from Universal Studios
Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock
Starring
Tippi Hedren ... Melanie Daniels
Rod Taylor ... Mitch Brenner
Jessica Tandy ... Lydia Brenner
Suzanne Pleshette ... Annie Hayworth
Veronica Cartwright ... Cathy Brenner
Ethel Griffies ... Mrs. Bundy
Charles McGraw ... Sebastian Sholes
Ruth McDevitt ... Mrs. MacGruder
Lonny Chapman ... Deke Carter
Joe Mantell ... Traveling Salesman
Doodles Weaver ... Fisherman
Malcolm Atterbury ... Deputy Al Malone
John McGovern ... Postal Clerk
Karl Swenson ... Doomsayer in Diner
Richard Deacon ... Mitch's City Neighbor
Elizabeth Wilson ... Helen Carter
Bill Quinn ... Man in Diner
Alfred Hitchcock ... Man walking dogs out of pet shop
Mike Monteleone ... Gas Station Attendant
Morgan Brittany ... Schoolgirl
Darlene Conley ... Schoolgirl
...and a whole lot of birds
Written by
Daphne Du Maurier (story)
Evan Hunter
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Vacationing in northern California, Alfred Hitchcock was struck
by a story in a Santa Cruz newspaper: "Seabird Invasion
Hits Coastal Homes." From this peculiar incident, and his
memory of a short story by Daphne du Maurier, the master of suspense
created one of his strangest and most terrifying films. The Birds
follows a chic blonde, Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), as she
travels to the coastal town of Bodega Bay to hook up with a rugged
fellow (Rod Taylor) she's only just met. Before long the town
is attacked by marauding birds, and Hitchcock's skill at staging
action is brought to the fore. Beyond the superb effects, however,
The Birds is also one of Hitchcock's most psychologically complicated
scenarios, a tense study of violence, loneliness, and complacency.
What really gets under your skin are not the bird skirmishes
but the anxiety and the eerie quiet between attacks. The director
elevated an unknown model, Tippi Hedren (mother of Melanie Griffith),
to being his latest cool, blond leading lady, an experience that
was not always easy on the much-pecked Ms. Hedren. Still, she
returned for the next Hitchcock picture, the underrated Marnie.
Treated with scant attention by serious critics in 1963, The
Birds has grown into a classic and--despite the sci-fi trappings--one
of Hitchcock's most serious films. --Robert
Horton
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