The Birds
1963  NR  SUSPENSE  1h 59min
CAST— Rod Taylor, “Tippi” Hedren, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Veronica Cartwright, Ethel Griffies, Charles McGraw, Joe Mantell, Elizabeth Wilson, Doodles Weaver, Richard Deacon, Suzanne Cupito (Morgan Brittany)
MUSIC— N/A  DIRECTOR— Alfred Hitchcock  BASED ON— The Birds (story), by Daphne du Maurier

     Hitchcock’s legendary ornithological creature feature flaps on as the years fly by. Rod Taylor and “Tippi” Hedren star as a young couple caught by surprise as hundreds of birds inexplicably descend upon a small California coastal village. The feathered beasts begin to attack in unrelenting waves, mercilessly dive-bombing upon mankind for no reason other than to wreak havoc and destruction. The film pulls out all the stops in terrifying you into never feeding your parakeet again, but it takes its sweet time getting there; the first half is nothing more than a dull soap about unrequited love. The second half is the main attraction: slashing beaks, explosions, and a rather interesting debate about the mental stability of birdies. It’s the end of the world! Look for Hitch as a pompous dog-walker. Deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry.
OUR RATING— ** ½
FOLLOWED BY— The Birds II: Land’s End (1994)