July 6th: THE BIRDS (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)
NOTE: This film will be projected in the high-definition Blu-ray format.
A woman visits a coastal town in Northern California to find a man, right before birds mysteriously begin to attack its residents.
Alfred Hitchcock had previously adapted the work of British writer Daphne du Maurier with Jamaica Inn (1939) and Best Picture Oscar-winner Rebecca (1940). Coming off the biggest hit of his career with Psycho (1960), he returned to a du Maurier short story for his next project, also inspired by a real-life story of dead birds falling all over a town in California.
Having shocked audiences with Psycho and its early killing of a character played by a big movie star, Hitchcock sought again to surprise the viewer by having the first section of the film play out as a lighthearted, quirky comedy before the onslaught of the action and terror. The director collaborated on the script with writer Evan Turner, who had worked on the Alfred Hitchcock Presents television show.
The cast is lead by new discovery Tippi Hedren, who was seen by Hitchcock in a commercial and
tested vigorously for the film. Another in a long line of "Hitchcock Blondes", Hedren was groomed extensively offscreen, given personal clothes designed specifically for her and receiving cultural instruction as well. Hedren is joined by Rod Taylor (The Time Machine), Jessica Tandy (Driving Miss Daisy, Fried Green Tomatoes), and Suzanne Pleshette (TV's The Bob Newhart Show).
Returning behind the camera are previous collaborators Robert Burks and George Tomasini, cinematographer and editor, respectively, on Vertigo, Rear Window, and North By Northwest. Hitchcock's usual score composer Bernard Herrmann suggested that no music be written for the film in order to create a more disturbing atmosphere, with a reliance on experimental sound effects and background source music.
The film is primarily remembered for its noteworthy special effects, including animatronic birds and the "sodium vapor process" instead of the usual blue screen for matte shots due to the rapid movement of the bird wings. A climactic scene with Hedren being attacked by many birds took over
a week to shoot and required a recovery period for the actress.
The lack of any explanation for the behavior of the birds' behavior makes this one of Hitchcock's most abstract, widely-interpreted films. It received overwhelming positive acclaim from critics, was another box office hit for the director, and over the years has been the subject of much analysis beyond the usual aesthetic study, including a monograph by notable cultural critic Camille Paglia.
Running time is 2 hours.
A woman visits a coastal town in Northern California to find a man, right before birds mysteriously begin to attack its residents.
Alfred Hitchcock had previously adapted the work of British writer Daphne du Maurier with Jamaica Inn (1939) and Best Picture Oscar-winner Rebecca (1940). Coming off the biggest hit of his career with Psycho (1960), he returned to a du Maurier short story for his next project, also inspired by a real-life story of dead birds falling all over a town in California.
Having shocked audiences with Psycho and its early killing of a character played by a big movie star, Hitchcock sought again to surprise the viewer by having the first section of the film play out as a lighthearted, quirky comedy before the onslaught of the action and terror. The director collaborated on the script with writer Evan Turner, who had worked on the Alfred Hitchcock Presents television show.
The cast is lead by new discovery Tippi Hedren, who was seen by Hitchcock in a commercial and
tested vigorously for the film. Another in a long line of "Hitchcock Blondes", Hedren was groomed extensively offscreen, given personal clothes designed specifically for her and receiving cultural instruction as well. Hedren is joined by Rod Taylor (The Time Machine), Jessica Tandy (Driving Miss Daisy, Fried Green Tomatoes), and Suzanne Pleshette (TV's The Bob Newhart Show).
Returning behind the camera are previous collaborators Robert Burks and George Tomasini, cinematographer and editor, respectively, on Vertigo, Rear Window, and North By Northwest. Hitchcock's usual score composer Bernard Herrmann suggested that no music be written for the film in order to create a more disturbing atmosphere, with a reliance on experimental sound effects and background source music.
The film is primarily remembered for its noteworthy special effects, including animatronic birds and the "sodium vapor process" instead of the usual blue screen for matte shots due to the rapid movement of the bird wings. A climactic scene with Hedren being attacked by many birds took over
a week to shoot and required a recovery period for the actress.
The lack of any explanation for the behavior of the birds' behavior makes this one of Hitchcock's most abstract, widely-interpreted films. It received overwhelming positive acclaim from critics, was another box office hit for the director, and over the years has been the subject of much analysis beyond the usual aesthetic study, including a monograph by notable cultural critic Camille Paglia.
Running time is 2 hours.
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