Rating: 
Summary: Feathered Armageddon!
Review: In San Francisco, attorney Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) walks into a pet store looking for a present for his younger sister. He meets Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) who becomes intrigued with Brenner and is soon driving out to Bodega Bay in the hopes of meeting him again. The two eventually are reunited but become distracted by strange reports that claim birds have started to attack people around town. These reports are eventually proved true and matters become worse when wave after wave of destructive birds descend upon the town. The town is soon ground zero for a horrifying battle between man and nature. Despite the fact that this film is still talked about today, Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" is not one of the better films in the noted director's filmography. Yet credit must be given to the groundbreaking nature of the film. Much like "Psycho", "The Birds" raised the stakes for what was acceptable in terms of gore for a mainstream film. The birds themselves are also wonders of special effects that easily rival the best CGI effects of the present day. Also adding to the notoriety of the film is its absence of an explanation for the chaos that ensues. Viewers are left to their own devices in trying to figure out what was the catalyst for the birds' rampage. This open endedness is an intriguing narrative decision by Hitchcock but gives the film a feeling of incompleteness. However, this is not the main reason the film does not work. The problem primarily lies with the casting: Rod Taylor simply is not a strong enough male lead. Hedren, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Veronica Cartwright all give credible performances but Taylor is the weak link. He does not possess the same screen presence as Hitchcok's two most popular leading men - Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart - and the film suffers for it. Taylor's role calls for him to be the masculine lead of the film, the man who will defiantly stand up to nature in order to protect his town and family and he simply is not up to the task. This is not to say that Taylor is bad in the role, just that the film would have been better if a stronger male lead was cast. Yet, the bottom line is the true stars of the film are the birds themselves. Albert Whitlock's special effects are brilliant. The combination of real birds and optical effects produce the exact amount of terror intended. Even if you watch the film closely, you would be hard pressed to distinguish the real birds from the special effect birds. It's just too bad the film as a whole wasn't as strong as the special effects. A good effort by Hitchcock but "The Birds" is unfortuntely highly unsatisfying.
Rating: 
Summary: Not one of Hitchcocks best . . .
Review: This film is of course a classic, but I was rather dissapointed when I saw it. Hitchcock is usually the master of suspense, but in this movie, for example, when everyone is sitting in the livingroom terrified for ten minutes, it just gets boring. There is also a lot of unimportant conversation which is rather dull and has nothing to do with the plot. It finally gets interesting after 45 minutes, but even then it's mediocre. I only give this three stars because of some great chase scenes, though I really wish I could give it a 2.5. There is one part, where a man lights a match when he is standing is gasoline, and when he blows up, it just shows you four stills of Tippi Hendricks horrified face, which was not very convincing. In fact, my sister and I laughed so hard we had to rewind and watch it four times! If you can get through the first half, this movie is pretty good.
Rating: 
Summary: Chirping psychology
Review: first time i saw the birds as a young boy i couldn't sleep for weeks. the movie frightened my brains out (especially the scene with the dead farmer). it took a long time for me to dare a second look on it on tv. well, at first sight mistaken as a horror movie now the deep psychological background popped through (if you need some help with this background just read camille paglias review of the birds). i was not longer frightened but fascinated and i'm still are! every time i watch this masterwork i discover new details: looks, lines, colours, angles. and i tell you, no other than hitchcock has been (and is) capable to show the depths and shallows of human nature in just a glance, a movement, a view. just watch close the scene in the restaurant when mitch introduces melanie to his mother. the ladies characters and relation are diclosed to you without a single word (don't anyone ever tell me again tipi hedren was a poor actor; anyway the whole cast in this movie is near to perfect). here you can witness what a movie can do that literature cannot. and i fear most of the directors (especially today) have forgotten about it or, well, never cared. and remember there isn't even music in the film that tells you what to expect or to feel (unless you accept oscar salas bird-sounds as music, which indeed he composed for the movie). the birds are real ART, man!
Rating: 
Summary: A " must" for any serious film collector
Review: "The Birds" has been a favorite film of mine since the 1960s (it was released in 1963---40 years ago), and DVD is the best way to see it. Not only does the film look great in widescreen, but it also comes with a lengthy featurette that includes filming details that are informative and interesting. Tippi Hedren, who plays Melanie Daniels, does a superb job in her first feature film. Unlike some reviewers, I think the movie's final scene is perfect. It's quite ominous (better than a resolution), and visually haunting. I particularly like the clever dialogue between Mitch and Melanie (Rod and Tippi)---e.g., the pretentious one at the bird shop in San Francisco, and the quarrelsome one wherein Melanie explains what really happened at the fountain in Rome. The best visual shot in the film is a "God's POV" (Hitchcock's term) scene in which sea gulls descend upon Bodega Bay, where a number of cars have just exploded into flame. How this incredibly powerful scene was filmed is explained in the featurette. I have seen a good many Hitchcock films, and "The Birds" remains my favorite. A reviewer asked: "What does it all mean?" That's what Hitchcock wanted viewers to ask themselves. Hitchcock provides some clues to possible interpretations. One interpretation to which some film students subscribe is that the birds are a metaphor for the psychological conflict of Mitch's mother, who must cope with the idea of abandonment that would inevitably result from the relationship her son might forge with a woman. "The Birds" is one of those expertly made films that can be viewed time and again. It's essential to any serious DVD collection. I give the DVD four stars because the bedroom attack scene (which has been heavily pscycho-analyzed) has thin black lines in the film which should have been cleaned up. Still, the film looks very good overall. As for Hitch's work, there are maybe two minor flaws in the bird attack scenes, in terms of how convincing the birds look. But all thinsg considered, this is a true masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: The critique of The Birds
Review: Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds was an exceptionaly entertaining movie. It was an action packed thriller for the time. This 1963 version of Daphny DuMoure's book The Birds, was well portrayed in the movie with exceptional actors. However there were extra peices that made the story line more appealing to the American audencies. Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor did a wonderful job in the spot light. They really made the movie their own. The romance between the characters Melanie (Tippi Hedren) and Mitch (Tod Taylor) really added more of a dramaic twist to go with all of the films action.
