The Birds

A few months ago I saw this wonderful movie: 'The Birds' was it called. One of the classics from Hitchkock. Since then I have to admit birds freak me out. There was one time, about a year ago, I was walking the dog and suddenly, a giant crow flew at me and landed on my head. I'm serious! I was so frightened. Thank god, I could shake him off so finally, he flew away. But uuuuugh, they scare the hell out of me. Though birds are the symbol of freedom and I love that meaning, I just don't like 'em.

Let me tell you what the movie was about. Melanie Daniels (Jessica Tandy) comes to know, after an accidental meeting in San Francisco, that Mitch Brenners sister Cathy is celebrating her birthday. She finds Mitch very fascinating, so she decides to give his sister two parakeets as a present, which she brings to their home in personal. Mitch is a lawyer and lives during the weekends together with his mother and sister in Bodega Bay.

Melanie rents a boat to fern to their home. But while she's ferning, she gets attacked by a seagull. It seems like an incident, but when the local school is attacked by crows, people freak out.

The birds come and go and come and go. During the movie there come more and more birds. It's amazingly well shot, because very discreet, you see a bird now and then, but it's not that striking.

Melanie stays with the Brenners, while Mitch tries to lock every window and door. Hundreds of birds gather and attack the house at night. The birds come through the chimney and in the meantime, they have killed several people in the village.

And that's all I'm gonna say about the movie.

It's amazing! It's very nice to see how such an old movie (1963) deals with tense and excitement. I tell you, it's very thrilling. And it has that old style I adore, at one time Melanie sits in her car and she's driving through the village and you see wonderful landscapes passing by and it's so fake. It's hilarious! It's definitely just shot in the studio and it's just so fake.

Melanie Daniels is the typical sixties woman. She had blonde hair and this Grace Kelly style and her voice was just odd. But it's striking with the character, though.

I'm telling you, if you want to see a classic 'Hitchkock' you've got to see this one! And did I mention the ending is outrageous? It's not what you expect it to be, sincerely not.