"THE BLUE BIRD" tells the tale of a sister and brother (Patsy Kensit and Todd Lookinland) of a simple woodcutter and his wife (Elizabeth Taylor) and their magical search for the fabulous Bluebird of Happiness. The story is based on the famous, classic fairy tale by Dutch author Maurice Maeterlink.

The children are equipped for their journey with Light (Elizabeth Taylor) to guide them on their way; Bread, man's oldest friend; and Dog, his most faithful companion. They're also accompanied by the Conniving Cat (Cicely Tyson); Sugar, who sees good in every man; and the silky soul of spilt Milk -- she doesn't travel well, poor thing. And, in case they need them, the children can turn to the spinning flame of Fire (Kirov's Ballet); and soft-voiced, gentle Water (Kirov's Ballet).

Their voyage takes them on a strange, fantastic route. They re-visit their grandparents (Will Geer of "The Waltons" and Mona Washbourne) in the timeless limbo of life after death. Then they brave nature's darker mysteries in the form of Night (Jane Fonda) and her Hall of Secrets. All that is evil and terrible is locked within the basalt caves of that palace. Plagues, sickness, catastrophes and all the wars that have afflicted mankind since the beginning of the world are in the Hall of Secrets, and it is Night's terrible job to keep order in this dominion.

The children pass through the deceptive Garden of Dreams, whose flocking impostor bluebirds mockingly die at a touch, and come to the glittering encampment of Luxury (Ava Gardner). Here enjoyment, pleasure, frivolity and youth hold sway. The Luxury of Being Rich vies with the Luxury of Doing Nothing Except Enjoying the Luxury of Loving Oneself, all of which only leads to the Luxury of Understanding Nothing.

After suffering the delights of 12 banquets a morning, the children find brief respite in the Meadow of Happiness with The Clown (Oleg Popov). There they bask in the joys of Being Well, of Sunny Hours and Winter Fires, of Pure Air and Falling Rain, and of Home and Spring and Loving One's Parents.

They continue their quest and arrive at the Forest. The dark, brooding forest echoes with cries of revenge against the human race by Oak:
Your lovers carve names on our face,
Your woodmen destroy over half of our race,
You've cleared us from valley and mountain and hill.
You're all the same, murders all!

The children narrowly escape the terrors of the forest and they arrive at a place of new hope: The Kingdom of the Future -- where whole generations are waiting to be born, each child with his gift for the world such as thirty-three fresh remedies for prolonging life or a new fire to warm the earth when the sun finally grows pale. The Kingdom of the Future abounds with Farmers and Politicians galore, and in the midst of it all is Father Time (Robert Morley), looking hard for what the earth needs most: that wondrous phenomenon, an honest man.

And so the children come full circle, only to find The Blue Bird of Happiness (the famous dancer, Pavlova) where it had always been -- in their own backyard. It is easily captured, but in the excitement of giving The Blue Bird to the girl next door, the elusive creature flutters free again. Happiness cannot be contained... but the need for The Blue Bird remains...

Director: George Cukor; Director of Photography: Freddie Young; Production Designer: Brian Wildsmith; Costume Designer: Edith Head.

A Twentieth Century Fox and Russian Co-Production. 1976/G/99 min.