The Birds

Known as Hitchcock’s “danger of complacency film”, Tippi Hedren is your typical cute girl with money who goes to Bodega Bay to surprise a guy she just meet but, for some reason, already likes. Fuckin’ women. It’s too bad that when she gets there, the whole town is having a war against the local wildlife, the feathery type. This is definitely one of The Master’s most interesting movies, since it probably has more movie tricks than any other of his films. I must admit, I’ve never been a huge fan of this particular film. I’ve always considered it a bit over-rated, and I’m a huge Hitchcock fan and he’s one of my biggest influences as an amateur filmmaker. However, it does have some moments of true Hitchcockian genius. The suspense builds up like a tightrope from the first bird attack, and when they finally crash on a mass effect, you’re right there. Particularly chilling are the scenes where the birds attack the school and go after the children, and the sequence after the gas station explosion where the whole town goes apeshit during an attack. Probably the scariest scene tho, is the scene where Tippi Hedren is attacked in the upstairs room by the birds. Still, I think this is the only Hitchcock movie where a remake wouldn’t really hurt, not because of the effects, which still work, but because the story itself is good for remaking. Jessica Tandy is great, but lead Tippi isn’t that good of an actress, although she sure looks good. She would be much better in the following film, Marnie.