The Red-tailed hawk had not lived in New York City for a hundred years -- until one suddenly appeared in 1993. Onlookers, stunned and awed by his appearance, named him Pale Male, since, upon researching the red-tailed hawk, he was found to be paler than average. And so a cult to the bird was born. It didn't hurt that he picked the best neighborhood in Manhattan to call home -- Fifth Avenue and 74th Street, which is right across the street from Central Park's boat pond, replete with copious benches for comfortable birdwatching and lots of easy pickings for an avian predator in the form of pigeons, rats, squirrels. It's like a Hollywood movie star living an apartment with huge picture windows on Sunset Boulevard. From a clique of hawk watchers who regularly met and swapped stories about their latest observations of Pale Male, his reputation grew to that of an international tourist attraction and headline news item in a struggle between nature lovers and priggish co-op owners on the upper east side.
This film demonstrates in vivid, emotional terms how nature starved city dwellers have become. It's an urban commentary that the endeavors of one hawk captured the hearts of so many even though there are lots of urban animals, including those stated above, as well as ducks and swans, plus pets like dogs, cats and domesticated birds, and the captured creatures inhabiting Central Park Zoo just a few blocks away. New York City is truly removed from nature and Pale Male's fans demonstrated their need to keep him well, literally. They took to the streets, banners and posters waving, shouting for the protection of Pale Male, his mates and their offspring when threatened.
Fortunately for us in the San Francisco bay area, the governmental and corporate response to wildlife is more positive. When falcons were found nesting on a North Bay bridge, biologists and ornithologists were immediately called in to assure their survival and comfort. When a sea lion was found blocking the way of a man trying to approach his boat on Pier 39 slip, a meeting was held in City Hall and the decision was that boats would be removed from two docks, pontoons added and a fence and bleachers built so the sea lions could come and go as they pleased without worrying about the crowds that converged on the area to watch and cheer them. Need I remind San Franciscans about the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill? It was even stated in the documentary of the same name that there are now more conures in San Francisco than in their Central American homeland. We even view wild hawks as enemies since they prey on 'our' parrots, having killed the hero of said film, Connor, the only blue headed conure among the ever growing flock of red heads. Nature in its wildest form is close and pretty much in harmony with our sophisticated urban lifestyles. Hopefully, urban sprawl in the Bay Area will stop and the threat to other wildlife,. such as mountain lions, coyotes and deer will end.
But New York City is another story, and a more bereft one in terms of nature. Frederic Lillien, a Belgian who traveled to the U.S. to find himself and avoid being a lawyer in his father's firm, came upon Pale Male while walking in the park. There he found his future as a wildlife documentary filmmaker. He started this pursuit 18 years ago, and released 'Nature: Pale Male' in 1993. It garnered a multitude of awards at the time, aired on many PBS stations and was viewed in several film festivals. You might find this latest documentary familiar. It is, in fact, a continuation of 'Nature...' Lilien returned to New York to continue the film based on events that occurred after his first film was 'done.' The question always is -- when is a documentary finished? Perhaps with the release of this latest film, the Pale Male story is complete, but this special hawk has left a legacy. So, even if you have seen a New York City hawk film in the past, there is more to be said and seen. Even nature loving San Franciscans who go whale watching, or check out the migration of elephant seals at Ano Nuevo Beach in nearby San Mateo, or cross the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin and climb Hawk Hill to look down on hawks lazing in the air below them hunting for field mice and voles, will enjoy 'The Legend of Pale Male.' It has much to offer; not just a wild hawk, but the people who love him and join together in their own way of rejoicing nature.
The Legend of Pale Male
Director: Frederic Lilien
Subject: Pale Male
Time: 85 min.
Opens December 10 at the Opera Plaza in San Francisco and Shattuck in Berkeley
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