Jonathan Livingston Seagull (film) his beliefs. Eventually, Jonathan himself ends up becoming a mentor for other seagulls who are suffering the same fates in their own flocks as he once did. Director Hall Bartlett first read the book "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" in a San Fernando Valley barbershop when he impulsively decided to call the publisher, Macmillan, and then author Richard Bach, to buy the film rights. Bartlett suggested that the story needed to be told simply, without animation or actors, and acquired the property for $100,000 and fifty percent of the profits. He granted Bach final approval rights on the film and all advertising
Jonathan Livingston Seagull (film) insecure person underneath." Director Ovady Julber also sued the film, claiming it stole scenes from his 1936 film "La Mer". The suit was dismissed without a trial, petitioned on the grounds that extensive public school and cultural use of the film had robbed it of common-law copyright protection. Previously only available on VHS, it was released on DVD on October 23, 2007. It was released again on DVD on a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) basis through the Warner Archive Collection June 25, 2013. Jonathan Livingston Seagull (film) Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a 1973 American drama film directed by Hall Bartlett, adapted from