Name: William Buys a Parrot
Genre: Documentary, Short
Duration: 2 min
Rating: 4.6
Cast: William S. Burroughs

William Burroughs takes a look at a parrot, and from the title I guess he also buys it

William Burroughs, wearing a broader-brimmed hat than I've ever seen him pictured wearing before, knocks on the door of a house. A man with a sort of skipper's hat and a mustache answers the door and invites Burroughs inside. Burroughs is next seen in what may be the man's back yard. He inspects a caged parrot. The man comes out with a bottle of something for them to drink. Burroughs looks at the parrot some more, and there are some close-ups of the parrot. There is no dialog or sound; this is probably just an 8mm home movie. There's no indication that he's there to buy the parrot, and we never see any money produced.

It's the last of four short films featured on the videotape Towers Open Fire and Other Short Films by Antony Balch. It's also the least interesting and happily the shortest.

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

A bizarre silent short film showing author William S. Burroughs negotiating to buy a parrot.

William S. Burroughs in William Buys a Parrot (1963)

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William Buys a Parrot

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