Movie Club Season 5 movie : The Birds ( review )

[dollhouse]

The Birds is your movie to review.

The Birds (1963)
PG-13 | 1h 59min | Drama, Horror, Mystery

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Story line :
Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a San Francisco pet store and decides to follow him home. She brings with her the gift of two love birds and they strike up a romance. One day birds start attacking children at Mitch's sisters party. A huge assault starts on the town by attacking birds.

[MENTION=78034]breathe123[/MENTION]
[MENTION=71386]TheEvilJester[/MENTION]
[MENTION=79987]megvoh[/MENTION]
[MENTION=81349]topazlight[/MENTION]
[MENTION=70896]Exeter19[/MENTION]
[MENTION=42177]pcmaster[/MENTION]
[MENTION=70280]Jffs24[/MENTION]

Happy viewing/reviewing to all.

[pcmaster]

Ok I have seen the movie long time ago, but in case I dont watch it again then this is my review.

I liked the acting. Those terrifying faces of kids. Really old school acting and you wont see it these days. Also the idea was great - birds attacking house. Okay it was too crazy when birds could get tru door like when they were destroying doors. But the end was beast when for all the trouble made was responsible two little birds in their house - some kind of special type lovebirds that made other birds in near area attach the house they were in.

Overall pretty good masterpiece of a movie.

[megvoh]

Grats! Is the movie in black and white, or colourized, maybe both? I'm sure I can find a version of it online since it is dated back in the 60's.

I'll watch this next week and put my review in same day.
Expect I'll have bad dreams of birds after. lol

[dollhouse]

There is a copy maybe copies on YT and they are free... not best quality but sound and picture is good enough. That's where I watched it...hurried to watch and review so I'd get it done before my time is very limited this upcoming week.

My Review of The Birds....


Tippi Hedren is stunning looking... I think Hitchcock definitely had a type for his leading ladies and speaking of was that Hitchcock in the opening shot leaving the store? He used to put himself in his movies didn't he the same way Stephen King likes to. The noise of the birds was so very annoying in that beginning pet store scenes, reminds why I am not a fan. Odd he followed her, knew her and her pretending she worked there, clearly she was into him, you don't go out of your way in as much as she did if you don't and haha...see what it got her Hilarious. For some reason I always thought lovebirds were white and doves? The birds were swarming in the city too before she saw them doing the same in the coastal town... her running around in a fur coat... I want the hairspray she used, never moved in an open car, coastal windy long drive... The female jealousy was ripe, haha like a Ginger and MaryAnne opposites. She was basically stalking him, and breaking and entering too. This woman has no boundaries. I have to admit I laughed when the gull swooped down on her, sensed her ..I'm better than you attitude haha

I thought the mother looked like an exact version of the younger woman, only aged. Odd, to me. Also what was with the big age difference between Mitch and Cathy?

Wonder if that gull who slammed the boarding house was the one who pecked at her on the boat?

Would be my nightmare to have several birds attacking me... especially in my own home. Shivers. Nightmares for me later in bed... Wow they got close in a day or so ( Melanie and Mitch)... weird and also weird how she made herself at home in his mothers house..

When the mother saw that man in his house I would have thrown up and kept throwing up after that. Birds don't want in houses and confined places so why did all these want in the homes. Wasn't a hurricane coming, a natural disaster, bird flu..the scariest thing is the thing that has no real explanation of why it is happening and that is what makes this movie story a success because it feeds into our real fears of the unknown and being helpless.
Holy shit that escape from the schoolhouse scene. Terrifying and odd no men in that town came out to help. No one has a shot gun in that town? I hate crows and blackbirds this movie didn't help, and for that matter I hate seagulls, greedy dirty shitters. Those poor children pecked within an inch of their lives, imagine the diseases those birds carried too.

Random thoughts :

1. Haha ..that one man " It's the end of the world "... That old biddy in the restaurant, shut the fu ck up, haha. Two least favorite side characters.


2. No, not evil just a rich bitch narcissist..the world is full of them.


3. Poor Annie..not blonde enough to survive


4. The sounds of The Birds in that last 10 minutes or so trapped in the house scene ... brought my cat into my room where watching the movie to look around hahaha priceless.

5. To anyone, why wasn't Mitch attacked when leaving to get the car for the to escape?


6. Why didn't the love birds go crazy, other smaller birds did?


I found the sound effects the the birds too overdone in some scenes and no real use of music, it's like the sound of the birds was the soundtrack to this movie..haha The scene of Melanie trapped in the room with the birds, sounds and effects worked best as did the only sound of the birds and pecking threw the wood, not seeing is more frightening to me. I enjoyed this movie, wish the films quality was crisper but can't have everything and is an older movie. I didn't feel any sympathy for Melanie but did for other characters. Wish the ending was better and things better explained.
7/10 rating from me.

