CLASSIC MOVIE CORNER: 'The Birds' (1963)

Tippi Hedren
in 'The Birds'“The Birds” (1963)

MPAA Rating: PG-13
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Veronica Cartwright, Suzanne Pleshette, Ethel Griffies

The Gist: It’s all fun and games until someone gets their eyes pecked out.

The Story: Melanie Daniels (Hedren) is a flirtatious and carefree member of the jet set. She’s a San Franscisco newspaper heiress and she’s used to getting what she wants. While shopping for a pet bird for her beloved aunt, she meets attorney Mitch Brenner (Taylor) and decides she wants him. She traces Mitch to his family’s home in Bodega Bay, where he often visits his younger sister, Cathy (Cartwright), and mother, Lydia (Tandy). She also meets Mitch’s estranged ex-lover, Annie (Pleshette). Before long, she feels like an outsider. To make matters worse, several thousand of Bodega Bay’s gulls, crows, sparrows and swifts are about to give Melanie a horrifying welcome.

The Review: After the runaway success of 1960’s “Psycho,” Hitchcock came back with a daring horror film that was, in many ways, its opposite. While “Psycho” had an unforgettable score by composer Bernard Herrmann, “The Birds” had no musical score. The only music in the film is incidental. During the harrowing bird attacks, the dominant sound is their screeching and cawing. Also, “The Birds,” unlike “Psycho,” doesn’t conclude with a pat explanation for its events. Why does nature viciously turn on humanity? Is it a modern-day Biblical plague? As illogical as it sounds, is Melanie somehow to blame for the catastrophe? Both films share one disturbing commonality: They’re based on true stories.

The Classic Quote: Mrs. Bundy (Griffies): “I have never known birds of different species to flock together. The very concept is unimaginable. Why, if that happened, we wouldn't stand a chance!”

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)