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Sunday, April 28, 2013

The Birds (1963)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock


Starring: Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy


TAGLINES:"It could be the most terrifying motion picture I have ever made!"

"The Birds is coming!"

"...And remember, the next scream you hear could be your own!"


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finished watching The Birds and while I thoroughly enjoyed the whole movie, the ending just left me feeling a bit vulnerable — if only for a few seconds — not alot of movies catches me off-guard and makes me say “WTF???” with this exact expression —> O_O and then a bit of >.O, and some O.< .. It's not that it sucked ass, it was just abrupt and i was surprised, that's all.
I mean i really enjoyed this movie. I love Tippi Hedren. I was engrossed with the characters and their relationship to other characters, and how they act in situations and dialogues. The birds are 100% creepy and not one movie before this one has made me feel scared of a black bird. ever. Hitchcock is truly the master of thrills and suspense. No doubt about that. No matter what the modern viewers say about how laughable or definitely not scary his films are, to me he is a genius and i love his films. From the lines, to every eccentric characters (who are really fun to watch), to the lighting, cinematography, and the fact that they didn't add any musical score which made the film feel more real — as if you are there, feeling every flap and sounds the villainous birds make,  like i said  - genius.
(SPOILERS) so imagine my surprise when the moment the characters leave & drive off to the hospital, bham! Credits! I guess I was just waiting for an explanation why the birds acted that way, or if indeed Melanie somehow brought the “curse” to that little hamlet, or idk… just something. So yeah, for a few minutes i was like WTF? with this expression O_O

but as any good movie, it makes you think AFTER the credits roll, after you have thoroughly absorbed every little detail or clues fed to you inconspicuously, which will make you smile as you recall the humor or suspense or horror it made you feel while watching. And then everything just makes sense. Or even if it doesn't make sense, still somehow you manage to make all fit together perfectly.
Yes, Hitchcock is eccentric. But he makes great, unforgettable movies and characters.
I especially love this particular scene, Tippi Hedren smokes so elegantly btw lol. The repetitive singing of the children, the gradual increase of the number of birds at every shot, the anxiety shown in Tippi’s face as she waits for the class to end, and finally that awful horror you feel when you see those birds flocked together, waiting to attack.  
and this restaurant scene, where Melanie tells her dad, and the people about the bird attack on the school children…. this is real comedy, Hitchcock style. 


MY RATINGS:  4/5 - one of Hitchcock's better (though underrated) movies





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4 comments:

  1. This is one of my fav HITCH films, and what a cast, they fit like a glove in their roles. I was mesmerized by the idea of birds attacking humans.... After all for centuries humans have attack birds.... How charming to see the tables of nature turn and make humans the prey!!!! Excellent film, and Tippi took the lead on making this picture what it was in Hitchcock history!!!

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  2. This review is SPOT-ON target with your descriptions and facts of what brought this film to viewers. I You have the unique ability to create images for your readers with your own way of using just the right words... I really appreciate reading a well -written- entertaining review, as you write... And not just this review, but all of the reviews you have written here... :) You are talented...Keep up the good work.

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    1. thank you Tippi!! im not too proud of my earlier reviews (this included) but thank you for the great compliments!!! :)

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