The Birds (1963)

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Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Starring Veronica Cartwright, Ethel Griffies, Tippi Hedren, Suzanne Pleshette, Jessica Tandy, Rod Taylor.

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The story begins as an innocuous romantic triangle involving wealthy, spoiled Tippi Hedren, handsome Rod Taylor, and schoolteacher Suzanne Pleshette. The human story begins in a San Francisco pet shop and culminates at the home of Taylor's mother (Jessica Tandy) at Bodega Bay, where the characters' sense of security is slowly eroded by the curious behavior of the birds in the area. At first, it's no more than a sea gull swooping down and pecking at Tippi's head. Things take a truly ugly turn when hundreds of birds converge on a children's party. There is never an explanation as to why the birds have run amok, but once the onslaught begins, there's virtually no letup. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Put Down That Frog and Step Away
by joem18b in joem18b Blog

hasn't rated it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
"Before dealing with the end of the world as we know it, which this movie does not explicitly mention but which is lurking there in the unspoken background - before dealing with that, it being a pet peeve of mine, let me mention first an equally annoying pet peeve: many podcasters, the Spout podcasters occasionally among them, use the expression "begs the question" when they actually mean "raises the question." This error of diction has become so common in the U.S. today that it's probably useless to even mention it here, but since I heard it again on FilmCouch recently, let me remind those who might be unaware of it that "begging the question" is a form of logical fallacy in which an argument is assumed to be true without evidence other than the argument itself. Thank you. Meanwhile, back in the day, if you hated documentaries but had to write a paper on one, you could head down to Ninth and Trawler and catch The Nudist Story at the Jewel Box. The Nudist Story is the film where eve ... " [More]

Sex and the City Uncensored: Bl ...
by Karina in Karina on SpoutBlog

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"“Once Upon A Time in America, Dead Man, L’Argent, Ivan the Terrible, Crash—these are some of my favorites in the BFI series of monographs,” Girish writes. “Are there others in the series you particularly like and would recommend?” I read tons of these in grad school; my favorites included Groundhog’s Day, Independence Day, Salmon Rushdie on The Wizard of Oz, and Camille Paglia on The Birds. Jeff Wells, after trisecting Gus Van Sant’s career, worries which version of the filmmaker showed up to make Milk. “If Van Sant who made Drugstore Cowboy is making Milk, terrific. If a blend of that Van Sant along with the guy who made Elephant is directing Milk, beautiful. But if the Finding Forrester Van Sant is anywhere near the Milk set, watch out.” On a recent press tour for Smart People, Sarah Jessica Parker was reluctant to speak about the Sex and the City movie at all, but she did try to assuage worries that, content wise, the film is going to be more TBS than HBO. “I don’t think we h ... " [More]

Sex and the City Uncensored: Bl ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

Re:In Memorium...to another one...
by Puhnner in HORROR MOVIES 101

loved it.

"I read some where the other day of another passing, so I raise my tumbler of Don Eduardo Anejo Tequila to the sky and toast to Suzzane Pleshette's final journey. She already died the gruesome death in The Birds; one would think that would count as being quite good enough; like Robert Frost's, Fire and Ice;Some say the world will end in fire,Some say in ice.From what I've tasted of desireI hold with those who favor fire.But if it had to perish twice,I think I know enough of hateTo say that for destruction iceIs also greatAnd would suffice.Her outstanding, though unfortunately all too small role in the Birds is fondly remembered. As is the combination of smoldering beauty a unique blending of Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner and her dark intelligence, said much and was all too underutilized in the film worldFare thee well Suzanne. " [More]

Re:In Memorium...
by Dr_Gor in HORROR MOVIES 101

loved it.

"\ Froggy, my love... you REALLY need to watch 'Open Water' , this one will surely fuck you up for months to come... [/quote] The word that got bleeped there begins with 'F' and ends with 'uck' ... That's right! The word is 'Firetruck'! ... " [More]

Scorsese Shills For Wine
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"Martin Scorsese has never been shy about aligning himself with brands, but when the offer came in to shill Freixenet sparkling wine, he must have momentarily flashed back to Orson Welles’s Paul Mason commercials. There’s a difference between taking home a paycheck, and prostrating your legacy to a bald-faced, half-assed cash-in, remembered for all eternity via the YouTube dissemination of regrettable outtakes. It’s no wonder, then, that this elaborate Freixenet ad directed by and starring Scorsese barely announces itself as an ad until the final minute or so. The concept: Scorsese the tireless film preservationist finds three pages of an unproduced Alfred Hitchcock project called The Key to Reserva; Scorsese the filmmaker decides to film the pages “the way [Hitchcock] would be making it then, only making it now.” The ensuing short combines elements of The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, North by Northwest, The Birds, and probably countless other Hitchcock films; there are just two, ... " [More]

Alfred Hitchcock
by divinemsjunebug in HORROR MOVIES 101

loved it.

"They are having a sort of Alfred Hitchcock marathon (or something like a marathon) going on the AMC channel. I have always loved the movies he directs and I also love the old television series. What are some of your favorite episodes, movies?I was just watching Rear Window again for the millionth time. I absolutely love that movie. I love the way we get a glimpse into peoples lives just through their windows. The suspense in that movie is really great, especially when Grace Kelley gets caught in the killer's apartment... " [More]

Peter Bogdanovich Interviews Al ...
by Ovation in Alfred Hitchcock

hasn't rated it.

"Peter Bogdanovich Interviews Alfred Hitchcock The legendary interview from 1963 PB: You never watch your films with an audience. Don't you miss hearing them scream? AH: No. I can hear them when I'm making the picture. Do you feel that the American film remains the most vital cinema? Worldwide, yes. Because when we make films for the United States, we are automatically making them for all the world--because America is full of foreigners. It's a melting pot. Which brings us to another point. I don't know what they mean when they talk about "Hollywood" pictures. I say, "Where are they conceived?" Look at this room--you can't see out the windows. We might just as well be in a hotel room in London, or anywhere you like. So here is where we get it down on paper. Now where do we go? We go on location, perhaps; and then where do we work? We're ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

liked it.

The Birds features a classic Alfred Hitchcock set-up: average people placed in circumstances turned upside-down. And of course, there are the requisite dark insinuations and strange psychological underpinnings. Though we're never sure why the birds are rising up, their behaviour seems to be a response to mankind's complacency and arrogance. It's a frightening yet sportive vision of Judgement Day. As in Psycho, Hitchcock's previous film, the normalcy of the setting is allowed to set in before the audience is thrown into the perverse drama. When the bird violence comes, Hitchcock pulls out all the stops to make it as realistic as one could imagine. There are 371 trick shots in the film. Some have dated, but for the most part the effects are still effective. The last shots are especially memorable. And the movie features a unique soundtrack from frequent Hitchcock collaborator Bernard Herrmann: no music, only bird sounds organized as if they were music, for maximum creepy impact. The Birds stands as the end of an unprecedented period when Hitchcock could no wrong; he made only five more features, with decidedly mixed artistic and financial results. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide

Tags: birds , suspense , Classic , scary , Hitchcock
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