Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds
Alfred Hitchcock has long been considered one of the great innovators of cinema. His attention to detail, his use of misdirection, his unapologetic love of suspense and his cutting edge (at the time) technology and special effects are all reasons why many of his films endure today, even though the man himself has been dead for over thirty years now. Having started in the film industry in silent films, it is no big surprise to see how he puts vast import on every detail and on every image the eyes will see during his films.
The Birds is a tremendous cinematic achievement and my favorite Hitchcock film.
Viewed through the lens of modern technology and film making, the Birds could be viewed as cheesy and not too scary. The birds are obviously fake as is the blood. At times the horror of the victims in the Birds is more comical than horrific. At the time of its release, however if must have been utterly horrifying for the viewers. My dad confirms this as he says the film terrified him as a child and he has never viewed seagulls the same way again.
So why has the film endured?
Alfred Hitchcock. The way he commands a camera, the way he controls the eye of the viewers of his films is masterful and really attests to his brilliance as a filmmaker.
In this film in particular, there are many scenes where the camera focuses on certain images that seemingly have little to do with the plot. The most notable of these close-ups is the image of the bloody glove of Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), which, like the Extreme Close Up in Psycho , is perhaps the most enduring non bird image in the film.
Rather than focusing on the on one particular image, because that’s been overdone with this and all Hitchock films, I want to focus on the way one character in particular is filmed: Lydia Brenner (Jessica Tandy).
In the first third of the film, Brenner is an imposing character. She is filmed generally from low angles or at the front the frame, so she dominates the screen. We learn through many characters, and particularly through Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Plechette) that she is indeed a dominant figure in the lives of Cathy (Veronica Cartwright)and Mitch (Rod Taylor). She is consistently filmed like this until she visits the the chicken farmer. Here, upon entering the house we see her vulnerable for the first time.
While she is filmed from a low angle, she is also shown framed by a dark hallway on either side. The camera has trapped her and shown us, the viewer, that there is no escape. The darkness of course adds to the tension but allows us, the viewers, to know that the character doesn’t know what’s going to happen next—she’s in the dark as we are. The vulnerability of the framed character is also powerful and symbolic because after this scene where she discovers the dead body of the chicken farmer, she is filmed from high angles, generally, to show her loss of power and her vulnerability. The camera shots directly reflect the character arc for Lydia Brenner, whom is weak and powerless through the rest of the film.
When Birds Attack:
The Bird attacks in The Birds are a wonder of filmmaking. I would like to focus one attack in particular and that is the attack at the Brenner household towards the end of the film. I would like to focus on this one because it is the most unique of all the attacks in the film. For the other attacks, from the party to the school, Htchcock alternates between wide and hide angles to show the massive amounts of birds attacking and, in turn, the great odds against his characters to close ups showing the birds attacking from the different angles and the horrified looks on the faces of the victims.
In the attack on the Brenner home, Hitchcock uses a totally different mode of, pardon the pun, attack. In this scene, the Birds are not seen en masse, only heard. The attack is shown through the sounds of the birds, through holes being punched through doors and windows and through the looks of terror on the faces of Daniels and the Brenner family. I found this scene to be the most interesting and scary of the attacks because the attackers could not be seen. It’s easier to suspend reality and believe that these birds are attacking this family because they are not scene and I think Hitchcock broke the monotony of the attack scenes and surprised the filmgoers by changing his modus operandi for this scene and I think it worked to spectacular effect. The only bird seen in this scene is the bird that attacks Mitch when he breaks in through the window. All the others are scene only by the effects they cause. Much like the wind, they are invisible, but their effects are not and this is only one more example of Hitchcock’s brilliance.
But Why?
The question I’m having the most trouble answering is the question of why the birds attack in the first place. It’s clear from the dialogue in the film that the attacks did not begin until Melanie Daniels makes her appearance in Bodega Bay which leads me to conclude that she is the conduit.
So, what do we know about her?
We know she is a wealthy socialite; the daughter of a newspaper mogul, we know she doesn’t do much in the way of work, we know that she likes to hang out in bird shops (and has no problem keeping them caged up) and, she wears green throughout the movie. I don’t believe that the green is an accident. Hitchcock filmed her in that color on purpose. Green makes me think of money and greed so perhaps she’s filmed in green because she is greedy and perhaps this greed plays a role in the attacks in the film.
The first attack occurs after Daniels has dropped off the lovebirds at the Brenner house when she is boating back to the dock and staring at Mitch Brenner. It’s a single bird attacking, but it strikes enough to draw blood, which Hitchcock shows in close-up. The next attack occurs at the birthday party, then through the fireplace at the Brenner house a few minutes later. Later, the biggest attack is the attack at the school when the children go outside which is followed by the unseen attack at the Brenner house before the final attack, again of Daniels alone, in the attic of the Brenner home.
The best outside source I can find for the bird attacks is from a site called Commonsense Media, which focuses on rating films for families. According to this site the Birds attack to remind humans to respect animals. I can certainly see this as a possibility, since the movie opens in a bird shop where allt he birds are caged up. Again, visiting Wiki Answers, the answerer of the question as to why the birds attack says that the bird attacks really don’t mean much and that the point of the story is the different relationships of the people involved in the story. This is the explanation I like best and the one I will go with!
Check out Some of my other Film Reviews/Analysis
- The Dude Abides
An anlaysis of the Big Lewbowski, the cult film from the Cohen Brothers, using the Hero theories of Joseph Campbell. Includes a brief description of Campbell and his work and some trailers of the film and a video interview of Campbell. - The Full Monty Goes All the Way
A Review of the Full Monty. - Gothika: a Confused Reviewer Responds
a review of the 2003 film Gothika starring Halle Berry
Sources cited
The Birds. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock. Universal, 1963. FILM
Slaton, Joyce. “The Birds.” Commonsense Media.org. Common Sense Media Inc. No date Given. Web. October 9th, 2011
“Why did the Birds Attack in the Movie Birds?” Wikianswers.com. Answers Corporation. NO date given. Web. October 9th, 2011
all rights reserved. Copyright Justin W Price, October 2011
Thanks for Reading.
