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Summary: Hictchcock classics strike again
Review: Well I must disagree with one review, "the transfer is excellent, and I work with broadcast equipment, in fact I screen the DVD through a scope and the reading was "right on". I believe that technically the DVD is up to expectation. About the movie itself, well I don't need to tell, this was under Hitchcock, a master of movie making.
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Summary: Very tense sequences, effective plot, cliff-hanging end.
Review: What could be worse than being attacked by thousands of birds that have an intention of killing you? This terror is explored quite vividly in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, full of a terrific mix of horror and suspense, well-cast actors and a superb script that fails its audience only in the ending. Young Melanie Daniels has an encounter with a man in a bird store who apparently knows her despite the fact that he is a stranger to her. After he leaves, she purchases two lovebirds, a present for the man's daughter he was unable to find. Driving all the way ou to Bodega Bay to deliver the birds, she is attacked by a seagull, and witnesses say that the attack appeared deliberate. Marion and her man get to know one another better, and he is able to convince her to stay longer during the weekend. Her stay is made permanent after birds begin to attack school children and a birthdy party. Sequences in which the birds attack the small town are nothing short of amazing, but what will really have the audience in suspense is the waiting period between attacks. The scene where the four are trapped in the house amidst an army of birds will have you holding your breath. However, the ending leaves something to be desired, and since I am unable to give it away, I shall leave it at that. Nonetheless, this movie is definitely worth a watch, and remains one of Hitchcock's most serious and suspenseful films to this day.
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Summary: Great Movie, Weak Transfer
Review: Lowell Peterson is correct about the DVD transfer; the brightness makes the stunning matte work look cheesy. Plus the film is much moodier with a dark print. I guess Universal is afraid people with dim TV sets would think the print was too dark? However, the sync issue is probably there on the original print. Much of the dialog was badly looped in post production. Everything else looked in sync. -dB
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Summary: Not as intense as the majority of Hitchcock films
Review: Well, not maybe as intense, but more brutal and violent, indeed. Seems like the general athmosphere staarted to be more relaxed, because there's a big chance for his previous movies. I mean, how many other Hitchcock films wouls show you a man with his eyes duggen out of his head. Hitchcock still remains as the master of suspense! The major problem with this movie is the plot; sure, it gives you a lot of reasons to think about, but the main plot seems to be quite unreasonable and uncomplete. But still, a very good movie. By Alfred Hitchcock. The Master Of Suspense.
Rating: 
Summary: Extras great but video transfer is for the birds
Review: The extras on this DVD are great, especially Tippi Hedren's fascinating screen test. But the video trasfer is a huge disappointment, shoddy on every level. The transfer is too bright, which wrecks the great Robert Burks photography. The sound is out of synch. And the whole picture is misframed - the head room is too high - feet are often cut off in wide shots, and there is too much air over the heads in the closeups. Ironically, the clips from the movie in the "making of" documentary are framed correctly. Is anyone at Universal watching or listening during the transfer? Especially for one of their most important titles? It's also very annoying that they have spliced a modern Universal logo on the head with bombastic music. This is a movie meant to have no music, with a great reliance on silence and the creepy electronic bird sounds. Universal, please re-transfer with an original Technicolor film print as a reference. Five stars for the movie, two stars for the DVD.
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Summary: A TOUCH OF THE CARAVAGGIOS
Review: Ninety percent of modern movies are parodies of one sort or another. Schwarzenegger reflects Gibson reflects Willis reflects ... etc. Hitch was never unoriginal, and therefore never parodic. Everything he did has an edge, a sense of symbol or metaphor or plain observant commentary on the human condition - which makes everything he did, no matter how humble, interesting and worth a second look. Alan Ball, the writer of the wondrous American Beauty (an original if ever there was one) notes in his afterword to his published screenplay (another must-have) that the movie literally wrote itself. This is shorthand for "inspired". Hitch's movies mostly, if not always, wrote themselves. I have had the good fortune of working myself with one of Hitch's later-era writers, Anthony Shaffer (Frenzy), and Shaffer himself attested to "the glow" around Hitch. Fine forces indeed at work. A voice. A muse. A connection to something indefinable, but majestic. The Birds rates as underrated masterwork. The best evaluation of it is the BFI-published essay by that insane, brilliant neo-feminist conscience of our time, Camille Paglia. She fills in the dots. But buy this, store it, revisit it. It is as much a work of mystery, and of human insights, as any Caravaggio.
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Summary: A classic! Deceiving packaging.
