Alfred Hitchcock: The Birds

The classic can't get any better than this in blue ray. *Note* Alternate ending is missing. But thats just archived photos, so you won't miss any alternate "movie"!

I became fascinated with this movie after visiting Bodega Bay (where it was filmed) on a US Road Trip. The first thing I’d say is don’t panic if you find the film confusing and/or frustrating, that is exactly Hitchcock’s intention, and part of the film’s genius.The immediate thing to get straight is that the film format is that of “allegory”. In simple terms, the film is conveying a hidden meaning which is actually a parallel storyline going on at the same time as the events in the actual story you are seeing on screen. Working out this hidden meaning is the key to unlocking the message (and arguably power) of the film. There are many alternative interpretations, some of which are very political, so I can’t claim my interpretation is the right one, but in my opinion it makes the most sense, so here goes…The film is about sexual morality and the changing social attitudes of women in 1960’s America. There are at some early clues which I think lead you down this road:• The film was made in 1963, right in the middle of this cultural revolution,• It starts off in San Francisco, probably the most left-leaning city in the US, so in the vanguard of the social changes going on at the time,• Very early we see that Melanie is a very confident young woman, not scared to take control of a situation and do the chasing to get her man, culminating in her rowing the boat across the bay herself, refusing the help of the boatman, and later on we find out she was cavorting naked in a fountain in Rome (all of which is contrary to the previous social norm for a woman),• When she arrives in Bodega Bay we can see an immediate culture clash, as the small-town conservative culture where the townspeople freely give out personal information (as everyone knows and trusts each other, and they don’t get many outsiders) looks odd to anyone from a big city (or indeed a modern audience),• Hitchcock had a bit of a thing about female sexuality and (usually male) sexual obsession, in particular the “Perfect Blonde” (most clearly seen in Vertigo), so it’s the “go to” theme for many of his works.Also I don’t think it’s an accident that the Birds Melanie brings are “Lovebirds”, which I guess you could interpret as “Sexbirds”. These Birds are colourful, even gaudy, manicured, cosseted, and out of place, very similar to Melanie, in fact they are almost a bit of an avatar for Melanie. Just as the townspeople react suspiciously to a disruptive outsider like Melanie (in particular Mitch’s mother) the “natural” Birds of Bodega Bay get stirred into a state of panic and antagonism towards the Lovebirds, being the social intruders in their domain of the natural world. Their main point of attack is usually Melanie, although in their frenzy they also attack other people. There’s also a very heavy clue in the Diner, when the woman points accusingly at Melanie stating it’s her who is the source of the problem, which although rather tragic is actually correct, because the Birds weren’t attacking until she showed up with her cage of jarring interlopers. Just as she’s a threat to the small-town conservatism which prevails in Bodega Bay, the Lovebirds are a threat to the natural indigenous Birds which inhabit the town and blend in perfectly with the daily routine, established over many years of evolution. Unlike the pet birds, manipulated by breeders to look a certain way and be sold for money, and in this case being a gift to trigger a sexual encounter.On some of the other key plot points and references:• Why does Melanie open the door to a room full of Birds when it’s very likely to be dangerous for her? I think this is a reference to the power of sexual temptation over rational thought (mostly a male character flaw, but in the 60’s this was arguably transitioning to be a female issue as well),• Why do the Birds not attack at the end? First of all, they see that Melanie is leaving, along with the offending Lovebirds, so it’s basically mission accomplished, battle won, the end. I think it’s also significant that they don’t attack Mitch when he goes out to fetch the car, as they see the man playing the natural protective role, also the women in the group are by this point playing the natural female family role of nurturing, including Mitch’s mother with Melanie, so it’s essentially back to the standard gender roles of the 1950’s, and the “natural order” is restored,• Note the line right at the end from the young girl, asking to take the Lovebirds because “they haven’t harmed anyone,” which I think is Hitchcock being extremely ironic,• Annie (the teacher) was another key target, being another young woman from out of town with a different perspective, and who was previously in a relationship with Mitch,• The attacks on the kids could be the Birds trying to stop the next generation getting “corrupted)” by the new sexual morals via the influence of their teacher Annie (noting that Schools are a battleground of today’s culture wars).You could also view the film as being about immigration, or mankind’s disruption of nature, the latter narrative being supported by the old woman in the diner who appears to be an expert on bird species. But personally I don’t think these interpretations are as coherent as the one I’ve set out above. Whatever you think, it’s a very unique movie, and would probably never be made for today’s CGI-obsessed audiences who it seems need everything delivered with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

It is nice that I could purchase a copy of this classic movie to add it to my collection of DVDs.

Good

Love Alfred Hitchcock

get to see this for the first time is year and now l hook here hope for more in the future