The Birds (1963)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1963
	Director: Alfred Hitchcock (Vertigo, Rear Window)
	Actors: Rod Taylor (The Time Machine, Inglorious Basterds), Tippi Hedren, Suzanne Pleshette
	Country: USA
	Genre: Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 03.02.2014, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: Melanie Daniels (Hedren) follows Mitch Brenner (Taylor) to his home town to set up a practical joke. As they start to get close, unexplained bird attacks occur.
Review: I have seen this movie several times when younger, but not anymore for the past twenty years. I was glad the be able to watch it again in the best conditions (the image is beautiful on this Blu-ray edition) and I realized that it made a strong impression on me a bit like Jaws did, but not as strong. Watching the birds attack and pick on the heroin's hands immediately reminded me that I used to have nightmares of those moments. As when watching Rear Window, I was surprised (but not displeased) that the action takes so long to start. Actually before watching the movie I didn't know how it could sustain suspense for almost two hours only with birds. It does it by slowly introducing the characters (that meet in a pet shop surrounded with birds) and the little town where the rest of the movie will take place. And in the last 45 minutes birds start to attack by increasing numbers. Attacks occur only a handful of times but it is every time masterfully shown: the flock of small birds entering the house thought the chimney, the attack of the farmer not even shown but that may be the scariest of all as we see him only briefly dead in his room with gauged eyes and no music at all. The scene of the number of crows that slowly increase behind the heroin as she waits near the school is also masterfully done. The Birds is often called Hitchcock's monster movie and you can see on a short set of interviews on the Blu-ray how much it has influenced other directors. I had guessed it already when watching the movie, the unexplained attacks in a shore town reminds of The Fog by John Carpenter and The Mist written by Stephen King. The interviews (including one of Carpenter who is usually rather shy) confirms that, and further links the movie to the universal theme of Nature taking its revenge on Men, like also in The Happening or After Earth, both by M. Night Shyamalan. I have now remaining to watch less known movies by Hitchcock, and looking forward to it.
Rating: 8 /10