On "The Birds" (1963)

If I saw this, I'd be slightly intimidated

Star Rating: *** (3/4 stars)
The Master of Suspense becomes the Master of Horror with "The Birds", a horror epic of apocalyptic proportions. The film was one of Hitchcock’s last movies and was based on a novella by Daphne De Maurier, who was also the author of the novel "Rebecca", which was also made into a feature film by Hitchcock in 1940.

"The Birds" features two people who meet in a bird shop. They are Tippi Hedren as socialite Melanie Daniels and Rod Taylor as lawyer Mitch Brenner. Daniels becomes fascinated by Brenner, and, in the hopes of playing a flirty joke on him, drives down to his mother’s home in a small hamlet on the pacific coast called Bodega Bay. Brenner is spending the weekend at Bodega Bay and introduces Daniels to his weak-willed mother, played by Jessica Tandy. Daniels also makes the acquaintance of the village schoolteacher, played by Suzanne Pleshette, who is a past sweetheart of Brenner’s.

As Brenner and Daniels begin to realize that they have feelings for each other, their romance is marred by a series of vicious and bloody bird attacks on the village, resulting in the death of several townspeople including Pleshette’s character. In one especially horrifying moment, a large flock of birds attack a group of young children evacuating their schoolhouse to get to a safe shelter, away from the gathering creatures. The question of “what is this all adding up to” becomes stronger all the time.

I have to say that one needs staying power to stick with a movie like "The Birds". Its featured violence could quite easily detract an audience. However, the idea of groups of birds massacring civilians can’t just be meaningless violence. It has to represent something. First of all, this is not a realistic movie in any sense of the term. It starts off like a love story and then takes the form of a most grotesque piece of horror fiction.

One can assume that the violent and homicidal birds are intended to represent the strong emotions aroused by Brenner’s and Daniels’ sudden and unexpected infatuation. To use an example, the mother Mrs. Brenner, who is terrified of being left alone, is conflicted in trying to feel happy for her son finding happiness, but is scared of him leaving her permanently. There is also the suppressed jealousy of the schoolteacher to consider. Both of these are very intense emotions that could very well take the metaphorical form of the vile and cruel events shown throughout the film.

Because of its touching romantic aspects and complex characters and subject matter, "The Birds" is an incredibly thought provoking movie. But if you think of this movie as pure horror and violence, you aren’t getting the point. Look past the bird attacks as just violent cinematography and ask yourself what it all means. In a way, that’s what Hitchcock’s movies are all about—having the viewers draw their own conclusions. You’ll have a much more interesting time with "The Birds" this way.

Note: Special thanks to my friend Doug, who shared some of his views on this film that are reflected here