The Birds (1963)

Rating: R

Country: US

Running Time: 119 minutes

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Starring: Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Veronica Cartwright, etc.

The Birds is one of the most surreal, unconventional and idiosyncratic horror thrillers ever. Never has there been such a weirder and more eccentric concept in film. Even with many doubts and skepticism clouding my thoughts, it managed and conducted to become a pleasant movie. Hitchcock pulls off the impossible with a majority of film elements being handled splendidly. The photography is decent enough, and the final scene with the crowded flock of birds stalking the moving car is astonishing and sensational. Quite epic. The acting is emotionally erudite and cerebral. Tippi Hedren is exemplary and offers possibly her best in this role. The others are okay, but they are outdone by Hedren in all of the departments. The first half hardly holds any scares, where Hitchcock spends much time crafting and developing his personalities and installing their every movement and situation into the viewer's mind. When terror does strike, it comes fast and doesn't let up. Hitchcock here, displays and indicates his signature montage effects and procedures. Layering this is a long, thick mantle of panic and despair truly fitting, blending and combining this in with a flurry of intelligent components and aspects. What holds back The Birds from a 9 or 10 is the absurdity of it's ludicrous and blemished plotline. How Hitchcock made this work is beyond me. It also has numerous occasions of glitches, continuity errors, and deficiencies that are obviously seen throughout its running time. However, it still remarkably holds up today, over the other legions of films released over the years.

Pros: A regular Hitchcockian half followed up with an amazing second half, has Alfred's many motives, decent photography and relatively good performances all around from the cast

Cons: Preposterous plotline, many onslaughts of deliberate errors that can be spotted easily

Recommended? Yes

8/10