THE BLUE BIRD 1918

Pre-1930s
THE BLUE BIRD 1918
The Blue Bird is a 1940 American fantasy film directed by Walter Lang. The screenplay by Walter Bullock was adapted from the 1908 play of the same name by Maurice Maeterlinck. Intended as 20th Century Fox's answer to MGM's The Wizard of Oz, which had been released the previous year, it was filmed in Technicolor and tells the story of a disagreeable little girl (played by Shirley Temple) and her search for happiness.Set in Germany sometime in the late 18th century where Mytyl (Shirley Temple), the bratty daughter of a woodcutter (Russell Hicks), , and selfishly refuses to give it to her sick friend. Mytyl and Tyltyl's parents are separated when the woodcutter must go off to fight in an unspecified war, but mother and father are mortified at her behavior. That night, she is visited in a dream by a FAIRY named Berylune (Jessie Ralph ) who sends her and her brother Tyltyl (Johnny Russell) to search for the Blue Bird of Happiness. To accompany them, the fairy magically transforms their dog Tylo (Eddie Collins), cat Tylette (Gale Sondergaard), and lantern ("Light") into human form. The children have a number of adventures. The dream journey makes Mytyl awake as a kinder and gentler girl who has learned to appreciate all the comforts and joys of her home and family, and the children's father returns home safely from the war.

Directed by	Walter Lang
Produced by	Darryl F. Zanuck
Written by	Screenplay: Ernest Pascal Walter Bullock Play: Maurice Maeterlinck
Starring	Shirley Temple Spring Byington Nigel Bruce
Music by	Alfred Newman
Cinematography	Arthur C. Miller
Editing by	Robert Bischoff
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	January 19, 1940
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United States