F.F.S. HITCHCOCK: "THE BIRDS"

Well, we are now half way through the first Freedom Film Series and things have been going smoothly. I hope that those who were able to come and watch Vertigo enjoyed themselves and enjoyed the movie! For the third installment in the Hitchcock film series, I will be screening another one of his more well-known movies. It proudly takes its place among the greatest thrillers of all time and, like Spielberg's Jaws, gives us yet another reason to fear the coastal areas. For next week's screening, we will be watching Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.

The Birds was originally released in 1963 and was the very first movie to be released under Universal Pictures new name (the studio's previous name was Universal-International). The film stars Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, and Tippi Hedren in her big screen debut (Hitchcock found Hedren through soda commercial on the "Today" show; and the Hitch has always had a thing for blonds). The Birds received an Oscar nominations for Best Visual Effects, but lost to Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra. This movie was, again, based on a Daphne Du Maurier story; Hitchcock would make three of Du Maurier's stories into movies. The entire movie, interestingly enough, has no musical score whatsoever. There are only the typical ambient sound effects, the sounds of the birds, and various other sounds mixed together with the use of an electronic mixer and placed at strategic moments in the film. In my opinion, this adds tremendously to the creepiness of the film, as well as the tension.

As far as plot is concerned, it is extremely basic for a Hitchcock movie. In a nutshell, the characters played by Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren meet in a pet shop in the city and there is an instant and innocent attraction (typical boy meets girl scenario). Hedren is invited for a visit to Taylor's home, which is in Bodega Bay right on the coast. After we have this established, the only thing left to say is BIRDS ATTACK! The characters in the film have no idea why the birds are behaving the way they are and, as the audience, neither do we. This is, I believe, the key to what makes The Birds such a terrifying movie and experience. What is more unnerving than the absence of reason, the inability to explain why things are happening? What is more frightening than the unknown? I think this is the point Hitchcock was trying to make with this movie. One does not need intricate and involved plot twists to create a fearful experience. As with most things in this world, simplicity does the trick nicely. All Hitchcock needed to was take animals that are a part of our everyday lives and make them behave to the opposite extreme that we are used to.

Technically, The Birds was quite unique for its time and this was recognized with the Oscar nomination. The bird attack scenes were a combination live animals, puppets, and fake birds on strings. In some of the scenes, birds were even attached to actors' clothing in order to keep them in camera frame and close enough to the actor to make the attack realistic. In some of the scenes of the movie, there are very large numbers of birds, specifically sea gulls, just sitting still ominously. It is hard to imagine how bird handlers would be able to get that many birds to remain that still long enough for filming. According to one of the actors, Rod Taylor, the sea gulls were fed wheat and whiskey so they would remain still and docile long enough to get the shots needed. I seriously doubt any other animals in any other movie were treated quite so well.

As for its critical acclaim, The Birds is considered to be one of Hitchcock's somewhat lack-luster efforts. That's not to say that critics think it is a bad movie; just that it seems a little inferior to some of his other more involved films. In this respect, the critics are right. If you come into this movie looking for a classic Hitchcock twist and turn plot, you are going to be disappointed. What the critics do agree on, however, is that The Birds is one incredibly eerie and chilling movie experience that is not easily forgotten. Hitchcock, himself, is famously quoted as saying: "It may be the most terrifying motion picture I have ever made." It is a movie that preys on one of the basest fears of human beings. The fear of nature outside of our control, of nature asserting its place of dominance on the planet. The fear that we humans may not be as high in the pecking order as we think.

Come out and join us on Wednesday, August 6 at 6:00pm in the Freedom Regional Public Library Community Room for our screening of The Birds. The screening is free of charge and open to everyone. Hope to see you there!


















Until next time....