Amazon.com essential video: 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
Scary -- but I'm still wondering what it was about! First, let me say that Hitchcock's film, The Birds, was hailed as a brilliant film when it was first released, and it still is thought of as a masterpiece today.
Hitchcock must have taken great pleasure in starting out with what seemed to be a light romantic film with amusing conflict among women for what seems to be a perfect man. But audiences are watching and waiting, knowing -- even from the title -- that there is something else much darker to come.
To say that the tension builds slowly is an understatement, and the entire film is so understated in the building of tension that it is almost unbearable. Witness the scene outside the school, as Melanie waits for Cathy. Deep in thought, she smokes a cigarette as birds begin to land on the bars behind her. When she notices, finally, the fluttering of a bird, we see from her viewpoint that she suddenly notices all the birds that have assembled there. It's a sudden pivotal moment of awareness of birds as a source of fear.
Birds is an excellent film. Just enjoy the ride.
Hitchcock's BEST... People can argue about the movie vs. the novel it was based on; however, I haven't read the book, so I can't join the debate. I wish it would've been clearer in the film WHY this was happening. However, there was a hint of it from the town drunk in the diner ("It's the end of the world!"). The impression I always had before was that when the character Melanie Daniels came to Bodega Bay with the lovebirds, the town's native birds decided they didn't like it. Maybe Hitchcock didn't think it was a good idea to put the explanation in...perhaps he wanted the mystery to remain and be discussed? :)
That aside, this is the best Hitchcock movie I've seen. Those of you who haven't seen this who think this sounds "lame" and "boring"...well, you are in for a rude awakening if you put this in your DVD player. These birds are out to kill! And kill they do, particularly going after Melanie Daniels and Mitch's family and friends. It's still realistic looking today and also shocking, considering that our feathered friends in real life are so incredibly passive. If you only watch one Hitchcock movie in your life, make it this one. It's simply amazing.
the birds I was so greatful that we could still get this movie. It is as scary as it was when it first come out.
The ultimate pagan movie A world where nature is out to destroy man and there is no salvation from any god. A world where jealousy, competition, and lust simmers below the surface. A world where three women compete for the affections of one apollo-like beauty of a man. A world where something as simple as throwing away a match can set off a series of events that leaves an entire town struggling to survive. A world where there seems to be no reason why disaster and destruction occur. Nothing makes sense. Reason is useless. The world is irrational - and damned dangerous! Welcome to Alfred Hitchcock's, "The Birds." Early critics were not too kind to this movie. Today, we can see how this movie is one of Hitchcock's darkest views of life and (except for the failure of the ending - but there really was no way to end this movie) one of his most skillfully crafted films. Tippi Hedren is gorgeous as is Rod Taylor. Some of the scenes (such as the playground) will have you chewing your nails in suspense. A great film!
inferior to Daphne du Maurier's short story This Hitchcock classic simply isn't up to the horror of the original du Maurier short story--an avian world holocaust with the imminent extinction of the human race. Hitchcock's catastrophe is apparently limited to a few miles of North California coast.
Possibly this was done to produce a Hollywood more-or-less happy ending but it was a mistake. That combined with the limited acting skills of some of the actors, makes this a film easy to pass over.
Ron Braithwaite author of Mexican Conquest novels, "Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"
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