open mind and struggled with my better judgment not to be cynical. Yet, I failed and the cynicism found me anyway. In regards, to this film, I not only embraced my cynicism, I bathed in it.I have an open mind toward almost anything, but in this case I have to confess that there will never be an open spot in my imagination for a story about an existential seagull. Thank God they are in limited supply.Jonathan Livingston Seagull is based on the improbably popular book by Richard Bach first published 1970. I have read the book twice in my life, first as a child, then later as an adult. The kid version of me simply rejected the concept of a seagull wanting to venture into the world and discover what the world has to offer him. The adult version of me simply rejected the concept of a seagull wanting to venture into the world and discover what the world has to offer him. I'm sorry, this is just not a story that I could wrap my brain - let alone my heart - around.The movie stars no actors on screen, just 99 minutes of nature photography, mostly of seagulls either flying or sitting. It opens with about 10 or 15 minutes of water, sky, rocks, and Neil Diamond. The seagulls are characterized with human voices, provided by the likes of James Franciscus, Juliet Mills and Dorothy McGuire. The voices sound muffled and are mostly heard in a monotone. We don't see the seagulls speaking the dialogue, we only hear it. That wouldn't be so bad if their dialogue actually meant something. Most of it simply consists of inane nonsense like: "The only true law is that which sets us free." Groovy dude, hug a rainbow.The story involves the title bird, a seagull that sees the world of his flock and wonders if life might contain something other than searching for food. His purpose, the movie insists, is to break his own flying speed record. He wants to travel where seagulls don't go, and do things that seagulls don't do. This doesn't make him very popular among the seagull township who call him into a town meeting where (and I am not making this up) they pass judgment on him and cast him out for having the unmitigated gall to have the capacity for abstract thought.Even if I had the capacity to get foothold on this nonsense, I have a fundamental problem with the fact that I just can't get cuddly with a seagull. Seagulls are nasty, noisy, ungainly scavengers who poop everywhere and eat garbage. Opening scenes show a flocks of gulls on a trash pile pecking at the refuse doesn't exactly further my endearment. Apparently they aren't very nice to each other as evidenced by the fact that we get close-ups of the birds pecking at each other over a few scraps of food. Plus, the noise. Seagulls make, for me, one of the most unpleasant noises in nature. Oddly enough, I found the dialogue in this movie to be even less tolerable.Even if I could accept the concept of hearing a seagull's thoughts, I would imagine that what is in their heads might be more interesting than worrying about flying speed. Jonathan's dialogue about his flying speed makes him sound like a test pilot, a boring one. The rest of the dialogue sounds like it came off of a funeral parlor calendar. Honestly, for those reasons and many more I am perplexed by this film even at the concept level. My mind wanders over the two or three dozen fundamental questions that this film raises and never answers. Yet, I don't ponder on them too long. I have better things to do.

Not everyone may know the story of 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull'. But, if nothing else, at least many people certainly heard of it.I like seagulls very much. They're such beautiful, elegant birds with a confident, even noble appearance. And they fly beautifully. A seagull's flight is one of the most graceful and fascinating things to see. As beautiful as they are, they're equally well known for their foul temperament...One of the most different things about this movie is the fact that it has only birds (seagulls) on screen and no human characters at all. Plus, this is an animal movie different from the others. Instead of home pets, this one is about seagulls.The story is about the title character, who is different from all the seagulls of his flock. Flying is his favorite thing. He flies with art and passion, but he dares to do things that other seagulls don't do, such as flying as high as possible (the more, the merrier - for him, sky is the limit) and flying in unusual speeds, as well as doing other "tricks" that other seagulls don't attempt. Of course that by being overambitious he's taking great risks...Jonathan faces the reality of being different: his flock doesn't accept him and actually outcast him. However, that doesn't stop him from keep trying to learn and improve his flight skills so that he reaches what he is desperately trying to. And even though he later finds another flock which accepts him the way he is, he still loves his previous flock and wants to show them his talents.This movie is certainly artistic when it comes to film-making. Besides the unique story (even if a bit lame), it has rich and gorgeous settings and landscapes, as well as a beautiful and relaxing musical score by Neil Diamond.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull has been one of my favorite books since I was very young. I have truly relished the imagery and spiritual message presented by this stunningly magical story, and looked eagerly forward to experiencing Jonathan's adventure on the big screen. This film was an atrocity. Rather than being a dedicated retelling of one of the most inspirational books ever written this ghastly farce presents itself as an embarrassing showcase for a dolorous soundtrack. I can see this film as having great appeal to hardcore Neil Diamond fans, especially those who appreciate his more pensive and solemn works, however, it completely misses the mark of painting the spirit of Richard Bach's brilliant masterpiece. Despite some stunning visuals this film has little merit. Absolutely horrific.