The Birds

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Summary: If Hitchcock made a B-Movie...
Review: ...it would've been a campy thriller called The Birds. Although Hitchcock is one of my most beloved directors, I have a difficult time comparing The Birds to his other greats, like Rear Window, Vertigo or North by Northwest.

This horror film is lightened by unintentionally funny scenes. Somehow a crow has managed to trip a child in the birthday party scene and the crow is on her back, pecking at her head as she kicks her legs. We have the over-protective mother at The Tides Restaurant, telling Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedron), "You're evil! Evil!" Then there's the scene where Mitch (Rod Taylor) introduces Melanie to his mother, played by Jessica Tandy. The mother does a great job of giving Melanie the icy stare down, although it's a bit over the top. Aside from all this fun, there is Hitchcock's masterful direction, the wonderful location shots in San Francisco and Bodega Bay, and the well-paced plot to make this a great film.

Maybe not a great introduction to Hitchcock, but required viewing for true fans.

Be aware of the misleading features on the DVD. The "deleted scene" has been lost or destroyed, so while there is some information about it, you don't actually get to see it. The same with the "original ending". It was never actually shot, so if you don't happen to know this ahead of time, it can be a bit disappointing to find out when they only tell you about it.

The making-of documentary is quite good and approximately an hour long. Isn't it funny though that Patricia Hitchcock always says the same things about her father's movies? "I love <<movie title here>> and he always considered it to be one of his best films." Finally, Tippi Hedron's screen tests were great to watch--not something I've seen before on a DVD.

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Summary: Beware of "The Birds"!
Review: Although some critics and Hitchcock fans have refused to place "The Birds" along with his best films (such as Psycho, Vertigo, or Rear Window) I would disagree. In fact, "The Birds", released in 1963, is in my opinion Hitchcock's last truly memorable film, and in many ways it is his most disturbing film. In Hitchcock's other films the villains are always human, but in "The Birds" it is Mother Nature herself who seems to have gone "psycho" and our heroes have no real defense. Nor is any motive given for why thousands of birds decide to attack the good folks of Bodega Bay, California - they simply swarm into the town and begin killing off the local population. This film is like a nightmare come to life - a very disturbing, almost surreal look at Mother Nature run amok. Recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Can Hitchcock do wrong?
Review: Rod Talyor and Tippi Harden a wonder job. One of hitchcocks best but not as good a psycho

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Summary: Hitchcock is better when his plots are tighter
Review: Any film by Hitchcock has wonderful moments, and some from this movie are unforgettable, like the huge flock of crows slowly gathering in the playground behind Tippi Hedren, as she unsuspectingly smokes a cigarette. The ending reminded me of "Notorious," when Ingrid Bergman escapes from her would-be killers, right in front of their eyes, down a seemingly endless staircase. Here, Hitchcock manages to make the short walk from the house to the car seem ten miles long. But then, the movie just ends, and my reaction was, "That's IT? No resolution, no explanation at all?"

I understand why Hitchcock did that, of course. He wanted to suggest that when nature turns on humans, there is no neat explanation for it. He hints that the birds are taking revenge for what humans have done to nature (you just can't miss that moment in the restaurant when the waitress shouts out an order for "three southern-fried chickens.") But why is Tippi Hedren's arrival the catalyst, and why does she seem to be the jinx that brings the plague? Because she brought two caged love-birds as a gift? But she doesn't mistreat them, and they seem perfectly happy. I loved the way Hitchcock used the shots of those exquisite love-birds as "beauty relief," so to speak, after the shots of the attacks by gulls and crows.

Still, the truth is that nature isn't that mysterious. When animals attack people, there's usually a reason for it. Birds will buzz you if you get too close to their nests, or seem to attack them. Earthquakes and storms happen because of the laws of physics, not the wrath of the storm-gods. And one of the incidents that inspired this movie happened, as it turned out, because a flock of gulls had been poisoned by contaminated fish. The sick birds blundered around a town for a week or so, flying into things and throwing up on lawns. Scary, horrifying and mysterious at the time, but there was a reason for it. Maybe I'm too literal-minded, but I think Hitchcock's best films are the ones in which even the most macabre events make sense.

