There’s no denying that Alfred Hitchcock is one of the greatest film directors of all time. Over his vast career, he’s made some incredible movies that are thrilling, exciting, and more than capable of standing the test of time. He’s dabbled in various genres, but it’s undeniable that he has had a substantial impact on horror with his iconic films, Psycho and The Birds. However, I have a hot take when it comes to one of these films. The Birds often appears on YouTube video lists of favorite Hitchcock movies, as an example of his version of a B-movie in the horror genre. I had seen it a long time ago as a youth but remembered very little, so I didn’t really have a thought-out opinion. However, having finally watched it again, I’ve come to say that if The Birds is in your top ten favorite films from the brilliant director, I can only imagine that nostalgia and ironic love for the movie are a reason to keep it there. If not, you have simply not seen enough of his movies.

Pros

Decent characterization to make you care about the people
Typical Hitchcock framing of the shot
Moments of building tension and horror

Cons

Slow and plodding pace
Stupid character moments because the plot demands it
Some built-up tension drags the scene out needlessly
Bird sound effects

Plot & Thoughts

While visiting a pet store to pick up a bird for her aunt, Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor). Mitch seems like an unassuming customer of the store looking for a pair of lovebirds as a gift for his sister. So, Melanie pretends to work there to flirt with him a bit. He then reveals himself to be someone familiar with her hijinks in the past and leaves the store on a sour note. However, either because she wants to play a practical joke on him, or she just wants an excuse to see him again because he’s so darn handsome, she buys a couple of love birds from the store and hunts him down. This leads her from San Francisco to Bodega Bay, where she encounters a few other people who know Mitch, including an ex-girlfriend. More flirting happens, some good dialogue is exchanged, and everyone seems to be having a good old time with one another. Then, birds start attacking.

There is no explanation for why the birds begin to attack, and it doesn’t just start right away. It takes a good half-hour before a bird shows any malice towards anyone, and then it doesn’t happen again for a while. Birds are frequently placed in the background throughout the opening half to let the audience stew in the tension of knowing something the characters don’t. When they finally do catch on, there are lots and lots of scenes of characters looking at birds with concern and fear while the birds sit there and do nothing.

Hitchcock is the master of suspense. However, I was very bored in certain spots. The opening half of The Birds focuses on introducing characters and the potential drama between all of them. It’s all well-written and well-acted, so the material is compelling. Yet, we as the audience know what this movie is really about and are just wondering when something is going to happen. It’s a shame because if there wasn’t a B-horror movie waiting to start, it would be a lot better. All the character interactions are very Hitchcock in terms of their quality. You come to like everyone, and that’s great in terms of trying to make you want the characters to survive the perils of the bird attack, but it just takes too long to get started. What’s worse is that when the birds finally start attacking, I don’t think the movie gets better.

Don’t get me wrong. There are some good horrific moments that set up the bird attacks in ways that are far more gruesome than you would expect of a movie in 1963. And The Birds is still significantly better than most other “when animals attack” types of horror movies that exist because a lot of effort was put into building the tension. Sometimes, however, too much effort is put into building tension as we have to watch people slowly and quietly maneuver around the birds for several minutes at a time. There are also moments in the latter portion of the film where characters devolve to moronic or overly dramatic tropes for the sake of manufacturing drama. This is common in horror movies, even good ones that I like, such as The Void. I just expect more from Hitchcock as he doesn’t resort to these strategies as much as other filmmakers.

I think the main issue I have with The Birds is that there is a fair amount of plot and decent characterization that becomes very irrelevant when the birds start attacking. In another movie that isn’t tied to animal-attack horror, it could have become something interesting. If the same sort of first act was part of a movie where they discover a body and work to solve a murder, I think it would have been more engaging as an entire package. All the good writing and acting just feel out of place and separate from the film in a way that doesn’t work, because once everything starts going wrong, it feels like a different movie. Jaws had good characterization and some sub-plots that weren’t directly tied to the shark, but they all still fit into the film without feeling separate from the central story. If you look at Hitchcock’s other notable horror classic, Psycho, the subplots and characters don’t feel as out of place, because it’s all centered around the psychotic killer in some way. Here, it feels like there’s an awkward romance story with some bird attacks injected into it that suddenly takes over the plot.

TL;DR

When it comes to a director like Hitchcock, he sets the bar pretty high. So when a movie falls even a little below his altitudinous standards, it stands out as disappointing. That being said, The Birds is still much better than many other thrillers and horror movies that involve animal attacks and B-movie plots. The acting is solid and the characterization does a great job of making you care about the characters. I just wish they were all in a movie with a better plot.

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