Directed by : Alfred Hitchcock
Imdb link -> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056869/
Very Gripping tale of Birds against Humans.
Read at your own risk, the post may have some spoilers.
I think after Nolan, its Hitchcock films that I want to cover up watching as soon as I can, his cinema is so inspiring to watch.
The Birds is another of his classic movies that I watched recently again. Right from the first frame that has birds squawking and cawing, their voice gradually increasing and becoming violent as the credits end, Hitchcock creates the atmosphere leading to thoughts of how birds gonna come into limelight.
One of key element is the long no-dialogue scenes where tension is created, watch the scene where Melanie (Tippi Herden) takes boat to reach Mitch (Rod Taylor) place and give him a surprise bringing the love birds he wanted to buy for his sister. That scene has that feel of something bad gonna happen, and it happens when she returns back, with first attack by bird on her head.
Then, the evergreen classic scene when Melanie waits outside school playground, while birds one by one gather at her backside, using children's singing and developing the scene was masterstroke. Infact in entire movie, there is no background music, which actually makes the effect of birds even double as we sense its somewhere there when the movie begins, and with time its actions increases to a extent of total scare in humans.
Special mention to two scenes used as a metaphor or symbolism, one when Melanie goes outside diner to help people only ending up getting locked inside a phonebooth and not able to come out watching birds attacking outside. Other scene is, Mitch with his family and Melanie stuck in his own house, not able to move out knowing the next attack of birds may happen anytime. Both these scenes show the shift of nature, from birds in cage, now its human in cage with birds causing fear in them.
There are two mysterious characters, Annie (Suzanne Pleshette) who is Mitch's ex-gf, and Lydia (Jessica Tandy), Mitch's mother. The way Annie delivers her dialogues, and how Hitchcock cuts at her extreme close up when Melanie leaves after having first conversation with her.. it brings a certain doubt on her behind attacks. While Lydia has a possessive nature with her son, not wanting to let him go away from her, reason for Annie-Mitch split up and now Melanie feels not at ease meeting her. Although after watching film, its clear both of them had no hand in the birds attack, but the director does use these characters to his advantage pretty well.
Now the answer to, who was behind the birds attack.. was tough to find out for me. I would go with Hitchcock's saying that it was a film telling what you would do when suddenly something against the nature happens, the terror it creates, and how you try to come out of it. Why it happens, is of least importance. This film just tries to show the dominance of birds over humans, which happens rarely in real life.
Mitch-Melanie relation starts off on a fight, and with time they become typical lovers, but how the graph of Melanie-Lydia changes was to watch, specially their last scene while in car.
The diner conversation was very fun-loving, with the hillarious 'end of the world' quotes.
Some bloopers are there, one key one was the blood that looked terribly fake but then its a 60 era movie so probably budget or non-availability could be issue. Then, that scene where children run away from playground, why did they run when the birds didn't attack yet, remember a scene coming later when Mitch-Melanie walk quietly not letting birds do anything. In pre-climax bird attack on Melanie, it was stupid of her to open door and get into without being careful when she knows the birds are willing to enter by any means. Though I can agree to the point here that in fear state of mind, the brain works less for many people.
Among performances, everyone did pretty well, though Tippi has more screen time, her character takes time before you feel sympathy towards her, Jessica and Rod scored much more in their acting. It was more of a Hitchcock direction dominated movie.
Talking about climax, the original written scene was that Mitch along with her sister, mother and Melanie drive away from home, and in the way they see people lying dead everywhere with birds attack, as they watch birds all over the Golden Gate. They somehow pass through it, but as they accelerate, the birds attack the car from top and behind, though in the end birds stop and they are able to go away. This original climax I feel goes in favour of human characters too much. What Hitchcock kept in movie, was Mitch and everyone slowly getting into car, driving off with birds carefully watching and slowly their wings clawing harder giving a view that they are gonna go after them in a moment or two. So, the fade up gives the feeling that the birds attack didn't stop or wont stop, and Mitch will have to face it again. This climax works much more as it gave weightage to the key character of 'birds', with their terror remains unsolved. Budget problem in my view helped this film get the best possible ending.
The Birds is rightly termed as one of many Hitchcock's classic movies. Watch it if you havent till now, you are more likely to get scared watching it. Very gripping tale of Birds against Humans.
