Dear Brigitte is one of the funniest comedies from the 1960s, about a tone-deaf, color-blind boy genius with one interest: Brigitte Bardot. James Stewart plays professor Robert Leaf, a typical college professor (when speaking of college professors typical means liberal, but this was 40 years ago and labels change). Leaf teaches poetry, lives in a houseboat in San Francisco, vocally opposes nuclear power and progress in general. He has an original way to make the family stick together - family concerts. His daughter calls him square. Leaf's 8-year old son Erasmus is played by Billy Mumy (Sammy the Way Out Seal, Lost In Space, Bless The Beasts & Children, Three Wishes). Leaf hopes to find artistic genius of some sort in his only son, and nurtures him in music, painting, literature, etc. But Leaf is disappointed, to put it mildly, when it turns out Erasmus has a gift for math, can out-think the colleges newest computer, instantly compute horse-race winners. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but Erasmus had been writing to Bardot regularly, and after the family comes to depend on his ability, his love-sickness causes a mental block. Glynis Johns (Father's Delicate Condition, The Cabinet of Caligari, Mary Poppins) plays Leaf's wife. Ed Wynn (Requiem For A Heavyweight, Mary Poppins) is a neighbor / captain / narrator. Other cast include Fabian, Cindy Carol, John Williams, Jesse White, Jack Kruschen, and James Brolin in an early bit part. Brigitte Bardot appears at the end.
伯迪(马修·莫迪恩 Matthew Modine 饰)是个从小活在幻想中的孩子,他一直向往鸟的生活,羡慕他们有翅膀可以飞翔,自己也兴致勃勃地动手制作翅膀,幻想有朝一日飞上天空。越战爆发打断少年美梦。战场上残忍的一幕幕让内心脆弱的伯迪受到极大刺激,终于失去理智,成为现实意义中的“精神病人”,被送进医院。在医院里,他从不说话,每天以鸟的姿态蹲着,以鸟的方式吃东西,在牢笼里望着一方小小的蓝天向往飞翔。为了治疗伯迪,医院找来他的儿时好友艾尔(尼古拉斯·凯奇 Nicolas Cage 饰),希望他能引导伯迪重新和人交流。艾尔用大量共同回忆开启伯迪的心智,也认识到对伯迪来说只有飞翔的梦想是永恒的……
本片根据威廉 ·霍顿发表于1978年的小说改编而成,曾获戛纳电影节评委会大奖。