The Birds
★★★★★
I grew up loving Alfred Hitchcock films, but somehow The Birds always alluded me. I don’t even know why, but I always feel like it was billed as “lesser Hitchcock” so I never felt an urgency to take the time to sit down to watch it. Maybe it’s because I have grown up seeing so many clips from the film, I thought I had seen it already. I was pleasantly shocked and surprised by the monster movie bent to this film. Even though it’s been sixty years, it’s clear what an impact that this film has had on the genre.
I can see how some could see the special effects as being outdated, but I felt quite the opposite. I thought what was accomplished both with practical and special effects was mesmerizing. I kept imaging what a remake of this film would look like these days and though things might look more realistic, you can’t beat the practical effect of all the crows slowly perching themselves on the playground equipment. I immediately wanted to do a deep dive on how they even accomplished this film as soon as it was over and don’t often think that when I leave movies these days because I imagine a person behind a computer rendering a special effect image.
Though I had seen the image of the guy whose eyes have been plucked out or Marian (Tippi Hedren) being attached in the phone booth, I was utterly unprepared for all the questions that go unanswered. I make this statement in the most delightful way because I loved the ambiguity that this film presents and how Hitchcock bridges the feelings of uneasiness between the characters to serve as the reason for this unusual bird behavior, when that’s not the case at all. Mother Nature will outlive us all and Hitchcock pitches to us that to survive, we must find a common ground with others that we might not gel with completely. He also pulls out great performances from both the main and supporting cast who have to play a balancing act of being in action film yet having to pull of pure scenes of drama.
Though there are many Hitchcock films that I would put above The Birds, it doesn’t take away from what a fun and unique ride this film is. Yes, it leans more into a horror aspect than some of his others, but the moments of suspense are never lacking. I absolutely loved the slow build of angst both between the characters and the birds. I love being in the palm of Hitchcock’s hand and though I can’t say I was ever truly scared, I couldn’t ever guess how the film was going to the end. And the final shot ended up emoting the scariest tone of the film, which in a way, is a shot that can perfectly sum Hitchcock’s persona and film career.
