The Birds

We watched one of Alfred Hitchcock's best ever films today. The Birds. This is a film that dived opinion in my class, I thought it was the best Hitchcock film I have watched to date. With it's unpredictable plot and me not liking birds that much I though it served it's purpose rather well.

The film is about a small part of California under attack, Melanie Daniels (Tippy Hedren) follows her potential lover to this small town. And there is where all of the action unfolds, with the birds getting increasingly viscous they have to find ways of fighting against this strange phenominoum.

Hitchcock uses many devices in this film, emphasising some peoples fears of birds. An interesting fact is that Tippy Hedren had to receive many years of therapy due to one scene near to the end of the film. One device that is used is the illusive relationship that the two main characters have, Melanie and Mitch. It adds a stark contrast between the horror shown when the birds attack and the immediate curiosity and attraction between the pair.

This thriller has the typical beautiful woman that most thrillers have, and the very butch man that will offer a helping hand and eventually be the one who the woman will turn to in need of help. In addition to that this thriller like most, have short bursts of action and it started with a rather strange beginning, that honestly made me think 'what the hell is this?!'

Alfred Hitchcock really knew the recipe for a thriller like a chef knows all the ingredients for his star dish. It's as simple as that, if that film was to be made now over 40 years on from when it was first showcased nothing would be changed to the plot because a thriller is a thriller. Compare this film to any today and look closely and you'll see that the format is very similar.