Rating:
Summary: Birds of a feather flock together
Review: What's missing from this film is the signature Hitchcockian soundtrack that accompanies his mysteries so well -- in fact, it's so hard to think of an Alfred Hitchcock film without frequent collaborator Bernard Hermmann's score that this was the first thing I noticed (Hermmann is actually still credited as a "sound consultant"). Instead Hitch once again shows his brilliance is channeling fear to his audience by relying on good old-fashioned cinematic tricks -- this one, by allowing an overwhelming cacophony of bird caws wash over the picture every time you expect the music to help you ride the waves of thrills. Just as effective. I once read that Hitch never wanted to make thrillers; he considered his movies "mysteries" (so it's to his credit that his mysteries still contain so many thrills, giving his audience the best of both worlds), so I accepted the rather abrupt ending graciously. There isn't even the "The End" typical of movies in this era, giving a sense of unending terror. Sure enough, we don't know if they ever get rid of the birds, we don't know why the birds attacked. Although we do know that it may never happen, the attack scenes are frightening, so that you start allowing yourself the pleasure of the disbelief. Even though we're used to Lucasfilm-grade special effects, Hitch's impeccable craft commands the same intense degree of fear and suspense, and when you think about how many shots make up on actual scene is when you truly begin to appreciate his genius.
Rating:
Summary: weak ending
Review: I entirely agree with Rachel of San Jose. I speak as a Hitchcock fan, but there is no doubt that the ending to the Birds is a serious flaw in the movie. Hitchcock experts (such as Donald Spoto) have always seemed to gloss over the weak ending. It totally lacks credibility in the context of what has gone before. Compare it, for example, to the much more chilling (and pessimistic) end to Du Maurier's short story masterpiece (upon which the movie was based). A very good movie certainly, but hardly a great one, I think.
Rating:
Summary: Scary but Wonderful!
Review: This movie is TERRIFYING! This movie is so scary that it makes you think twice before approaching a bird. Besides being scary it is wonderful. I recommend this movie! Go see it!
Rating:
Summary: FEATHERS FEATHERS EVERYWHERE....
Review: Along with "Psycho", this is definitive Hitchcock. With no music score, a terrifying tale is spun around a woman (Tippi Hedrin) who pursues a man to his home on the seacoast town of Bodega Bay and immediately birds begin acting strangely. Then violently. She becomes trapped at the home he shares with his dominating mother (a wonderful Jessica Tandy) and his little sister (a young Veronica Cartwright who grew up to be in "Alien"). Mitch (Rod Taylor) is single and is amused by Melanies'(Hedren) phony aloofness to him. But the birds start attacking in frighteningly unexpected mass attacks and everyone starts reevaluating their situations. Truly astonishing bird attacks are realistically done and the film becomes a sort of sci-fi survival story. Is it the end of the world? What is happening? These questions are disturbingly unanswered and the film does not end. Melanie is seriously attacked as the birds have invaded the house and Mitch, his mother and sister have to lead her away to the car and to an unknown future as their surroundings are covered with all manner of birds....waiting to strike again. Just an incredible film and the soundtrack alone of birds flapping and screeching will shred your nerves.
Rating:
Summary: A Hand For Our Fowl Feathered Fiends--I meant "Friends"
Review: Hitch felt Tippi Hendren would be the "new" Grace Kelly. Well, anybody can make a mistake. THE BIRDS was not exactly a mistake, but it wasn't exactly a hit either. Nonetheless, it's essential to any collector of "Hitchmorobilia". Based upon the novella by Daphne de Maurier, Hitch's movie is--well--disturbing. We see birds, hear birds singing, and usually we ignore them. Poe said, "Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore!' " and Hitch reminds us in this little gem not to ignore what we don't usually notice. If nothing else, Bernard Herrmann's score of mostly screeches and unearthly screams is worth the ticket price. Rod Taylor is likeable, and Ms. Hendren is lusciously unlikeable in this apocolyptic fable of nature run not only riot, but totally insane. The final scene, of that car leaving in the presence of Birds Birds Everywhere--well, my dreams were troubled "evermore" for a good long time. "THE BIRDS" is not one of Hitchcock's best films. The worst HITCH ever is better than none at all! And this one is a Tandy .Buy It. Enjoy It. And wonder, as I have for over 30 years, "Just what DOES it all mean anyway?" And watch out for crows. UGH!
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