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Comments
I have watched this movie many times and i have it on DVD. The time I remember watching this movie the most was on an October Sunday and I sister and I had to walk to school the next day. We lived lived on the fringe of town and had to walk up this road "tunneled" by over hanging trees. Being October (near Halloween I might add) the trees were full of hundreds of birds. Normally we were fascinated by this, but that day we raced up that hill as fast as we could to "safety" - lol.
I love this movie - voted up.
amberld ~ I love "Rebecca" - I should say, we love "Rebecca", it's a favorite at our house. It's an excellent film to show to young people to get them interested in classic B&W movies . . . my kids have all watched it (again and again) since they were 10ish.
I also watched this film as a youngester and remember being pretty scared. Recently I took my kids to Trafalgar Square and all of a sudden a flock of pigeons flew upwards, I imediately started gesticulating with my hands swishing them over my head, shouting' the birds, the birds'. Needless to say, my children thought I had gone crazy!! No appreciation of sheer film mastery!
I love this movie, thanks for the great hub on Hitchcock. Did you ever see Rebecca? that is a great early one of his that is not as well known.
I remember watching this as a young boy, and it freaked me out...what a great movie!!
Justin,
I cannot watch "The Birds." It scares me too much. Even your very well-written review of the movie scares me.
Read the book. It is scarier!
PDXKaraokeGuy,
Here's a great (from my perspective) story concerning Hitchcock's 'The Birds'; getting right to the point, my sister and I were almost in that movie. I was born and raised, until about 10, in the bay area of California. My step-father was a disc jockey and knew people in the film industry. When they were filming 'The Birds' my sister and I were just the right age as the school children that ran from their classroom to escape the birds - we were all set to be among those school kids, and that's when we moved to Pennsylvania. Every time I watched it through the years I wold think how cool it would be to point and tell my kids "Look, there's your Aunt Melanie, and that's me".
Very interesting hub - you put a lot of work into this one - it brought back some great memories - when we watched that film we had no idea of the technical aspects of his filming - he certainly was an innovator - B.
Great review. I love The Birds even though the techniques Hitchcock used are dated now. However, I will never stop being disturbed when watching because I can't figure out why they attacked. When I first watched the movie with my Mom, I asked multiple times why. She didn't have an answer either. I guess it's just to be enjoyed.
I was impressed with this film when I saw it originally. I've always admired Hitchcock, especially his creative use of camera angles and such. By now others have picked up on what he has done so it seems tame now.
This was fun to read because this is one of my favorite horror movies to date. I was about seven when this came out and it became tradition in my family to watch it every year. Hitchcock was an amazing film maker. I too grew up with Dark Shadows, Twilight Zone and Outer Limits but there was something about "The Birds" that really freaked me out and I think it's because he used something we see everyday that usually causes no harm. That's what made it scary. Great review!
I've always been a Hitchcock fan and never stopped to reason why. Your hub makes me wonder. The first time I saw the movie I did wonder why the birds were attacking but the rest of the movie kept me hopping so I just let it go. I too thought Tippi Hedren had something to do with the attacks but thought it had something to do with the love birds -- I was young then. Great hub and movie review. Voted up and interesting.
How spooky, I actually watched Birds a few nights ago. I love Hitchcock films. Birds was ahead of its time. I loved Marnie, Psycho and Rear Window. He was a wonderful producer and director and I still love watching his films. Well written and very enjoyable hub. Voted up and interesting.
very good review on The Birds. I do think this movie is one of the best Hitchcock's movie, just like Psycho.
hey that an absolutely wonderful review!! just like a pro!! i haven't seen the movie but m sure going to see it after reading the review:))all ready to be scared!!
carrie
I saw "The Birds" growing up in the 60's. It scared the shit out of me.
Ha Ha! Poor thing, when she was five? Typical older brother...:)
I think he was onto something. As a kid, at certain times of the year we could not play in the park because the blackbirds would have their nests there. If we did they would constantly peck our heads for daring to get close to their heads. It wasn't pleasant and I have to say the pecks hurt quite a bit. I would not recommend your sister watching the movie as she probably will become even more spooked.
To this day The Birds still scares me. It is probably because I feed wild birds and they have come to know and recognize me. The birds, though wild, are quite intelligent and call out, come inside, knock over items when there is no food left for them. They are quite demanding and I suppose I can see them all acting like this. The story is really not that far-fetched to me. I agree that Hitchcock was a genius and his films really are amazing to watch even now.
This was well written and I enjoyed it very much!
Great analysis. I've always loved this film (and Hitchcock)--especially the apparent random and meaningless attack of the birds. I've learned to appreciate the lack of any explanation or cause.
Awesome my friend. I remember watching that when I was a child and it scared the well you know. Thank you for the memories, Blessings your way.
Great insight of the meaning and reasoning about the film. I have an immense respect for old films, they did not have the luxury of technology like today, which some films are filmed in front of a green screen. That annoys me, so much I walked out of the first Star Wars, the new one.
And may I add, to this day if I see a large flock of birds, I still freak out due to this film.
I watch a lot of horror movies, I grew up on them and horror TV (Dark Shadows, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits etc).
But The Birds freak me the heck out. It's the only film I'll refuse to watch after having seen part of it once when I was about 12 o3 13. *shudder*
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