The Birds Movie Review

The Birds (1963)

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Written by: Daphne Du Maurier (from the story by), Evan Hunter (screenplay by)
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
A wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people.

Verdict
You need to watch this, not because of what it does now, but what it did at the time. You can see the concepts in this that movies use today. While this is dated, the tension is constant. What if something as innocuous as birds started to attack. This starts small and continues to build. Soon no one can deny there's something wrong with the birds, and there's no escape.
Watch It.

Review
Directed by Hitchcock, this was his follow up to Psycho (1960). Melanie (Tippi Hedren) and Mitch (Rod Taylor) have a moment in a pet shop with a bit of flirting as they talk about love birds. He came in for birds but doesn't buy anything before leaving. Melanie buys a pair of love birds to gift him.

Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor play Melanie, Mitch

There's plenty of foreshadowing as we see and hear birds several times before a gull swoops at Melanie as she's boating across the bay to visit Mitch. If you didn't know this movie, you might surmise it means nothing. With this movie it's a sign of things to come.

Melanie and Mitch are going at it hot and heavy according to 1963 standards. That means they're taking long walks and talking extensively. She stays over to attend his kid sister's birthday party where gulls attack the children. Later birds enter the chimney as the bird events continue to escalate.

What's so unnerving is that birds are ever present, ignored. Imagine if they started attacking. We'd never be safe because they're everywhere. This gives you a reason to fear every open window, chimney, and even just venturing outside.

Of course the town has holdouts that don't believe birds would attack humans. They need to see it to believe, and that's just what happens. This little town is going downhill fast due to birds. Events keep escalating with Melanie and Mitch confined to their house, surrounded by birds. The birds manage to peck through the roof and attack Melanie.

This concludes with Mitch braving the birds outside to ready the car, delicately stepping around the birds before Melanie, Mitch, and his sister enter the car and drive slowly away, birds surrounding the area. Mitch's sister asks if they can bring the lovebirds. From where did those little birds originate, and are they at the root of this bird situation?