Review: The Birds is one of my all time favorite movies. The setting, the special-effects, and the performances are all perfectly suited to a story about birds gone berserk! I first saw this movie when I was eleven. At the time I was caught up in the suspense and special-effects. In subsequent viewings of this film as an adult, I have picked up on many scenes which I am convinced Hitchcock included for their humor. In one scene Melanie is flying down the coast highway towards Bodega Bay and each time she rounds a curve her tires are squealing. In one shot, the lovebirds she has in her car are shown in their cage leaning this way and that for leverage. In another scene, Melanie is at the house of Annie Hayworth, the school teacher. She has never met her before in her life. She goes to the front door and knocks. Annie is in the backyard and calls out, "Who is it?" Melanie answers, "Me." These scenes always illicit a laugh from everyone when I play this film. I ordered this DVD right after it came out, eagerly anticipating the "Deleted scene" and "Original ending". I was greatly disappointed. The deleted scene is nothing more than shots of the script alternating with production stills. The original ending is shots of the script alternating with storyboard sketches of what the original ending would have looked like. I think that it is very deceiving to include that information on the DVD packaging and not elaborate on the actual content. When people see "Deleted scene" and "Original ending", they expect to see a filmed version of it, not script shots and storyboard sketches flashed across the screen. They didn't even include any narration with these "extras". That would have made it a little more interesting at least. I did find the behind-the-scenes documentary "All About The Birds" fascinating and delightful. It includes a lot of technical information and behind-the-scenes stories from some of the cast members. That, and Tippi Hedren's screen test more than made up for the disappointing "Deleted scene" and "Original ending". The only other criticism I have is the 2.0 Mono audio track. Why? This movie is the perfect showcase for stereo sound with all of the special sound effects of the bird attacks. If you are a fan of The Birds, I would recommend that you purchase this movie. Even with its drawbacks, you won't be sorry this DVD is in your collection.
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Summary: BIRDS on DVD ... Hitch & Tippi Shine
Review: I haven't seen this film in years. My brand new DVD arrived in the mail and I popped it in the player. First I watched the Tippi Hedren screen tests. These are fascinating! She seems a little nervous and not very good at thinking on her feet - more interested in parading her new gowns. Then I watched the documentary (just as informative and interesting as the VERTIGO DVD). I discovered the way Ms. Hedren was "discovered" and cast by Mr. Hitchcock. Suddenly, I see these screen tests in a different light. She was picked off of a television commercial and thrust into the world of acting. She was being made into a star, with lessons from The Master himself! The rest of the documentary covers every aspect of THE BIRDS: from makeup, to sound, to effects. Next, I watched the film. Having not seen it for years, I was first impressed with the story. It moves from boy and girl "meeting cute" to the farm house and gull attack, to the horror of the birthday party and the attack on the town. Jessica Tandy plays a very Oedipal mother. I was particularly struck by Ms. Hedren's performance. Her vulnerability mixes well with her blond-as-steel appearance. And when she and Tandy finally connect as characters, it is truly moving. I saw THE BIRDS at this watching as some sort of psychodrama built around Tippi Hedren's character. The bird attacks seem to happen after Tippi (as Melanie) confronts some sort of emotion or truth. For example, after she reveals anger at her mother to Rod Taylor on the hill, a clearly painful memory, then suddenly the birds attack the birthday party. Just an observation! The DVD is great. I also checked out the stills, the trailer, and a couple of the black and white featurettes on the disc. The trailer is hilarious -- one of Hitch's witty speaches. He really was a genius director as well as a shrewd publicity man. Enjoy it! Oh, and ... THE BIRDS IS COMING!
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Summary: Hitch's last great movie?
Review: Compared to other Hitchcock masterpieces, this one disappoints me the most. I find no chemistry between the leads and nothing compelling in the plot. That aside, as pure cinema you can't beat "The Birds." The tone, the pacing and the small details (no music!) make up for all of it's flaws. As a DVD, "The Birds" is a worthy companion to "Vertigo," "Psycho," and "The 39 Steps." Sure, there's no commentary, but the documentary alone provides plenty of detail for cinemaphiles. Besides, Tippi Hedren's screen tests give you more of a sense of what it's like working for Hitchcock than anything she could say in a commentary track. The only disappointment here: the extra scenes consist of storyboards and script pages that whip past you pretty quickly!
Rating:
Summary: Great yet lacking
Review: I bought the DVD of "The Birds" today. It has always been one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, despite it's dated special effects and sometimes hokey acting. The suspense is still there regardless. Hitchcock truly was a master at what he did. I probably would have eventually bought this DVD anyway but the reason I bought it so soon after it's release was because of the bonus material that the DVD offers. Most of the bonus materials are great but a couple of them are kind of deceiving. The DVD case mentions a "deleted scene" and "the original ending". I mistakenly took this to mean that these were filmed sequences that had just never been shown but that is not the case. The deleted scene consists of a few stills of Tippi Hedren, a few sketches and stills of the script of the deleted dialog. When you click on the "original ending", a message comes up saying this ending was never actually shot and then proceeds to show artist sketches of what the scenes would have looked like and stills of the script. Maybe I was expecting too much but I really was disappointed because all of the other DVD's I've purchased have differentiated between "deleted scenes" and copies of the script. Other than that, the other bonuses are great and the DVD quality is great. I recommend it just don't purchase it expecting something that isn't there.
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