The Birds is 1963 suspense film by the famous Alfred Hitchcock, it is based on a 1952 novel, with the same name by Daphne du Maurier.
This film tells a story of a young "Avant-garde" single woman, Melanie, who lives in the hearth of San Francisco, and falls in love for this man, Mitch, who she just met in a pet shop, while looking for some birds. She decides to pay him a visit without him knowing and bring a present along, 2 lovebirds, which were a supposed present for Mitch's sister.
As she arrives to Bondega Bay, the place where Mitch lives, strange happenings start to occur, with the birds of that village, such as gulls and crows.
Melanie sees herself between a jealously of Mitch's Mum, Lydia, and this revolted birds. As the films prolongs the attacks become more dangerous, from a simple 'slap' to mysterious deaths. As Melanie fights against this happenings, her relationship with Mitch streghtens. by the end of the film the bird's attack are so dangerous that Mitch's family and Melanie have to stay closed in his house with every window blocked. When the next attack occurs Melanie, suffers severe wounds and she has to be taken to hospital, but the problem is that they are blocked inside the house with millions of furious birds outside. As they sneak safely to the car they make their way to the hospital or not?
Exactly, this film is interesting to me because we never really know what happens in the end, it is like an open door that leads to the viewers imagination. Did they make it or not? the question is set.
From beautiful camera work, where we almost feel what the actually characters feel to amazing montages ,for that time,with millions of birds attacking the town center. Also to highlight, the special effects, when they are locked in the house and the door is beeing "eaten" by the birds.
The whole film gave me once again the sense of the Uncanny, and it is a shame I havent seen it earlier, where the long known birds start to behave strangely for no apparent reason just something out of Gregory Crewdson's work.
Finally the last shot of the film is just purely brilliant, I can see it as a concept art already, where the sense of wonder if they will make it is present always watched by the birds.
Also, to know that a remake is coming out in 2011, I just hope it is not a disappointment.
2 comments:
Hey Ruben - in previous years, I have shown The Birds as part of the uncanny film series... This is a big favourite of mine; I find it a very strange film - and film about women and jealous energies; the scene in the diner when Melanie is blamed for the attacks is just wonderful - and the relationship between Mitch, his mother and Melanie is very Freudian and off-kilter; a truly ambiguous movie - with some wonderful montage editing and great variety of camera placement; it would make for a good choice for both your essay and your re-drawn film clip storyboard...
Agree,the scene in the diner is just so strange the way the camera is placed right in front of your nose, gives the scene an idea of chlaustrophoby and the idea she is actually being blamed. As I said before the scene, by the end is just beautifully shot, perfect give a sense that humans were conquered by birds. the uncanny feeling is present throughout the whole film, from the unexplicable attacks from the birds to the strangness of Mitch's Mum look so distant.
I really enjoyed the film, once again I underline, the shame I havent seen it before back in unit 3.
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