Movie Club Season 5 movie : The Birds ( review )

[breathe123]

^ I love that photo, megvoh ~ I gave the end, you did the start of it. All calm before the bird storm. ;-]

I wanted to add some extra info about the movie since it was my choice picked so found this:'The Birds': 25 Things You Didn't Know About Alfred Hitchcock's Terrifying Classic

here's the link ~ https://www.moviefone.com/2013/03/25/the-birds-alfred-hitchcock-25-things-you-didnt-know/

Some facts I liked the most were ~

2. The director had long had an interest in birds. He'd been a bird-watcher as a boy. He also took inspiration from a newspaper article he read in 1961 about hordes of dead birds washing up onto the streets in the seaside California town of Capitola.

3. After the huge success of "Psycho" in 1960, Hitchcock was given his biggest budget yet to make "The Birds": $3.3 million.

4. Hitchcock initially wanted his 1950s leading lady Grace Kelly for the role of Melanie Daniels, but after she married Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956, she retired from acting and declined all offers to return to Hollywood. He'd also sought Anne Bancroft for the role, but even with his expansive budget, he couldn't afford her. Others on his wish list included starlets Sandra Dee, Carol Lynley, Yvette Mimieux, and Pamela Tiffin.

8. When she landed the role of Cathy, Cartwright was already a popular child actress. She'd already landed roles in "The Children's Hour," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," and "The Twilight Zone." In later years, as an adult, she'd go on to star in unforgettable roles in "Alien" and "The Witches of Eastwick."

11. To attract the trained birds, the actors often had ground meat or anchovies smeared on their hands.


12. The scene where the birds attack the schoolchildren was done using mostly puppet crows, along with a couple of real ones. The kids were running on a treadmill, with Bodega Bay footage added in the background.

This explains lack of musical score
14. Rather than a conventional musical score, the film's soundtrack consisted of a mix of birdcalls and electronic noises from a proto-synthesizer called a trautonium, an electronic instrument Hitchcock had first heard on the radio in Berlin in the 1920s. He found two trautonium composers based in Germany, Oskar Sala and Remi Gassman, to collaborate with his usual scorer, Bernard Herrmann.

I thought it looked like a painting.
18. The final shot of the film, with the characters driving away from Bodega Bay as they're watched by a restive flock of birds, was one of the film's typically tricky scenes, combining live birds, animated birds, and puppet birds, along with the moving car heading toward a detailed matte painting as a backdrop. Hitchcock recalled that the shot was a composite that blended 32 separate exposures, calling it "the most difficult single shot I've ever done."

That explains something at least about why that ending
19. The director purposely avoided concluding the film with a traditional "The End" title card, since he wanted to preserve the movie's ambiguity, and because he wanted to imply that the terror would continue without end.

[Exeter19]

thought i'd give my review while i have time today. we were doing a class outdoors today at a park and 100's of birds flew by in the edge of the woods right through the trees, made me think of the birds in the movie travelling in large groups. luckily these guys didn't attack or stop flight to interact.

the beginning of the movie had this light whimsy feel to it, cat and mouse game between him and her and continued even after the bird banged her noggin in the speed boat back from dropping off her surprise at his mother's house. only real tension felt was between his ex and her in their chats. thought her staying at the ex's place was a bitchy move it's a coastal seaside town it would have motels and resorts for tourists to stay not just one small boarding house. nice car that hedren was driving in the movie, aston martin? why was she the first to get hit by a bird, she was new to town, why did the birds wait to single her out 1st, made absolutely no sense to me.

to say the pace was slow is an understatement with the movies run time it waited damn long to get to it, imo. once it did it didn't disappoint, i agree the mother's house scenes where they were basically trapped and boarded in made the most impact to a viewer and gave the biggest thrill pay offs. effects were done well enough it was difficult to spot fake birds, digital birds, real birds. more hear than see involved here but unknown can be scary too.

overall a decent story, lots of left unanswered questions but even nowadays movies does that to the watcher who has invested his/her time too.

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[MENTION=78654]dollhouse[/MENTION] - i also thought it was the same seagull as breathe thought it was. just for continuity if nothing else.

why mitch could walk threw the large flocking of birds outside his moms house without an attack or being killed, i felt the birds were powered down, in resting phase.

[Jffs24]

4. Hitchcock initially wanted his 1950s leading lady Grace Kelly for the role of Melanie Daniels, but after she married Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956, she retired from acting and declined all offers to return to Hollywood. He'd also sought Anne Bancroft for the role, but even with his expansive budget, he couldn't afford her. Others on his wish list included starlets Sandra Dee, Carol Lynley, Yvette Mimieux, and Pamela Tiffin.

^ Sounds like he wanted anyone but Hedren rofl and how much was Bancroft asking that he couldn't afford her? Bancroft wasn't even a blonde, not his type must have wanted her for her star power alone.

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Out of all Hitchcock's movies I think the only two I actually enjoyed was Rear Window ( that one he got Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart) and Psycho ( only for Perkins acting he sold it ).