[Exeter19]

congrats, breathe, pcmaster? both i guess? lmao at the gif, dollhouse.

i'll try to watch this and review before the 30 days cut off.

[TheEvilJester]

Groovy! Glad to see we were able to pick a movie. I will try to watch sometime soon and come back with my review. At which point I will also go back and read the reviews we've had so far. Won't make much sense for me to read them just yet since I've not yet seen it.

[dollhouse]

Thanks, Exeter... mini spoiler in form of a gif? IDK

If my movie wins a vote again there is no way in hell do I want to run the next movie, I honestly did not enjoy my time with this sorry, but oh my god no...I'll stick with suggestions, voting, discussing. Think everyone could tell I was losing patience? Looking at past peoples doing same, appears I am alone in not being my thing haha. Oh well.

[MENTION=42177]pcmaster[/MENTION] ... since only you and I have seen this movie so far, you could go ahead and answered some of the questions I posed in my review. Others cannot answer until they've watched it.

[Jffs24]

Ok, winner winner chicken dinner -- we got a final choice now.

Since I saw this once before and wasn't my choice for movie vote I will give a brief review on it right now. I was never a big fan of Hitchcock and black and white movies but I think this one was colorized, regardless it wasn't one of my favorites. He used early beginning of blue screen/green screen for the birds if I recall right and some of that work was just plain overdone and cheesy. Like dollhouse mentioned in her review you weren't really routing for the people in this LMAO there was some moral of the story you were take from this but god knows if it was clear to me when I saw it -- don't piss birds off or don't live near the sea rofl. Did Hitchcock hate women and kids because this movie leaves you thinking he was one sick f.uck and hated both and even he was routing for the birds in this. I'd give it a 5 /10. Wasn't my taste of movies but wasn't the worse I saw, and apparently some think of this movie as a classic. I liked it wasn't your typical horror movie and used animals as the evil not people.

On your questions dollhouse --
I think the main dude just didn't give a f uck anymore and was over it and that is why the birds didn't eat him alive and pluck his eyes out and skin off, I think they grabbed him a few times, didn't they? Hard to recall and he kept on keeping on through that and birds sensed his dominance and backed off.

Don't know if the same seagull, but you'd think it would be just to further the story and her staying at that particular home.

Love birds were from the city not that town, so maybe why or once again go with the cheesiness and fact they were "love birds" and opposite of hate is why. Whose to say they won't later attack them when out of cage?

[breathe123]

It's up & running :]

I have watched the movie & even Exeter's movie because wasn't sure which would be chosen but haven't typed up my review for The Birds yet. I will post it later today or early tomorrow.

[dollhouse]

Thanks all who posted reviews so far and also checked in to say they will post... I think it is 30 days from making of thread, if I recall, if not sorry...so no hurry to get reviews in right away.

[MENTION=70280]Jffs24[/MENTION] .. thanks for answering my questions...I thought it might be that male superior thing that Hitchcock wanted to portray or that maybe the birds swarming was in its lull phase atm he stepped out among them.

[dollhouse]

Thought I'd add this quote from an article I read discussing Hitchcock and his... " women characters " in his movies...it mentions The Birds.

For a more serious message, look to The Birds. The Birds is a resounding warning about what happens when a flirty female tries to make a joke. Melanie Daniels, played by Tippi Hedren, is a prank-player and liar (of course) who tried to gift some lovebirds to the younger sister of Mitch, the chap she fancies. The entire bird world, chagrined to be the pawn in a devious woman's game, gets its revenge. Thereafter, it's women on the verge of a feathery freak-out, all the way. The message is that women (a) are all about men and (b) can't get along because they're so busy pecking and squabbling over men. Mitch's mum hates Melanie. Mitch's mum hated Mitch's ex too, but Mitch's ex loves Mitch so much she can't bear to live far from him. Mitch's ex hates Melanie and dies. Mitch's mum is so hung up on men that since Man No 1 (her husband) left her, she's gripped by fear that Man No 2 (her son) will leave too. Melanie's own mean mommy abandoned her family. All these neurotic females get the avian thrashing they deserve, in a squawking, Jungian free-for-all of throbbing birds and fabulous hairdressing.

[pcmaster]

Not into drama have it enough in real life now. Really all I remember from movie is the birds attacking house, kids terified faces and the end, besides some moments that wasnt interesting - seen them on youtube few days ago. So yeah seems like my first review will be final one. Hichok movies are great but Im not into listening how chicks talk. Have enough it from work.

[breathe123]

[MENTION=78654]dollhouse[/MENTION] ~ Sounds like he may have had Mummy issues ;-] Look at that Psycho movie hehehe.

I couldn't find a B&W version was positive that this movie was actually only in B&W were all copies of it colorized? I was disappointed not to watch it in B&W if I am to be honest because it would have went so much better for my viewing enjoyment.