Imdb link -> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056869/
Very Gripping tale of Birds against Humans.
Read at your own risk, the post may have some spoilers.
I think after Nolan, its Hitchcock films that I want to cover up watching as soon as I can, his cinema is so inspiring to watch.
The Birds is another of his classic movies that I watched recently again. Right from the first frame that has birds squawking and cawing, their voice gradually increasing and becoming violent as the credits end, Hitchcock creates the atmosphere leading to thoughts of how birds gonna come into limelight.
One of key element is the long no-dialogue scenes where tension is created, watch the scene where Melanie (Tippi Herden) takes boat to reach Mitch (Rod Taylor) place and give him a surprise bringing the love birds he wanted to buy for his sister. That scene has that feel of something bad gonna happen, and it happens when she returns back, with first attack by bird on her head.
Then, the evergreen classic scene when Melanie waits outside school playground, while birds one by one gather at her backside, using children's singing and developing the scene was masterstroke. Infact in entire movie, there is no background music, which actually makes the effect of birds even double as we sense its somewhere there when the movie begins, and with time its actions increases to a extent of total scare in humans.
Special mention to two scenes used as a metaphor or symbolism, one when Melanie goes outside diner to help people only ending up getting locked inside a phonebooth and not able to come out watching birds attacking outside. Other scene is, Mitch with his family and Melanie stuck in his own house, not able to move out knowing the next attack of birds may happen anytime. Both these scenes show the shift of nature, from birds in cage, now its human in cage with birds causing fear in them.
There are two mysterious characters, Annie (Suzanne Pleshette) who is Mitch's ex-gf, and Lydia (Jessica Tandy), Mitch's mother. The way Annie delivers her dialogues, and how Hitchcock cuts at her extreme close up when Melanie leaves after having first conversation with her.. it brings a certain doubt on her behind attacks. While Lydia has a possessive nature with her son, not wanting to let him go away from her, reason for Annie-Mitch split up and now Melanie feels not at ease meeting her. Although after watching film, its clear both of them had no hand in the birds attack, but the director does use these characters to his advantage pretty well.
Now the answer to, who was behind the birds attack.. was tough to find out for me. I would go with Hitchcock's saying that it was a film telling what you would do when suddenly something against the nature happens, the terror it creates, and how you try to come out of it. Why it happens, is of least importance. This film just tries to show the dominance of birds over humans, which happens rarely in real life.
Mitch-Melanie relation starts off on a fight, and with time they become typical lovers, but how the graph of Melanie-Lydia changes was to watch, specially their last scene while in car.
The diner conversation was very fun-loving, with the hillarious 'end of the world' quotes.
Some bloopers are there, one key one was the blood that looked terribly fake but then its a 60 era movie so probably budget or non-availability could be issue. Then, that scene where children run away from playground, why did they run when the birds didn't attack yet, remember a scene coming later when Mitch-Melanie walk quietly not letting birds do anything. In pre-climax bird attack on Melanie, it was stupid of her to open door and get into without being careful when she knows the birds are willing to enter by any means. Though I can agree to the point here that in fear state of mind, the brain works less for many people.
Among performances, everyone did pretty well, though Tippi has more screen time, her character takes time before you feel sympathy towards her, Jessica and Rod scored much more in their acting. It was more of a Hitchcock direction dominated movie.
Talking about climax, the original written scene was that Mitch along with her sister, mother and Melanie drive away from home, and in the way they see people lying dead everywhere with birds attack, as they watch birds all over the Golden Gate. They somehow pass through it, but as they accelerate, the birds attack the car from top and behind, though in the end birds stop and they are able to go away. This original climax I feel goes in favour of human characters too much. What Hitchcock kept in movie, was Mitch and everyone slowly getting into car, driving off with birds carefully watching and slowly their wings clawing harder giving a view that they are gonna go after them in a moment or two. So, the fade up gives the feeling that the birds attack didn't stop or wont stop, and Mitch will have to face it again. This climax works much more as it gave weightage to the key character of 'birds', with their terror remains unsolved. Budget problem in my view helped this film get the best possible ending.
The Birds is rightly termed as one of many Hitchcock's classic movies. Watch it if you havent till now, you are more likely to get scared watching it. Very gripping tale of Birds against Humans.
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