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Product Description
AS BEAUTIFUL BLONDE MELANIE DANIELS ROLLS INTO BODEGA BAY INPURSUIT OF ELIGIBLE BACHELOR MITCH BRENNER, SHE IS INEXPLICABLY ATTACKED BY A SEAGULL. SUDDENLY THOUSANDS OF BIRDS ARE FLOCKING INTO TOWN, PREYING ON SCHOOLCHILDREN AND RESIDENTS IN A TERRIFYING SERIES OF ATTACKS. CONTAINS MANY BONUS FEATURES.
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
Customer Review:A17FLA8HQOFVIG
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Summary: What if birds took over a town, terrifying people and leaving some of them dead?
This 1963 Alfred Hitchcock thriller has all the retro elements of the time - cigarettes, a beautiful blond with a sculptured hairdo and a tiny waistline and a male-female flirtation that has the male insulting the female which now makes him look attractive to her. It also has a scary premise - what if birds took over a town, terrifying people and leaving some of them dead?
This is the first time I've seen this film and I must say that the special effects were as effective as some of the more sophisticated ones used today. My eyes were focused on the screen, terrified at the carnage and wondering what would happen next.
The plot is centered on a romance between the beautiful Tippi Hedron and the handsome Rod Taylor. He spends his weekends with his mother, played by Jessica Tandy, and his younger sister in a small California town. Hedron is enamored with him because he insults her in a bird shop and so she purchases a pair of lovebirds to ostensibly give to his younger sister, but really to pursue this man who is playing "hard-to-get". When she gets to the town she meets an old girlfriend of his played by Suzanne Pleshette and they soon become friends. By then we know that bad things are happening. Birds are attacking humans. The attacks get more and more intense. People die. It is very frightening. It is all visually stunning and a pleasure to watch.
However, in spite of all this, the ending left me with unanswered questions and I yearned for closure. Why did this happen? What is the prognosis for the future? What kind of a statement is the film making? Perhaps it is about how terrible it is to put birds in cages, but that was not really clear.
Yes. I really did enjoy the film. There's suspense, strong story line and memorable characters to keep me interested and at the edge of my seat. I just wish there was a more satisfactory conclusion.
Customer Review:A22BPC7LRSGSYQ
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Summary: Please use extra caution when going outside. These birds can be deadly.
The Birds (1963) is yet another horror masterpiece from Alfred Hitchcock, right up there with Psycho (1960). This classic stars Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, and 'Tippi' Hedren. This movie is based on the novel by Daphne Du Maurier.
I can appreciate this movie's special effects, even though they're nothing compared to today's CGI special effects. For a movie that came out in 1963, it's pretty impressive. A lot of effort went into creating the hundreds of attacking birds with trick shots. The CGI effects of today are obviously done on a computer.
Basically this movie is about Melanie Daniels ('Tippi' Hedren), who drives into Bodega Bay in California. She's after a bachelor named Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor). At one point she's suddenly and mysteriously attacked by a seagull. This is the first sign that something is going on with the birds in the area. Pretty soon there are thousands of birds flying into the town and attacking everybody, including school children. Melanie and Mitch are attacked viciously as well (especially Melanie). They make an attempt to drive out of town. Do they make it unscathed?
'Tippi' Hedren carries this movie. She's a looker and can act well.
This DVD has many extras, including a documentary about the movie, a deleted scene, the original ending, a storyboard sequence, 'Tippi' Hedren's screen test, a promotional film from the time period of the movie's release, mini bios on the cast and filmmakers, the theatrical trailer, and more.
I highly recommend this horror classic.
Customer Review:A1JKFUUCZRA3Z4
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Summary: Didn't scare me at all...or did it?
I can tell this film inspired other film makers because some of the imagery in this film felt familiar to me. One obvious image that was copied on the show "Supernatural" is the opening scene of this movie that has a white background and black crows flying back and forth across the screen.
The most successful thing about this film is the creepy atmosphere. I especially liked the scene where the birds are lined up against the light sky. It has almost a surreal quality about it.
This is mostly a quiet film with maybe a few bird sounds here and there, so when a killing takes place, it's surprising to see.,.from the child being pecked at in the neck by birds to the lady sprawled out on the porch to the man with his eyes gouged out.
This movie, however, suffers in 3 ways. The first problem is the acting. Although Tippi Hedren is very beautiful to look at, she can't act. In scenes where she should look terrified, she looks indifferent instead. Rod Taylor does a lot of frowning in this film, but his acting range doesn't extend beyond that. The actress who plays the little girl tries her best to look scared, but her crying sounds fake. The actress who plays Rod's mother does a decent job, though.
The only person who demonstrated some sort of passion in this movie was the actress who played Rod's ex-girlfriend. I actually wish she would've been the lead actress in this movie instead of Tippi Hedren.
The second problem with this movie is that it moves too slowly. I understand Hitchcock wanted to build suspense, but he drowns the movie with too many mundane details.
And the final problem with this movie is the unresolved ending. During this movie, the town's people question why these birds could be attacking people. Why now? By the end of the movie, I was expecting this question to be answered, but it's not. And since nothing happens to the birds, I ended up wondering if the whole town would be killed by these birds.
As far as this movie being able to scare me, it didn't scare me at all...or did it? After I watched this movie, I went outside to take a walk. As I was walking, I could hear birds crowing in the background. Normally, that sound wouldn't bother me. But after just watching this movie, those bird calls started to sound eerie.
Customer Review:AIMR915K4YCN
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Summary: Death From Above...,
One day, the birds just go nuts and start killing people! Now, in anyone else's hands, this could have been a ridiculous disaster. Under the supreme guidance of Alfred Hitchcock, THE BIRDS is a genuine horror classic! The phonebooth, attic, and house-under-siege scenes are fantastic! Tippy Hedren, Rod Taylor, and Jessica Tandy star, w/ Suzanne Pleschette in a very memorable death scene!...
Customer Review:A35ZK3M8L9JUPX
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Summary: The Birds (Collector's Edition)
Spoiled socialite and notorious practical joker Melanie Daniels is shopping in a San Francisco pet store when she meets Mitch Brenner. Mitch is looking to buy a pair of love birds for his young sister's birthday; he recognizes Melanie but pretends to mistake her for an assistant. She decides to get her own back by buying the birds and driving up to the quiet coastal town of Bodega Bay, where Mitch spends his weekends with his sister and mother. Shortly after she arrives, Melanie is attacked by a gull, but this is just the start of a series of attacks by an increasing number of birds. Hitchcock has made many great movies, and this certainly stands up as one of them. Here, Hitchcock gives a lesson in film directing and creates a truly masterpiece of work in the process. A highly innovative horror.
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