I still liked the movie quite a bit, it wasn't really show blood & gore like most nowadays horror movies was more horror for the mind, lots of unseen horror through anticipation & sound effects which if that can give you creepy sensations that means the job was well done ~ The attack within the house scenes creeped me much more than the outdoor scenes of it, only outdoor scene was the knocking the kids down when they ran off from the schoolhouse and scenes of the birds trying to bite the children. I am not the biggest bird fans they scare me too, but I work on my fear of those things but this movie brought the feelings of fear back. If I watched this movie before I had those birds on my head, body I wouldn't have posed with them :[

I liked the special effects not elaborate but was in the 60's so good for the time. The over head scene of the explosion fire was excellent with the birds and the phone booth was too. I didn't understand how Melanie was trapped in a room with 1000s of birds and attacked for minutes and didn't die, was only scratched but that other man was killed in his house and that boarding house school teacher was also killed outdoors, neither trapped? Didn't make sense, why? Maybe because Melanie was the star & can't kill the lead?

Going to post this & continue before forum makes me lose this post. :[

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I liked Mitch, Cathy and the mother the best as characters. I also liked Melanie & Mitch's budding romance ~ they were well suited & matched imo.

I didn't understand why the town folks were gossiping about Melanie being the cause? & worse why she was evil? She was pleasant to each she encountered, so why did that stranger women with the kid call her evil? I was waiting for the lovebirds to swarm them too, hehehe Was happy they didn't partake in the swarming killings & all left a tighter more cohesive unit. Even Mitch's mom seemed to show affection for Melanie in the car ride away. You wonder if they ever return back to that house? I wouldn't ~ horrible memories. :[

I would have liked to know why The Birds let them leave no fight, no harming? Did they get what they wanted? What did they want? Why did they attack in 1st place? Why after Melanie arrived. So many unanswered questions.
I give the movie a 8/10. I wasn't bored and liked the slower pace of it compared to todays movie. It took awhile to get into the bird rampage.

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[MENTION=78654]dollhouse[/MENTION] ~ I thought it was the same seagull.

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This shot was beautiful: Looks like a painting.

[megvoh]

Ok, good not all the reviews are in. I couldn't access here last few days to post.

I wrote a pretty decent long review and lost it, so I will try to condense what I recall writing and then make it up with others posts on the movie through out the thread, is that ok, dollhouse?

6.5/10
Was slow, no music, but tension filled, decent acting, decent effects, liked use of birds to instill fear.

First off, the title. Bird here means a girl, and this was girl(women) centered, so makes me women if the movie was not just about actual birds but lumping women and actual birds together as the title and theme, if so it worked.
Was more female characters playing a bigger part in the movie then men I can only recall Mitch( male lead) Crazy guy at restaurant? Asshole guy as restaurant and nice guy helping woman find Mitch's home when she first came into that town with the lovebirds. A lot more female characters, Old women at pet shop, Melanie, Cathy, Mitch's mom, Mitch's ex, old woman with bird knowledge and woman screaming new girl in town was the source of the birds going crazy.

It was Hitchcock in the opener, dollhouse with walking the dog.

I found it weird that nothing odd happened until she gave the lovebirds to Mitch's mums house, no attacks when boating over with the lovebirds but on her boat trip back that seagull smashes into her head. Did the lovebirds protect her up until then? They were horny for each other, lots of sexual tension without actually exploring the sexual tension. Ex felt it, mum felt it. Geeze, she followed him all the way from the city to that little sea town with a gifting of birds, that is over stepping big time lol If she hadn't stayed in the town would that carnage had happened? Would Mitch's ex had died? Who stays in a town far away from anything for a man who doesn't clearly want her? Desperate.

The birds attacking others scene were scary because like all animals you can't predict their behaviours so any animal who is clam could turn on you, even a beloved house pet but this movie showed ONLY the beloved pets didn't turn mad.
Wonder if those child actors had nightmares from shooting those scenes of being attacked
Who hides in a all glass phone booth to escape crazy seagulls and birds, they CAN see you and if they can get through wooden doors they can crash glass easier.
Gross scene was only one, the old man neighbour eyes plucked out, what was that scene there for? Never showed Mitch's ex ( forget her name) body close up, so why show us the disgusting image of that man?

I agree with dollhouse on all the bird sounds around the house flooding into the house was the scariest part, knowing so many are out there trying to get into the safety of your home is frightening, good job portraying that fear to the viewers. If they weren't right off the water with their home would they have been so covered with the birds? Maybe the town got a good amount of birds going crazy and attacking also.

I tried to figure out the message of the movie but I don't know, anyone know?
Is it, life is unpredictable? You can never know what will happen next, so be strong, fearless and get through what life throws at you.

[megvoh]

Copying the other two gals here. Going to add an image too

The beginning of it all, the lovebirds with the lovebirds lol