The Birds (1963)

Vacationing in northern California, Alfred Hitchcock was struck by a story in a Santa Cruz newspaper: "Seabird Invasion Hits Coastal Homes." From this peculiar incident, and his memory of a short story by Daphne du Maurier, the master of suspense created one of his strangest and most terrifying films. The Birds follows a chic blonde, Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), as she travels to the coastal town of Bodega Bay to hook up with a rugged fellow (Rod Taylor) she's only just met. Before long the town is attacked by marauding birds, and Hitchcock's skill at staging action is brought to the fore. Beyond the superb effects, however, The Birds is also one of Hitchcock's most psychologically complicated scenarios, a tense study of violence, loneliness, and complacency. What really gets under your skin are not the bird skirmishes but the anxiety and the eerie quiet between attacks. The director elevated an unknown model, Tippi Hedren (mother of Melanie Griffith), to being his latest cool, blond leading lady, an experience that was not always easy on the much-pecked Ms. Hedren. Still, she returned for the next Hitchcock picture, the underrated Marnie. Treated with scant attention by serious critics in 1963, The Birds has grown into a classic and--despite the sci-fi trappings--one of Hitchcock's most serious films. --Robert Horton Amazon.com essential video

Worth watching, but for a completely different reason

The Birds was the most ridiculous horror movie I've watched (and that includes The Evil Dead and other junk). Not only because of the lousy special effects - let's relegate those to the lack of technology. But the characters' reactions to the bird attacks often are preposterous. Let's pick the final scene when Miss Daniels hears a wing flutter and goes in the room at the top of the house, and see how many things are wrong with it:

1. Why would she go there?!
2. Why, after peeking into the room and seeing it chock-full of birds, would she enter and...
3. ... close the door behind her?
4. Why then, when the birds start attacking, does she make all sorts of uncoordinated gestures instead of getting the hell out?
5. Finally, her acting in that scene was just horrendous.

Now, why is The Birds worth watching? For the 60s aura (listen to how word intonation used to be back then) and especially for the chemistry between the two lead characters. Mitch (Rod Taylor) is handsome in the movie, and he knows it; he knows that Miss Daniels is strongly attracted to him, and he calls her bluffs with masculinity and confidence. Their dialogue is humorous and witty, and the power play is well worth watching...

...until about 1 hour and 10 minutes into the movie. After that, the birds march in, and the rest of the film is pretty much a waste of time. As philosophical food for thought, imagine a coordinated global ornithological conspiracy and how mankind would fight back - THAT'd be an interesting motion picture. November 23, 2008

Just As Erie as I remembered

The Birds (Collector's Edition)

I saw this movie when I was just a little girl (probably about 6 years old), I probably snuck out of my room, and what a mistake that was, I was so scared! As a matter of fact, the next day when I heard the birds outside I accidentaly touched the iron and seared my thumb and finger to the iron! So I wanted to see if it was as scary now that I am 46.

Well I was not as scared, but it was still a very erie movie, and kind of strange. The special effects for that time were pretty awesome. The story dragged on more than I remember, and I would have preferred to see it in black and white as it was made, not colored in.

The eyeball part is different, at least my memory tells me the eye ball was hanging out of the guys eye, not totally pecked out and gone. Over all, it was a great Alfred Hitchcock movie and would recommend for your viewing pleasure. November 17, 2008

The Birds

I bought this DVD for our 14 year grandson for Halloween as a scary movie but not too scary. I haven't heard yet how he likes it. However the purchasing went smoothly and we got it in the mail quickly and everything else went smoothly October 29, 2008

An Allegory in Search of Meaning

When THE BIRDS was first released in 1963, audiences were terrified at the notion that birds might turn on humanity with a sudden viciouness that seemed to have a controlling intelligence behind it. Director Alfred Hitchcock wisely allows his stars (Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren) time to get to know each other before the first bird attack. When this attack occurs, it seems almost an afterthought. It is only after a few incidents that it becomes clear that nature has altered its basic calculus. The scenes of birds attacking humans are truly upsetting, the more so since Hitchcock provides only a potential allegory as a subtext for meaning. All too often, viewers ask, "Why are the birds doing this?" Hitchcock was too smart to provide a ready made answer. The explanation for horror is no more welcome than an explanation for a joke. Instead, he uses the lovely Tippi Hedren as the locus of the film as one who not only provides a romantic interest for Taylor but as one who seems somehow inexplicably intertwined with the avian assaults on humanity. She is the one who suffers the first attack. She is the one who is physically present in every scene of such attacks. And she is the one who is accused by an hysterical woman in a diner: "You are evil!" It is nonsense, of course, to blame Hedren since logically there is no basis for the accusation. But Hitchcock is a master at pricking beneath the skin in a manner that pays no heed to logic. Instead, he subtly sets up Hedren as a straw woman so that the audience does not realize that THERE IS NO RATIONAL EXPLANATION. Rather, viewers unconsciously connect the hysterical woman's outburst to the harsh reality of pecking beaks. Further, the concluding scene of the birds' temporary passivity at dawn implies that there is a master plan at work and Hedren may be an unknowing participant. So effective is Hitchcock at focusing our attention on Hedren that we do not feel cheated at being denied a more rational explanation. Thus, THE BIRDS emerges as a thriller that proves once again that the implication of horror is often more chilling than its blunt reality. October 26, 2008

What happens when our fowl feathered friends become...foul!!!!

XXXXX

"Seems like a pattern, doesn't it? They strike, then disappear, and then start massing again."

The above line of dialogue is from this entertaining, suspenseful, scary, and romantic movie directed by the great Alfred Hitchcock. He said, "This could be the most terrifying motion picture I have ever made!"

This movie is based on the short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier.

Because of its special effects (where no computer animation was used) and apocalyptic theme, this movie influenced later "revenge of nature" films. (It was nominated for a special effects Academy Award.)

Briefly, Melanie Daniels ("Tippi" Hedren) is attracted to Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor). She decides to unexpectedly visit him at his home located in a small Pacific coastal village. In this village, she discovers three things:

(1) Mitch has a much younger sister (Veronica Cartwright) and a possessive, widowed mother (Jessica Tandy)
(2) Mitch's former lover and now the village's school teacher (Suzanne Pleshette)
(3) The gradual strange behaviour of the birds in this village.

Look for Hitchcock's cameo just after the opening credits.

What makes this movie especially suspenseful is that the viewer does not know when the birds will attack.

Those who like their movies to tell them everything as it proceeds will not like this movie. By not telling the viewer everything, Hitchcock effectively adds another dimension to his movie.

Two other things unique about this movie are:

(1) It has no background music (thus adding to the suspense)
(2) It has no conventional ending (thus giving the impression that the events portrayed in the film are just the beginning...)

Finally, the DVD (the one released in 2000) is perfect in picture and sound quality. It has thirteen extras, many of which are brief but interesting.

In conclusion, don't be a birdbrain!! Be sure to see this classic movie directed by "The Master of Suspense!!!"

(1963; 2 hr; wide screen; 20 scenes; colour)

<>

XXXXX
October 16, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...