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Summary: Why do birds suddenly appear, every time you are near?-Tippi
Review: We may never know the answer to this question. But this movie is unquestionably a classic. Like it or not (it is impossible to not like it), this is a standard by which other movies are judged. The script, actors, and execution are always being compared to earlier and later movies.

The story adapted from Daphne du Maurier, does seem to be a little mysterious as to why the birds suddenly appear and as to the ending if that is what it is, however the build up and execution of the conflict with birds, and between women is defiantly worth watching.

If you have the DVD watch the movie before the goodies. Feel the build up and duck at the appropriate time. After all this is an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Also see if you spot his cameo appearance.

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Summary: I love this movie.
Review: This is the first "WHEN NATURE GOES CRAZY" movie (or at least the first one that was good.) It's a classic and I recommend it to anyone. It paved the way for films like JAWS

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Summary: Looks ridiculous today
Review: "The Birds" may well have scared its audience to death when it was realsed nearly forty years ago. However, unlike Hitchcock's materpiece "Psycho," it has not aged well at all. "Psycho" is still scary, in part, because it was filmed in black and white and essentially looks timeless. Alas, "The Birds" was filmed in color and not only are the styles of the times distracting, but the movie's supposedly menacing title characters look silly. Hitchcock is, of course, is master of creating mood with his camerawork, such as the scene on the park bench in which the birds slowly collect in the background. Unfortunately, they have lost their ability to scare to an audience accustomed to more frightening visuals and thereby the effect just isn't there anymore. There is no doubt that Hitchcock was a genius and that this was one of his biggest triumphs. But today it is interesting mostly as a cultural artifact.

Rating:
Summary: Terribly overrated...
Review: In my opinion this movie is one of Hitch's worst. The movie has an incredibly pointless plot which kept me completely disinterested. Also, the acting is fairly low par at times, especially from Tippi Hedren. But, the movie isn't a complete loss. The story could be probed a little deeper, as could any movie. However, I wouldn't suggest this movie to most people. If your going to watch a Hitchcock movie, check out something like Vertigo, Rebecca, or The Man Who Knew Too Much. Those are true classics.

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Summary: Nature "Run Afowl"
Review: Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren along with Jessica Tandy and Suzanne Pleshette in a very scary, Hitchcock thriller. (Jaws makes you avoid splashing happily in the ocean; this film makes me look at the "large gatherings of birds" on phone lines differently, I like a hat) When nature runs "afowl" of everything we know about our favorite pets and their cousins. Once they attack you, they just don't stop and your house won't even keep you safe..excellent special effects; some real birds, some fake and at times, it's hard to tell. Poor Tippi wasn't too happy playing Melanie Daniels, most of her shots were real birds. People trapped in a familiar environment, with unfamiliar terror, just what you need for an afternoon on the couch, feeling safe and cozy; just cover your parrot.

Rating:
Summary: The Birds Flies High
Review: The Birds is one of Alfred Hitchcock's best movies. The plot revolves around massive flocks of birds attacking a quiet Northern California town of Bodega Bay. A then unknown Tippi Hedrin is luminous as a young socialite from San Francisco who visits the dashing Rod Taylor in the small town. A young Suzanne Pleshette plays a school teacher and former love interest of Mr. Taylor and Jessica Tandy plays Mr. Taylor's overbearing mother. The scenes were the birds attack are well staged and scary, but the times in between the attacks are truly chilling. Mr. Hitchcock keeps things eerily quiet and the attacks happen so suddenly that you never see them coming. Mr. Hitchcock is of course the master of suspense and this is another example of how he keeps you on the edge of your seat. The effects also show his deft hand as a director. Nowadays a director could just plug in the bird with digital effects, but Mr. Hitchcock had to use real birds in some scenes and fake birds on wiring systems. This took a tremendous amount of skill and the end results are fabulous. The effects don't look like the cheesy B movie effects of the time, but realistic.