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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Birds (1963) in Movies
Aug 23, 2019
When Birds Attack
The Birds- is one of my favorite alfred hitchcock films.
The birds- is mysterious, dramatic, horrorfying and overall a great movie.
Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a San Francisco pet store and decides to follow him home. She brings with her the gift of two love birds and they strike up a romance. One day birds start attacking children at Mitch's sisters party. A huge assault starts on the town by attacking birds.
The birds is a must see film.
The birds- is mysterious, dramatic, horrorfying and overall a great movie.
Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a San Francisco pet store and decides to follow him home. She brings with her the gift of two love birds and they strike up a romance. One day birds start attacking children at Mitch's sisters party. A huge assault starts on the town by attacking birds.
The birds is a must see film.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Marnie (1964) in Movies
Nov 6, 2020
Mediocre Hitchcock - but still pretty good
Heading into 1964, Alfred Hitchcock was on quite a roll. He had just rolled out - in order, VERTIGO (1958), NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959), PSYCHO (1960) and THE BIRDS (1963) and his anthology series ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS had made him into a household name throughout the world. So it was with great anticipation/expectation that the world awaited his next major motion picture.
And while this film, MARNIE was not the critical or commercial success of his previous outings, it still has enough good in it that makes it a worthwhile film to watch.
Starring Tippi Hedren (THE BIRDS) and Sean Connery (fresh off his James Bond success in DR. NO and FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE), MARNIE is, basically, a "two-hander" (a film that is primarily focused on conversation between 2 people) about an habitual thief, Marnie, with deep psychological troubles who is loved (and handled) by a man who is seeking to get to the root of what makes her tick.
And..in someone else's hands..this film could have been overly melodramatic, but in Hitchcock's adroit hands, it is a deep and disturbing psychological thriller that succeeds more often than it doesn't.
Starting with what works, Hitchcock's Direction (obviously) is at the fore. He knows how to play out a moment - especially a scene where Marnie steals from a safe. Hitchcock locks the camera in place and plays the scene with no music and just letting the events play out. It is a typical suspenseful Hitchcock scene and very well done.
The other thing that works is the performance of Connery. His charm and screen charisma shines brightly. making a problematic character like the one Connery portrays seemingly benign. Also...Tippi Hedren's performance at the end of this movie almost rescues her character...almost.
What doesn't work? Well...let's start with the title character, Marnie, as played by Hedren. She just doesn't have the charisma and charm of Connery and never really brings her character to life. She overacts at times when she has one of her "episodes" (I would think that both Hitchcock and Hedren share the blame for this) it is almost laughable in it's over-acting and she just seems in over her head with this role. It is said that Hitchcock had the film and role of Marnie written specifically as a comeback vehicle for Grace Kelly. It is too bad that this didn't come to pass, as I would have LOVED to see what an actress of her caliber would have done with this role.
The other thing that doesn't really work for me is the 2 characters at the forefront of this film. Both Hedren's Marnie and Connery's Mark Rutland are not likeable (though, as I said earlier, Connery's charm and charisma rescue's the Rutland character), but neither of these characters are ones that us, the audience, particularly care for - and that is a problem with a film that is pretty much focused on these characters.
Not one of Hitchcock's best...but still good...and the ending almost makes up for the weaknesses of the earlier parts of the movie.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) - even mediocre Hitchcock is till pretty good.
And...you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
And while this film, MARNIE was not the critical or commercial success of his previous outings, it still has enough good in it that makes it a worthwhile film to watch.
Starring Tippi Hedren (THE BIRDS) and Sean Connery (fresh off his James Bond success in DR. NO and FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE), MARNIE is, basically, a "two-hander" (a film that is primarily focused on conversation between 2 people) about an habitual thief, Marnie, with deep psychological troubles who is loved (and handled) by a man who is seeking to get to the root of what makes her tick.
And..in someone else's hands..this film could have been overly melodramatic, but in Hitchcock's adroit hands, it is a deep and disturbing psychological thriller that succeeds more often than it doesn't.
Starting with what works, Hitchcock's Direction (obviously) is at the fore. He knows how to play out a moment - especially a scene where Marnie steals from a safe. Hitchcock locks the camera in place and plays the scene with no music and just letting the events play out. It is a typical suspenseful Hitchcock scene and very well done.
The other thing that works is the performance of Connery. His charm and screen charisma shines brightly. making a problematic character like the one Connery portrays seemingly benign. Also...Tippi Hedren's performance at the end of this movie almost rescues her character...almost.
What doesn't work? Well...let's start with the title character, Marnie, as played by Hedren. She just doesn't have the charisma and charm of Connery and never really brings her character to life. She overacts at times when she has one of her "episodes" (I would think that both Hitchcock and Hedren share the blame for this) it is almost laughable in it's over-acting and she just seems in over her head with this role. It is said that Hitchcock had the film and role of Marnie written specifically as a comeback vehicle for Grace Kelly. It is too bad that this didn't come to pass, as I would have LOVED to see what an actress of her caliber would have done with this role.
The other thing that doesn't really work for me is the 2 characters at the forefront of this film. Both Hedren's Marnie and Connery's Mark Rutland are not likeable (though, as I said earlier, Connery's charm and charisma rescue's the Rutland character), but neither of these characters are ones that us, the audience, particularly care for - and that is a problem with a film that is pretty much focused on these characters.
Not one of Hitchcock's best...but still good...and the ending almost makes up for the weaknesses of the earlier parts of the movie.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) - even mediocre Hitchcock is till pretty good.
And...you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated The Birds (1963) in Movies
Mar 6, 2018
Amazing Film
Before disaster strikes, The Birds lures you into a false sense of comfort with beautiful scenic shots from a drop-top driving up the side of a mountain pass to a small boat pacing its way through the vast Pacific. If you're smart or pay any attention to movie history at all, you know what's coming next. I can only help but imagine how original audiences must have felt seeing all this serenity before being hit with a rude awakening. The word "jarred" comes to mind.
When Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) shows up in a sleepy, California coastal town, her visit turns sour when the town's birds start to randomly attack the population. The film is a thrill ride from beginning to end, relying on the tension of the unsettling and unusual to rattle your mind. Seagulls are attacking randomly. The chickens aren't eating. The next thing you know, a man is found in his bedroom with his eyes pecked out (very memorable shot) and it's off to the races.
Because of the tension from one moment to the next, every scene then becomes memorable. I'll never forget the scene where Melanie and Mitch (Rod Taylor) are walking past watching crows on their way to pick up Cathy (Veronica Cartwright). You know those birds can strike at anytime which had me waiting on the edge of my seat.
And this is where the genius of Hitchcock comes in. To be able to take something that sounds so minor on paper and make it a major deal in your mind is not an easy thing to do. He makes it look effortless. I give the film a 98.
When Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) shows up in a sleepy, California coastal town, her visit turns sour when the town's birds start to randomly attack the population. The film is a thrill ride from beginning to end, relying on the tension of the unsettling and unusual to rattle your mind. Seagulls are attacking randomly. The chickens aren't eating. The next thing you know, a man is found in his bedroom with his eyes pecked out (very memorable shot) and it's off to the races.
Because of the tension from one moment to the next, every scene then becomes memorable. I'll never forget the scene where Melanie and Mitch (Rod Taylor) are walking past watching crows on their way to pick up Cathy (Veronica Cartwright). You know those birds can strike at anytime which had me waiting on the edge of my seat.
And this is where the genius of Hitchcock comes in. To be able to take something that sounds so minor on paper and make it a major deal in your mind is not an easy thing to do. He makes it look effortless. I give the film a 98.
