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Terror in the Aisles (1984)
6.5
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Donald Pleasence and Nancy Allen narrate this collection of snippets from landmark horror, crime and...
Dead or Alive (1999)
10.0
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Movie
Dead or Alive (DEAD OR ALIVE:犯罪者 Deddo oa araibu: Hanzaisha) is a 1999 Japanese yakuza action...
Max Attacks
Kathi Appelt and Penelope Dullaghan
10.0
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Book
Fish and birds and lizards and socks…is there anything Max won’t attack? Watch your ankles and...
children's books childrens books fiction cats animals adventure
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Birds (1963) in Movies
Oct 28, 2020
And...then I caught myself getting into it.
Based on the novel by Daphne Du Maurier, THE BIRDS is told in Alfred Hithcock's suspenseful style to elevate a "pulp novel" idea of birds turning on humans to something much more tense than it had any right to be.
Newcomer Tippi Hendren stars as wealthy San Francisco socialite Melanie Daniels who chases suave charismatic lawyer Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) north of San Fran to his home of Bodego Bay. Will Melanie be able to win Mitch's heart over the objections of his mother (Jessica Tandy) and ex-girlfriend (Suzanne Pleshette)? We'll never know, for the Birds have their own idea of how this tale will end.
Hitchock, of course, earns his nickname "The Master of Suspense" with this film. He has some long scenes that grow with tension. Whether it's Melanie crossing the Bay in a boat (only to, finally, be attacked by a bird) or Mitch's mother going down a long hallway to find out what happened to a farmer friend of hers to the famous - and famously pulled off - scene of the birds gathering en masse on the jungle gym prior to attacking Melanie and the school children. Hitchcock knows exactly how to raise tension in these scenes and he does so marvelously. Even 56 years later, I found what little hairs I have standing up on the back of my neck and my body bending ever so slightly towards the screen during these scenes.
But...the thing that caught me this time around was the performances of the leads and the way Hitchock lets scenes play out with the actors. I've never been a big Rod Taylor fan, I've always thought he was "fine", but nothing special. He is much more than "fine" in this film. It's probably the best work I've ever seen him do. Jessica Tandy, of course, as the mother is wonderfully cold and distant to begin with and slowly moves to close to madness and then understanding, it is a wonderfully understated performance showcasing a superb theater actress. As is Pleshette's turn as school teacher Annie. Her scenes with Hendren were laced (I'm sure purposely) with an undercurrent of sexual tension between the two female characters.
But...the star of this film is Tippi Hendren, beyond a doubt. Much has been made of the cruelty and misogynistic ways that Hitchock treated and abused Hendren in the making of this film. But her performance shone as the gold-digging, fun loving Melanie who descends into the depths as the film progresses. I've never thought much of her as a performer, but will have to check out other films of hers (most notably, Hitchock's MARNIE).
The special effects - which were cutting edge and earned an Oscar nomination back in the day - are dated, but that adds to the charm of the film (at least for me). I'm sure they "wowed" the audience in 1963, so I'll cut them some slack.
I was pleasantly surprised by the pacing, acting and SUSPENSE of this film. It has held up very well and if you haven't seen THE BIRDS in awhile, I recommend you check it out.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Merissa (12351 KP) rated Black Snow (Birds of a Feather #4) in Books
Dec 11, 2018
I loved this book! Not only because of the characters I have grown to know and love throughout this series, but I was also introduced to some of the characters that feature in Seaborn, which was the book that introduced me to Lena North and made me (arm twisted behind my back, I tell you!) buy these.
I am thoroughly enjoying the overall story arc that flows from one book to the next, getting a bit more each time. I can't wait to see where it goes next. With no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow, I have no hesitation in recommending this great story!
* Verified Purchase ~ July 2018. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Tuco: The Parrot, the Others, and a Scattershot World
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A BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick For thirty years, Brian Brett shared his office and his life with Tuco,...
Woodpeckers of the World: The Complete Guide
Book
Woodpeckers remain one of the most popular families of birds, and they are certainly one of the more...
Egypt's Wildlife: Past and Present
Book
Ancient Egypt's temples and tombs encompass images of exotic animals, birds, and plants that are no...