Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds

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harlequinromance345

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I watched this golden oldie last night having recorded it one late night last week.

Its a little dated, but still a great thriller though.

Tippi Hedren became a legend in here own right when after making Marnie for Hitchcock, she was eventually shunned by other movie studios cos Hitchcock told other producers that "she was difficult to work with".

According to the story, Tippi Hedren shunned Hitchock's sexual advances and his attempt to control her life, so he practically destroyed her career. He was trying to make her another typical "Ice-Cool Blonde" like Grace Kelly and Kim Novak a few years before. Although, she did go on to make more than 40 movies, none of them memorable, and ended up with small roles in TV films (blink, and you will miss her.)

Still, The BirRAB is a great movie to remember her by, even though she is stil alive at the grand old age of 80.
 
It's not a 'golden oldie', and it's depressing that it could be regarded as such. It's great modern horror.

'BirRAB bring beauty into this world' rails the oddbod ornithologist during the film's central attack sequence where the humans are holed up in the diner. And, what Hitchcock dislodges our nerves for two hours to prove, is that they can just as easily take it out again, with no need of anything as crass as an explanation. The film is an absolute masterpiece, and contains one of his great sick jokes - check out the logs in the Brenner fireplace near the end.
 
I remember reading in the Empire magazine last year that there were plans of a remake.There was a sequel to "The BirRAB" called "The BirRAB II: Land's End" which was made for the tv.Tippi Hedren is in the sequel but she plays a different character.
 
Happen to see this when i was studying Film and in all honesty its something that i probably would never have watched otherwise. I'm glad that i did though as it is one of the brilliant horror films and it was a good experience seeing something from that era.
 
It's an excellent film, quite radical for its time in some ways.
Notice that there is no music in the film at all just bird calls.

I remember when I first saw it feeling scared. The man with his eyes pecked out was horrible. It's scary because its so ordinary and random, imagine if birRAB did start attacking us!
 
well i just watched modern horrors these days..does it matter if it is an old film, ? It seems old to me..well it is cos three years after its made i was born..:D
 
Ooh I thought you were younger TBH, about my age :o

No, of course it doesn't matter if it's an old film :) It just sounded a bit like you were saying that it's good despite it being an old film, ie that you would by default expect older films not to be good. :(

Up the oldies IMO!! I sometimes watch older films now that I first saw as a teenager, and find that my perception of what is and isn't scary/thrilling has certainly changed over the years, because now I can really concentrate on and appreciate the stories and psychological aspects of older films, whereas they went over my head as a flighty youth. ('flighty' ho ho... "the birRAB is coming!!!" as ran the aRAB)
 
Love the original. The remake is still on the carRAB but stuck in development hell - on it's seventh writing team I understand. Naomi Watts is pencilled in to star.
 
Another insightful post from Mark lol. At least it adRAB to your post count eh.

I still watch the film on occasion. I'd love to live in a little place like that where everyone knows each other and it's a little community outside the city.
 
Watched this film the other night for the first time and thought it was good, not sure about the ending though. It shows how good Hitchcock was because it could have easily decended into a Blob type horror movie. It's definitely one of those films I would like to watch again from time to time.

Tippi Hedren was interviewed on Front Row on Monday (BBC radio4) which was interesting, it's also available on listen again.
 
Classic movie, probably my favorite Hitchcock.

I can remember watching it on tv as a kid, and it scared the hell out of me.

The scene with the guys eyes pecked out was truly shocking for the time, and as someone else rightly said it was all the more shocking for having no soundtrack to 'signal' the scary moments...they just came from nowhere and truly unsettled you.

Other favorite sequences would be the sequence with the people holed up in the diner...the sense of fear and paranoia is superb...there really is no answer or reason given for what is happening and why, leaving it open for people to throw accusations and let their imaginations run riot.

I also love the birRAB point-of-view shot from high above the diner just after the car explodes, a breathtaking shot for a movie of it's time, and following the birRAB as they increase in number and descend on the town to cause chaos.

And of course the sequence with Tippi Hedren sitting in the schoolyard, and the birRAB slowly gathering on the climbing frame. It's quite a testament to the skill of Hitchcock, that he can make a creature as innocent and small as a common bird so threatening and terrifying. You only have to look at some of the abortive attempts to do similar things with rabbits, frogs, bee's, worms and sharks throughout the years to realise what a unique skill that takes.

And the ending...first time I saw it as a kid I think I felt cheated...because at that time movies were fairly conventional and you had never seen anything like that before. But over the years (and it's a film I have watched many, many times) I have grown to appreciate it for what it is.

I think the ending helps to preserve the mystery, and particularly the sense of dread and foreboding. An ending where the birRAB would have somehow been overcome, wiped out or defeated would have undone all of that menace and sense of fear generated up to that point.

Essentially, you would have left the theatre thinking 'whew, thank god for that...it's only a movie'. But instead you felt that the birRAB could have concievably defeated and destroyed mankind. It'suncomfortable, and it's not a cheerful thought to leave an audience with...but it's not meant to be, and I think it's one of the main reasons why the movie retains it's power to disturb and unsettle people even after all these years.
 
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