The Birds (1963)

Just take a moment and imagine - the birds are taking over the world.

I heard from somewhere that birds are descendants of dinosaurs. We, the human species would be extinct if dinosaurs were alive - or perhaps not. But let's not worry about that. Now I don't know how many of you have watched the film The Birds but I have finally watched it. If I want something exciting to watch, I pick one of Hitchcock's films - not all are great. Some of them are absolutely amazing and some are quite confusing. So, let's have a look at The Birds - may contain spoilers.

The Birds (1963)

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I'm a really big fan of Alfred Hitchcock and I have seen many of the films he has directed. I can name quite a few that I have loved watching and also rewatched a few times. It's never a dull moment nor do I regret watching any of them. The film is loosely based on the short story of the same name by Daphne du Maurier - so much of the film is different from the story. Hitchcock has directed a great many films and is especially known for his suspense-thriller. The cast of the film isn't known to me, which only makes me realize how far less I have seen. I usually don't mention anything about cast and crew since anyone can easily find them on Google - same for the plot. But what remains a bit different is perhaps character analysis.

The two main characters of the film are Melanie Daniels and Mitch Brenner. On the surface, Melanie is the daughter of a wealthy and powerful newspaper owner - an heiress and a wild child. She seemed to be causing more trouble than necessary but also (as she is related to the media) many of the stories of her endeavors are exaggerated. She is given a facade of a spoiled brat who gets away with everything if she involves her father - she somewhat is but not entirely. Melanie is free-spirited and goes after what she wants but she's also kind and caring.

The other main character, Mitch is quite the straight arrow. A successful lawyer who dislikes people who break the law. He had the same strict demeanor with Melanie as well but soon he realizes that everything isn't what it seems. He's very much of a family man and loves his mother and sister dearly. Even with the mindset he has, he still finds himself liking Melanie a lot more than he initially thought.

What I think:

Among all the Hitchcock films I have watched, this is perhaps one of my least favorite. The film is very confusing to me. Why would the birds suddenly go crazy and start attacking people - it made no sense whatsoever. The locals presumed that maybe Melanie had done something or brought upon a curse. If that was true, then it would have started where she's originally from. It is probably easier to put the blame on someone and not think of how to get away from the cursed situation. I had some doubts about the cause and the ending has cleared that. The film felt like a debacle. I don't recall if I was hoping for anything but I wasn't certainly expecting that. My usual approach is that I suggest watching the film that I write about - I'll do that here as well and perhaps you'd be able to shed some light on things that I have ignored.

Posted using CineTV