[dollhouse]

Thanks all who posted reviews so far... here are some videos about the making of the movie from Youtube for those who already watched the movie to look at if you want..others you might want to watch these after you've already watched the movie though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6onIt9ILOcA Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwMBxTTWJV8 Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7ZJyAhOg24 Part 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd-Aoa7H08I Part 4

Interesting series about making The Birds. I enjoyed it, maybe even more than the movie itself haha

[lovebroken]

I have seen this movie years ago and enjoyed it. For it's era the effects were well done and if you feared birds at the time I am sure you feared them even more after especially thinking they might get into your home and attack, even kill you.

[breathe123]

[MENTION=78654]dollhouse[/MENTION] ~ going to watch those vids you linked now, got me some free time. Thanks :]

[MENTION=70280]Jffs24[/MENTION] ~ Lots of foreign actors in the movie, British and Australian in the leads, of the mother, Cathy and Mitch. My fave one would be maybe Vertigo and obviously his famous one you mentioned which was based on an actual serial killer wasn't it.

[dollhouse]

YW, breathe... have you watched them yet? They were pretty good like I said I enjoyed watching videos on the making and stories from the people in the movie much more than the actual movie... which is odd for me.

Did anyone have a favorite scene or least favorite scene since this was asked last movies?

Least was the gross scene of the old man neighbor scratched, eyes pecked out and left for death in his own house in his bed clothes. Why was that one gross scene needed ... and of a random character we never saw before and not of at least one of the main characters we got to know?
Favorite would be the scene of hearing the birds and the silence of the people in the house trapped knowing what was coming, and the scene of Melanie in the room alone being swarmed and then being dragged out by Mitch as her fallen body blocked the door.

I think only topazlight ( don't think she's been back on yet to even know the movie that won the vote yet ) and TheEvilJester who hasn't posted reviews yet.

If anyone else wants to post links on the movies background, ask questions, discuss the director ... go ahead.

[breathe123]

Fave scenes would be birds chasing kids from the school house down what seems to be an abandoned street, no one came out to see or help?



The scene between Mitch's mother & Melanie. It was an honest touching dialogue from his mother.



and the end scene which I already posted a picture of previously.

Least anything in the diner with the old woman, the crazy guy, the asshole guy & the rude woman. The gas explosion outside and scenes after I liked but in the diner who cares.

[TheEvilJester]

I still have not yet quite gotten around to watching this. I think I may be able to this weekend, so I will try to do that so I can come back and join in on the fun here.

[dollhouse]

That's okay, Jester... topaz has not typed hers yet. Lots of time left to discuss and I thought you might want to do yours closer to end of nearer Halloween time maybe?

I read when reading about this movie they were talking about doing a remake of this movie, had one director, Bay in 2014 and another I think in 2015 and found an article where the original movies star - Hedren is against the remake.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Tippi-Hedren-Against-Birds-Remake-6670.html

[megvoh]

[MENTION=71386]TheEvilJester[/MENTION] Hurry hurry I wanna read your review on this.

[MENTION=78654]dollhouse[/MENTION], excited to get into your video links you posted.

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[MENTION=78654]dollhouse[/MENTION] on best and worse to me scenes. Thinks*

I didn't care for the ending, it made no sense to me. We aren't shown if this happened elsewhere or only there, if elsewhere why make people think she brought evil to the town?

Favourite would be any and all attack scenes, they were scary for most part and sound was well done on each scene where The Birds went at them and others.

[TheEvilJester]

Sorry, gang. I still didn't quite get around to it, but I intend to soon. October just tends to be a busy time for me. Tons of Halloween themed fun.
[MENTION=79987]megvoh[/MENTION] - BTW... now you are suffering from the full PM inbox syndrome.

[breathe123]

I just read the article of Tippi Hedren above not liking a The Birds remake ~
"A couple of years ago, when they were first thinking about it, they called and asked what I thought about a remake of ‘The Birds, and I thought ‘Why would you do that? Why?’ I mean, can’t we find new stories, new things to do?"

She continues, “Must you be so insecure that you have to take a film that’s a classic, and I think a success and try to do it over? They tried to make Psycho over and it didn’t work.”


I think it's because they are seen as instant money makers because the original movies of whichever re do did well, so all about money at the box office. I typically do not like remakes or such and such 2 - 3 sequels either.

[topazlight]

Apologies. I see the movie was chosen from the two tied and all have started discussion so I will watch the movie The Birds again I have to admit I don't recall too much other than the major birds go crazy on children and alike parts.

[dollhouse]

[MENTION=81349]topazlight[/MENTION]... it's cool by me not many have been on discussing but a few. Look forward to reading yours and Jester's reviews.

[MENTION=79987]megvoh[/MENTION] ... Did you enjoy the making of more than the movie too? I didn't understand how that woman in the diner would know enough to blame Melanie for the birds go bonkers on the town and to call another evil is pretty harsh words when you don't even know that person at all.