Birds of a feather pecks your eyes out

The other night my wife and I were talking, and for some reason one of us mentioned The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock. We had both seen it previously, but decided to give it a re-watch as it had been quite a while for both of us.

It's still a great movie, if a bit dated, seeing as it was made in 1963, which means it's fifty years old now. Even so, the British public voted it in 7^th place of scariest films ever, back in 2006. Do I think it's scary? No. Not even close, although it employs several different great horror techniques I've discussed previously here on Eccentric Spheres.

First off, there is no explanation what so ever. None. Zero. The birds just decide to start killing people for some fowl reason of their own.

Secondly, birds are common place, I'd even call them pedestrian, except they fly. We see them every day, in every place, so it could happen to you. Maybe tomorrow?

Thirdly, the sound is awe inspiring. The whole movie has no music, except as performed by characters on screen.

One scene in particular leaps out, where Mrs. Brenner discovers a local farmer dead in his bedroom. It has barely has any sound at all. This is an ingenious technique, in that not only does it build suspense, but it also makes the birds squawking and screeching more poignant. This is not something you would necessarily notice, but it will affect you nonetheless.

The actors do their jobs as well as can be expected, but a quick look at imdb, reveals some interesting facts about the principal cast.

• Tippi Hedren (female lead) is the mother of Melanie Griffith.
• Rod Taylor (male lead) so dashing and handsome (if a bit smug) played British Prime Minister Churchill in Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds (2009), neither handsome or dashing.
• Veronica Cartwright (the young girl, Cathy Brenner) is perhaps best known as the second female on board the Nostromo in Ridley Scott's Alien (1979). From birds to xenomorphs. Talk about the old frying pan and fire, eh?

If you haven't seen this movie yet, it's high time you did. It's worth it. Just do it before it turns 100, ok?