Universal Pictures released The Birds on 29 March 1963 in the United States. It premiered in a small number of theaters internationally the day before.
I love The Birds. It was shot in and around Bodega Bay, which is near where I grew up. And when I was a kid, the whole family gathered to watch it each year when it played on TV. The film terrified me. And why not? As Ethel Griffies explains in the film, “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! How could we possibly hope to fight them?”
Indeed. This film may explain my obsession with crows. But I know any self-respecting crow would never hang out with a gull!
The Birds features many great sequences. The best scene involves the jungle gym outside the schoolhouse. The structure is empty. But as Tippi Hedren waits and smokes a cigarette, she notices a couple of crows fly past. She turns and sees the jungle gym is filled with crows. It is a great jumpscare with absolutely no musical accent. All we hear is what we have heard: the kids singing “Risselty Rosselty.”
The film includes other great scenes like everything around The Tides restaurant. And the last half-hour of the film with the big bird attack.
But the film has lots of problems. The biggest is the whole romantic subplot. The principals have no chemistry on screen. And their interest in each other only makes them less likable. But most of all, it slows down the plot. The first bird attack doesn’t take place for 25 minutes. The next attack takes another 25 minutes. And the film is not well structured. Suzanne Pleshette dies off-screen! And, of course, since this is a Hitchcock film, it has to include terrible rear projection.
But okay. I know it is supposed to be suspenseful and a slow-burn. But when I watch it now, I skip the first 40 minutes. And I would skip more, but I love Pleshette!
Regardless, The Birds is a psychotronic classic. Everyone should watch it at least once.
The Birds (1963) poster via Wikimedia. It is in the public domain.
