Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

Probably Hitchcock's most famous movie (apart from PSYCHO), THE BIRDS is perhaps best understood as a companion piece to the director's favorite among all his films, SHADOW OF A DOUBT. Like that 1943 thriller, THE BIRDS concerns a visitor to a small town in Northern California bringing evil in his or her wake, which tests the resourcefulness and the compassion of a family that is not so happy as it imagines itself to be. The famous animated special effects (by Disney animator Ub Ewerks) now look a bit silly, but the effect of the music-free "score" by Bernard Herrmann and Hitchcock's tremendous build-up of suspense make the film one of his greatest among his later and more flawed classics. The acting is at times very unexpected (and thus unlike the flawless performances of Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten and Patricia Collinge in SHADOW OF A DOUBT), but Rod Taylor is perhaps the most virile leading man Hitchcock ever had, and Jessica Tandy does odd and memorable things with the role of Taylor's neurotic and possessive mother.

As for Tippi Hedren, her performance as Melanie Daniels (the unhappy heiress who brings chaos with her to the twon of Bodega Bay, CA) is still one of the most continually debated in all Hitchcock movies, and if at times he seems to be trying to undo her with her camera work (such as the hilarious triptych of shots of her openmouthed, watching the flames head for the gas pump in the diner sequence), it is still impossible at this point to imagine anyone else in the role. Her beautiful green Edith Head coat and gloves which she wears for most of the film are among the most iconic outfits ever created for a film, and there are moments (particularly towards the end of the film, after she's been severely traumatized by a bird attack) when her affective qualities are undeniable.

The DVD provided a good tie-in to my sister-in-law's Bird's Barbie Doll. It is still one of Hitchcock's best works.