The Birds - Movie Review

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Hitchcock aimed to do for avians in The Birds what he did for showers in Psycho, and by and large he succeeded. The Birds is roughly hewn by comparison to Hitch's more deftly plotted films -- it's much closer to a monster movie than a psychological thriller, moreso than any of his other films. Tippi Hedren makes her screen debut here, and it's a bit of a cold and tricky one, though not a terrible performance. She flubs her lines consistently, though -- including one in her very first scene. The Birds is most notable though for turning something completely harmless into an incredible menace -- all with absolutely no explanation. That's where the terror really comes from in The Birds.

Facts and Figures

Year: 1963

Run time: 119 mins

In Theaters: Thursday 30th May 1963

Box Office Worldwide: $11.4M

Budget: $2.5M

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Production compaines: Universal Pictures, Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 4.5 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Fresh: 46 Rotten: 2

IMDB: 7.8 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Producer: Alfred Hitchcock

Screenwriter: Evan Hunter

Starring: Rod Taylor as Mitch Brenner, Tippi Hedren as Melanie Daniels, Suzanne Pleshette as Annie Hayworth, Veronica Cartwright as Cathy Brenner, Ethel Griffies as Mrs. Bundy, Charles McGraw as Sebastian Sholes, Jessica Tandy as Lydia Brenner, Doreen Lang as Hysterical Mother in Diner, Ruth McDevitt as Mrs. MacGruder, Joe Mantell as Traveling salesman in diner, Karl Swenson as Drunken doomsayer in diner, Elizabeth Wilson as Waitress in diner, Richard Deacon as Man in hotel corridor, Malcolm Atterbury as Deputy Al Malone, Lonny Chapman as Diner owner, Doodles Weaver as Fisherman Helping with Rental Boat

Also starring: Alfred Hitchcock, Evan Hunter