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Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 follow-up to "Psycho" (1961) is an ambitious adaptation of a Daphne du Maurier short story.
The famed British filmmaker finds a full dramatic voice to connect his own fetishized sexual concerns to a socially relevant satire of modern mores.
A mysterious natural catastrophe arrives in the form of seagulls, crows, and black birds teaming up to attack humanity at large.
Groundbreaking on several levels of cinematic technique and dramatic form, "The Birds" combines forward-thinking special effects with an unconventional soundscape to instill a palpable lurking fear in the audience.
Suspense and terrifying sequences hit like a slow moving freight train, steady and hard.
Listen to Hitchcock's brilliant use of silence.
Although ostensibly about a would-be romance between Melanie and Mitch, the object of her unsubtle pursuit, the only sexual sparks that fly are between Melanie and Mitch's ex-girlfriend Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette).
These ladies are hot together.
No doubt about it.
The only time that Melanie seems comfortable during the movie is when she's sharing company with Annie, the small town local elementary school teacher.
Oh but for our lovely LGBTQ school teachers.
Cheers to them.
Although not as horrifically shocking as "Psycho," "The Birds" is a more sophisticated film, and represents a high watermark in the prolific career of a true maestro of cinema.
Tippi Hedren's performance as Melanie, a social butterfly who becomes caged by external conditions, is remarkable for its directness.
Talk about an unreliable protagonist, Melanie Daniels proves to be a compulsive liar at every turn. Melanie is a fluent interloper.
Mitch's mother has reason to be worried.
Still, Mitch doesn't think too much with his penis. He has loftier goals, or so it seems.
Ms. Hedren fulfills the stylized nature of the material's outrageous demands, while rendering a striking vision of privileged '60s era American womanhood in the cross-hairs of a looming supernatural trauma.
Rod Taylor's object of desire Mitch, carries his mother as a burden like none other.
Endlessly watchable, "The Birds" is a cinematic masterpiece that can be read on many levels, providing insight into every aspect of modern filmmaking and dramaturgy.
"The Birds" is an anti-capitalist satire that dares to describe a modern-day dystopia wherein humankind is swallowed up whole.
Masterpiece, check.
Start unpacking.
Rated PG-13. 119 mins.
