The Birds (1963) Reviews
- Starring:
- Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, (more)
- Director(s):
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Category:
- Horror
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My RatingAverage Ratings
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful This is one of the great scary movies of all time, but any one who is seeing it for the first time should know something first. This is a movie about living through very scary times not the scary ... Read More This is one of the great scary movies of all time, but any one who is seeing it for the first time should know something first. This is a movie about living through very scary times not the scary times themselves. Yes, it seems silly to us that birds would attack, and there are a lot of unanswered questions. ThatÂ’s how it goes. Before it happens every catastrophe it seems ridiculous and when it happens you are confused, scared, and all you can do is ask why. The scariest things are the things we cannot explain; to explain them is to rob them of their power over us. This movie respects our fear. Enjoy. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful I had a vague idea of what to expect with The Birds and was glad when it ended up being much more than that after it was all over. This is a great, creepy, film that has just the right balance of ... Read More I had a vague idea of what to expect with The Birds and was glad when it ended up being much more than that after it was all over. This is a great, creepy, film that has just the right balance of horror with minimal gore, all while keeping the answers to what's really going on just out the viewer's reach. At first I was a little taken aback by the final scene, but after sleeping on it, now I think it was the perfect way to end it. It's a very eerie and unsettling image, and the perfect kind of tone to make the viewer still have a sense of unease for days after having seen it. The Birds is also a real landmark for the "less is more" approach to film making. There's a scene near the end where all the main players have fortified themselves in a house that is being attacked by the birds. The scene plays out almost entirely thru lighting and audio and it's one of the creepiest scenes I've seen in recent memory. A real cerebral horror classic. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful Clasic film. Colors are crisp and clear. Rod Taylor is such a hunky man! Any guy who can wear a crevat and still look macho is alright by me! Few years back I went to Bodega Bay, CA and you can ... Read More Clasic film. Colors are crisp and clear. Rod Taylor is such a hunky man! Any guy who can wear a crevat and still look macho is alright by me! Few years back I went to Bodega Bay, CA and you can bet I was checking the skies for any flocks flying over! The school house looks the same. Check out the book Footsteps in the Fog about all the Hitchcock films he made in and around San Francisco. They show before and now pics of the exterior scenes of his movies.
Susan L. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful This is a great movie! I know it sounds ridiculous, and I don't always like Alfred Hitchcock because I don't always understand him but this is worth watching. I think I will have to rent it again ... Read More This is a great movie! I know it sounds ridiculous, and I don't always like Alfred Hitchcock because I don't always understand him but this is worth watching. I think I will have to rent it again now that we have a big TV - it should be even better! I'm thinking the kids might even like this! Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful Great film. The characters are all afraid on committing to others, except in unhealthy ways (Lydia is overly dependent on Mitch, Mitch, runs to his mother's house every weekend to make sure she's ... Read More Great film. The characters are all afraid on committing to others, except in unhealthy ways (Lydia is overly dependent on Mitch, Mitch, runs to his mother's house every weekend to make sure she's okay, Annie, is scorned by Lydia ,then moves to Bodega Bay "just to be close to Mitch" and befriends Lydia once she isn't a threat, and Melanie, who follows a man she meets in a pet store, etc.) Birds have been symbols of chaos dating back to Aristophanes. The characters learn to rely on each other in other to survive.
I love that there is never an explanation given for the bird's attacks. These random attacks make it scarier. There was certainly nothing like in in 1963. Tippi Hedren endured a solid week of having birds thrown at her or tied to her clothes for her climatic scene. She brokedown on the last day when a bird almost gouged her eye. The set was shut down for a week while she recovered. This film is studied in film schools, there are many homages to it. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful What can I say I am a fan of Hitchcock's work. Although this movie is not very scary today I can't help but laugh when watching it. The birds attacking people is so funny and yet kind of creepy. ... Read More What can I say I am a fan of Hitchcock's work. Although this movie is not very scary today I can't help but laugh when watching it. The birds attacking people is so funny and yet kind of creepy. After seeing this going to the beach with all those seagulls flying around will never be the same. Anyone who enjoys Hitchcock's work should watch this. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
2 out of 6 people found this review helpful This is not Hitchcock at his best. The movie makes no sense, and I don't just mean the bird parts. No explanation of why she followed him up there to deliver love birds. No explanation as to why ... Read More This is not Hitchcock at his best. The movie makes no sense, and I don't just mean the bird parts. No explanation of why she followed him up there to deliver love birds. No explanation as to why the birds went bonkers. I guess the attack scenes were kind of cool, but you expect a lot more out of Hitchcock. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No |
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