Alfred Hitchcock has been known for decades as the master of thrillers. His creative skill, passion, and talent to make those marvels show how good he is with his craft.
In 1963, Alfred Hitchcock once again delivered a classic, The Birds. Unlike his other films like Vertigo, Rebecca, and North by Northwest, the enemies are birds, and they are terrifying.
Plot Overview
The story begins in a pet store in downtown San Francisco. A socialite named Melanie Daniels meets a lawyer Mitch Brenner who is looking to buy a pair of lovebirds for his sister's birthday. He mistakes her for an employee and tests her by asking trivia questions about birds which she fails. He leaves without buying anything. Melanie insists on purchasing the lovebirds and delivering them to Bodega Bay, a small rural seaside town. She goes there and learns more about Mitch's life. She meets Annie, his former lover, who ended their relationship because of his mother, Lydia. She learns that Mitch's mother dislikes other women involved in his life.
Melanie rents a boat and crosses the bay because she wants to discreetly leave the lovebirds at Mitch's house. However, he spotted her from a distance and decided to meet her at the dock. Melanie traverses the bay, and a wild seagull attacks her and wounder her head. Mitch tends to her head and invites her for dinner. Melanie goes back to Annie's house to spend a night. At the farm, an unusual phenomenon happens when their chickens suddenly refuse to eat. Lydia disapproved of Melanie because of her exaggerated reputation, which she read from the newspaper. Mitch calls Melanie and invites her to his sister's birthday.
Several unusual phenomena involving birds happened across Bodega Bay. Huge flocks of birds gathering, a group of seagulls diving towards glass windows, and others killing people. Soon it becomes a fight for survival, with Melanie, Mitch, Lydia, and Cathy fighting for their lives against these flying creatures.
Review
Like other Alfred Hitchcock movies, he has a short cameo you would overlook immediately. He hides himself nicely along with the background.
The Birds is like watching an old retro horror or thriller film that thrives on people's screams and musical scores to deliver the scare. However, this film has a lot of symbolism and meaning that make it feel unreal yet terrifying. I swear if I am going to be chased by birds in real life, I will be absolutely terrified.
The creativity of this movie may not pale in comparison to Rebecca or Vertigo, but I still love it. You can compare it to the other Hitchcock classic, Psycho.
Overall, this movie is hit-or-miss, depending on your preference for horror movies. It has some flaws, but I enjoyed every minute of it.
A good 4 out of 5 stars.