The Birds Reviews

Initial Thought: I figured I should check out a supposedly reliable classic that I've never seen. I always enjoy a good Hitchcock film. I really should have seen this one already. I'm such a slacker. Better late than never though.

Characters/Acting: Some of the actors here are Hitchcock regulars. I'm really only familiar with a few like Tippi Hedren or Veronica Cartwright. There are some whom I don't recognize that I have seen movies of. I didn't know this was Tippi Hedren's first credited role and only second film she had been in. She is absolutely amazing and stunning here. I don't know why, but I just really adore her character here.

Story: A wealthy San Francisco playgirl pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town which slowly takes a turn when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people there, in increasing numbers and with increasing viciousness. It does take awhile to get to what we came to see, but the build up here works. Okay Birdemic was released 47 years after this, yet this actually looks a bit more realistic. The whole scene in the diner where they are talking about the birds was kind of amusing in my opinion. I'm not entirely sure how I felt about that ending.

Directing/Writing: Ah a good old Alfred Hitchcock film. This guy is such a legend. There hasn't been a single film of his that I didn't like. This is actually based off of a story from Daphne Du Maurier. I had actually thought this was an original idea from Hitchcock. This is my first encounter with a film written by Evan Hunter. Let's see if they made a good team.

Final Thought: For a movie made in the 60s about killer birds I thought it was quite thrilling. It could have been better than it was though. People wonder why I'm not particularly fond of these creatures. Now I can show them one reason. If you haven't seen this classic yet you should.

By far one of Hitchcock's best. It also needs to be seen on the big screen. You can do that if you're on the East Coast this Sept.

Veronica Cartwright, who played Cathy Brenner in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, is scheduled to appear at the 2014 Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, Hunt Valley, Md., at the Hunt Valley Wyndham Hotel, Sept. 18-20. She will be attending a screening of the film, and will be available for questions, photos, and autographs. More info [Link removed - login to see]

Since I’m a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock, of course, I was really eager to check this flick and I had some really high expectations. Eventually, it didn’t turn out to be one of my favorite movies from this great master. Indeed, to be honest, I do think that the concept was a little bit limited preventing this movie from being truly great but it was still pretty awesome and it completely deserves its stellar reputation. Nowadays, one thing that really bores me is that, in thriller or horror movies, they spend so much time trying to rationalize the most preposterous things (the best example I can think of is ‘The Ring’ remake starring Naomi Watts). The greatness of Hitchcock, in this movie, was to skip all this boring stuff and to only focus on what was really important which is basically ‘how do people would react with such circumstances?’. As a result, you get such a spellbinding ominous mood and this awesome effect would have been completely ruined if they would have given any kind of explanation about what the hell was actually going on. To conclude, I really loved the damned thing, it is a great classic and it is pretty much a must-see, especially if you are interested in Alfred Hitchcock’s work.

The very first Hitchcock movie I ever saw.
During my early years on this planet, my dad used to pack our family into the panel-sided Buick station wagon & take us to the drive-in theatre where we were exposed to alot of those 70's campy "when animals attack" movies, like Food Of The Gods, Night Of The Leapus, Swarm, etc...
Goofy escapist fare of whose cheese I ended up developing a taste for.
Therefore, when I first caught film on the on the tube, my initial reaction was "Coo-hoooooollll.... Kinda like the movie 'Frogs!'! Except with birds!"

"Why are they doing this? Why are they doing this? They said when you got here the whole thing started. Who are you? What are you? Where did you come from! I think you're evil. EVIL!"

As Hitchcock's career progressed, he created some of his finest work. The Birds is a thriller of reference superiority, and is undoubtedly one of Hitchcock's best films.

No-one can match Hitchcock when it comes to sheer suspense and terror, and this film is no exception. What I admire most about Hitchcock is that he's never afraid to attempt a new style of thriller - in this case making a thriller sans music. There is not a single note of music throughout the movie, and because of Hitchcock's inspirational direction you will be too engaged in the terror to actually realise this. Not many directors can accomplish this degree of suspense and horror without the assistance of a composer, but Hitchcock proves skilled in this aspect.

Melanie Daniels (Hedren) is shopping in San Francisco when she meets potential boyfriend Mitch (Taylor) in a petshop. After Mitch leaves, Melanie is intrigued by Mitch and decides to pursue him in the hope of a probable relationship.

Melanie follows him to an insignificant North Californian town. Shortly after this, Melanie is swooping by a seagull and what follows is a bizarre set of circumstances as our allies from the sky begin attacking humankind.

The Birds is a PG rated suspense film, but it can only be viewed by those game enough to sit through some terrifying horror scenes that are even effective despite the age of the movie. Many may look upon the film as dated, but Hitchcock's direction is still as effective as it was when the film was first released.

And of course the cast were all first rate. They are able to instil a sense of sheer terror from their acting whenever a flock of birds appeared on screen. Many will think that the birds look corny and a remake is necessary (Michael Bay is currently gearing up for the dreaded remake), but the film was never about the quality of the special effects (that are fantastic nonetheless). The cinematography and just the image of a flock of birds is what made the film so scary. It will keep audiences on the edge of their seat, without a clue about what will happen next.

Based on a short story, Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds is an outstanding thriller. Probably considered tame by mainstream contemporary audiences, but I found the film to be almost flawless.

What I also admire about Hitchcock's work here is that he was bold enough to tag the film with an uncertain ending. At first I found this unsatisfying. But upon closer inspection I discovered that Hitchcock used this effect to create the impression of "unending terror" (direct quote from the man himself). The story of the main characters finished at the end of the movie, and it was a best place to end it.

Perfect suspense, skilfully constructed, and the film is so unbelievably intense that you will never look at a flock of birds the same way again. Classic Hitchcock!