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The Birds Overview:

The Birds (1963) was a Horror - Thriller/Suspense Film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by Alfred Hitchcock.

The film was based on the novel of the same name written by Daphne du Maurier published in 1952.

SYNOPSIS

Hitchcock, the master of suspense, ventures into the realm of horror with the depiction of a world in which nature can go suddenly, terrifyingly mad. When Hedren appears in the idyllic coastal village of Bodega Bay with two lovebirds in tow, the local birds inexplicably begin to wage an all-out war on humans. Hitchcock's follow-up to Psycho tops even that landmark for shock value. Loosely based on a Daphne du Maurier short story.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

The Birds BlogHub Articles:

The Birds - 60th Anniversary in Theaters Tonight!

By The Metzinger Sisters on Oct 23, 2023 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film Lovers

Alfred Hitchcock's suspense classic The Birds is back in theaters for one day (this evening, October 23rd) to honor its 60th anniversary. Check out Fanthom event's website to see if it is showing in a theater near you.... Read full article

4K UHD Blu-ray Review: The Birds

By Devon Powell on Jun 6, 2021 From Hitchcock Master

Distributor: Universal Pictures Release Date: May 25, 2021 Region — 4K UHD: Region Free Blu-ray: Region A Length: 01:59:31 Video— 4K UHD: 2160P (HEVC, H.265) Blu-ray: 1080P (MPEG-4, AVC) Main Audio — 4K UHD: 2.0 Mono English DTS-HD Master Audio Blu-ray: 2.0 Mono English DTS-HD Master Audio ... Read full article

The Birds (1963)

By Beatrice on Nov 21, 2017 From Flickers in Time

The Birds Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Written by Evan Hunter from the story by Daphne de Maurier 1963/USA Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions Repeat viewing/Netflix rental One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Not my favorite Hitchcock but undeniably made by a master. Melanie Daniels (Tippi... Read full article

The Birds (1963)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jun 1, 2017 From 4 Star Films

The Birds is about all sort of birds. The ones we are acquainted with initially are actually a pair of humans. Lovebirds you might call them. Except they don’t know it quite yet, but the moment Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) and Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) meet in a pet shop, the sparks are al... Read full article

The Birds (1963)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jun 1, 2017 From 4 Star Films

The Birds is about all sort of birds. The ones we are acquainted with initially are actually a pair of humans. Lovebirds you might call them. Except they don’t know it quite yet, but the moment Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) and Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) meet in a pet shop, the sparks are al... Read full article

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The Birds Quotes:

Annie Hayworth: Did you drive up from San Francisco by the coast road?
Melanie Daniels: Yes.
Annie Hayworth: Nice drive.
Melanie Daniels: It's very beautiful.
Annie Hayworth: Is that where you met Mitch?
Melanie Daniels: Yes.
Annie Hayworth: I guess that's where everyone meets Mitch.
Cathy Brenner: Can I bring the lovebirds, Mitch? they haven't harmed anyone.
Mitch Brenner: Oh, alright; bring them.
Melanie Daniels: On Mondays and Wednesdays I work for the Travelers Aid at the airport.
Mitch Brenner: Helping travelers?
Melanie Daniels: No, misdirecting them.
Annie Hayworth: Don't they ever stop migrating?
Cathy Brenner: Mitch, can I bring the lovebirds in here?
Lydia Brenner: No!
Cathy Brenner: But Mom, they're in a cage.
Lydia Brenner: They're birds, aren't they?
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The Birds Facts
Alfred Hitchcock approached Joseph Stefano (screenwriter of Psycho) to write the script, but he wasn't interested in the story. The final screenplay (from a Daphne Du Maurier short story) was written by Evan Hunter, best known to detective-story fans under the pen name Ed McBain.
In the The Birds II: Land's End, Tippi Hedren does not play her character in this film of Melanie Daniels but a character named Helen.
When the children are running down the street from the schoolhouse, extra footage was shot back on the Universal sound stages to make the scene more terrifying. A few of the children were brought back and put in front of a process screen on a treadmill. They would run in front of the screen on the treadmill with the Bodega Bay footage behind them while a combination of real and fake crows were attacking them. There were three rows of children and when the treadmill was brought up to speed it ran very fast. On a couple of occasions during the shoot, a number of the children in the front fell and caused the children in back to fall as well. It was a very difficult scene to shoot and took a number of days to get it right. The birds used were hand puppets, mechanical and a couple were trained live birds.
In the end, when Melanie is carried outside, Mitch opens a door. There was no door used in filming, and it was all done with light effects to make it look as if Mitch opened the front door.
In the film, it appears as if the schoolhouse is within the bay town limits. The frightened children are clearly shown running downhill toward the town and the water. In real life, the schoolhouse used for those shots is located five miles southeast and inland of Bodega Bay in the separate township of Bodega, California.
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