The Birds (1963)

The Birds (1963)

Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds is another strong film in a filmography that is nothing but strong films. This 1963 horror thriller is Hitchcock’s second horror film after the chilling 1960’s Psycho. This movie is the weaker of the two, but that is nothing to scoff at. This film’s imagery of the birds swooping down and attacking the folks of Bodega Bay is iconic. Hitchcock enjoyed bird-watching as a child and he was fascinated what would happen if birds were to turn evil. I do not believe that Hitchcock added any messages or allegories in the film, but some people suggest the attacking birds are actually Greek Furies attacking those people who dwell in evil. The movie may not be as good as other Hitchcock movies like Rear Window, but the movie has this eerie tone that works, the acting is solid thanks to newcomer Tippi Hedren’s soaring performance, and the visual effects are especially great. I could do with less of the oddly tedious love story and the change of tone (screwball comedy to suspense/horror) jarred me just a tad bit.

The movie starts in the city of San Francisco where criminal lawyer Mitch Brennan (Rod Taylor) means the attractive socialite Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) at a pet shop. He plays a prank on her trying to have her act as a store clerk to purchase lovebirds, despite him knowing exactly who she is. She decides to return the favor by traveling to Bodega Bay, his hometown after she purchased the lovebirds. He lives with his overbearing mother, Lydia (Jessica Tandy) and his school-age sister, Cathy (Veronica Cartwright). He also remains close to his ex-lover, the schoolteacher Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette). When she arrives, she is attacked by a seagull. Also, on the day of her arrival, the citizens of Bodega Bay are also attacked by these birds.

The performances in the film are great. Tippi Hedren does very well in her debut on screen and she fits the model of a Hitchcock woman-an icy blonde. I would even go as far to say that she has a likeness towards Grace Kelly. Rod Taylor is the central male figure of the story, and he feeds off the women in his life. I always loved Jessica Tandy as an actress because she plays the strict, overbearing type of woman so well. It is pleasing to see that women are important in the film here as they all have major roles. They may come across as unlikable at times, but that is the point of these characters.

The one thing that distracted me from the movie was the love story between Mitch and Melanie. It had some good moments, but some parts were too cheesy. For instance, Lyndia does not like any of his female companions because she feels as if they will love him more than the love she brings him as a mother. That is quite….odd. Also, I was very curious about the relationship between the ex-lover, Annie and Melanie. Annie does not seem to mind Melanie pursuing the man she used to love. Interesting!

The build up to the birds attacking was well-made. I understand the reasoning behind the shift of the film’s tone, but I felt it to be jarring. In the long run, it does work. The birds attacking the town is not only iconic, but legitimately scary. The birds going around killing people had me thinking strangely about birds for weeks after viewing the movie. Who would think a grown man would be so afraid of a pigeon? Kudos to the visual effects team making these birds so realistic. Not only the visual imagery works on a high level, but so does the unique sound. Hitchcock decided to forgo the traditional score in order to focus more on sound effects. Basically, the sounds birds make is the score. That added to the consistent eerie feel of the movie.

Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds is a must-watch, especially if you like horror films. It may not rank as the auteur’s best, but it might be one of his most iconic films. Hitchcock left the door open to viewers about what these birds may mean as there is plenty of speculation out there. I just believe these birds are just the subjects of a horror film and the director did a fine job turning these innocent works of nature into fearsome creatures of prey. After watching the movie, you may not look at birds in the same way again.

My Grade: A-