This ground-breaking 54^th Alfred Hitchcock film (based on horror writer Daphne Du Maurier’s novella) really unnerved audiences of the time, and proved to be a box office bonanza when it was released in 1963. THE BIRDS was a film of firsts, and went on to influence countless other far-reaching genre films, including George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. It was Hitchcock’s first film to involve animal behavior instead of human behavior, his first film to include large amounts of gore, his first film that he did not explain the menace (he only hinted), and his first film to have an apocalyptic ending. George Romero merely removed the bird element of the story, and replaced it with zombies. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD also includes gore, an unexplainable menace, and an apocalyptic ending, doesn’t it? So it is safe to conclude that if there was no THE BIRDS, chances are there would not be a NOTLD, which itself went on to be a significant, influential independent film. Anyway, Universal finally releases this classic on a DVD special edition loaded with extras.

Hitchcock assembled quite a cast for what was to be perhaps his most enduring film. He casted newcomer Tippi Hedren in the lead role as jet-setter Melanie Daniels. It’s my belief that Hitchcock casted a hungry newcomer in the role because there is no way that an normal Hollywood actress would have taken it after reading the script and realizing the filming conditions/bird attacks she would have had to go through. Rod (THE HELL WITH HEROES) Taylor stars as leading man Mitch Brenner, a tough lawyer. Jessica (COCOON: THE RETURN) Tandy portrays Mitch’s fearful mother, Lydia. Suzanne (THE POWER) Pleshette plays Annie Hayworth, one of Mitch’s old flames. And a young Veronica (ALIEN) Cartwright is nearly unrecognizable as Mitch’s little sister, Kathy. The film also features notable performances by Ethel Griffies, Charles McGraw, and Ruth McDevitt.

In San Francisco, lawyer Mitch Brenner (Taylor) enters a pet store where customer Melanie Daniels (Hedren) poses as an employee. Melanie has a reputation for being a prankster, and Mitch decides to pull a prank of his own. So he asks her to help pick out some birds as a gift for his younger sister. She suggests lovebirds. Mitch finally informs her that he wanted to put one over on her, and that they would meet again in court.

As Mitch marches out of the store, Melanie’s curiosity is piqued. She gets his name from a pet store attendant and she finds out that Mitch is a lawyer. As a joke, she buys the lovebirds to give to Mitch’s sister. But she finds that on weekends Mitch returns to his mother’s house in Bodega Bay. She drives her sports car up the coastline and questions the locals until she gets the information she needs on Mitch. Concurrently, she visits schoolteacher Annie Hayworth, who has a room to lease. Melanie and Annie have some cold sparks in their discussion of Mitch, since Annie was once almost married to him.

Melanie decides to drop off the Lovebirds she bought for Mitch’s sister by crossing Bodega Bay in a rented boat. She spies Mitch in his family’s beach house along with Mitch’s mother Lydia (Tandy), and sister Kathy (Cartwright). As she heads back to return the boat, a seagull swoops down and pecks her on the forehead. Mitch is there to attend to the startled young lady, and he is surprised to meet her again.

There is some melodrama involving a possible Melanie/Mitch romance and how it effects Mitch’s mother’s hang-ups. Meanwhile, reports of birds attacking people begin getting around town. But no one believes these stories until a school full of children, including Mitch’s sister Kathy, are attacked by the feathered fiends. The authorities are naturally skeptical and don’t know what to do when the truth comes out. For the big climax, Bodega Bay is pretty much evacuated except for little packets of people including Melanie, Mitch, Lydia, and Kathy who are all trapped in buildings by the vicious army of birds.

Here Are Some of the bloody highlights:

 Alfred Hitchcock broke all the Hollywood taboos when filming THE BIRDS. He purposely did away with the traditional happy ending, and instilled the film with a sense of doom. Not only this, but he made a point to depict dead bodies and bloody attacks (which are quite common in today’s standard entertainment fare), that back then horrified viewers; most of whom had never seen on-screen blood and gore before. The script further bucks Hollywood tradition by not providing a method to the madness. No explanation is given as to why all breeds of birds have suddenly turned on humanity. Hitchcock gives a few hints and wisely leaves it up the audience to determine the reasoning.

The cast does a great job, and you would never know that it is model-turned-actress Tippi Hedren’s first film role. The extras on this DVD detail the hell she had to go through to complete this film, especially for filming the attack scenes, where she was covered with real birds. Hedren eventually had a nervous breakdown during production, but like a real trouper, got the job done convincingly. Whether you like her performance or not, you’ve got to credit her for hanging in there. Rod Taylor is perfect as Mitch: a no-nonsense type of guy who is vulnerable because of his overbearing mother and unprotected kid sister. Jessica Tandy steals her share of scenes. When you hear Tandy’s name you think of sweet old ladies and not horror films. Yet, she is the one who finds the corpse with the eyeballs removed, a scene forever etched in the annals of horror.

Albert Whitlock’s special effects are brilliantly executed, and were state of the art for the time. Whitlock’s effects crew used a combination of real birds and optical effects composited onto the film. It is hard to tell the real birds from the fake ones. The blood and gore effects are effective even by today standards. To really appreciate the bird attack effects, you need to pause the DVD, and slowly step through the scene to get a clear picture of the complexity of the effects. To top it off, Hitchcock employs some brilliant photography to provide the surreal dark imagery.

There is also a layer of subtle humor in the film. One good example is when Melanie asks Mitch "How did you know my name?" to which he replies, "A little birdie told me." Another example is when Melanie is driving up to Bodega Bay. She has a pair of lovebirds in a cage on the floor, and as she drives, they rock back and forth to match the bends in the road! Melanie argues with a smoking ornithologist (bird expert) complete with feather in hat who blinds us with fact after fact about how sweet and nice our fine feathered friends are, which compels the birds to attack the diner. Don’t forget Hitch’s trademark cameo, this time of Hitch walking his dog.

Hitchcock provides us with some credible three-dimensional characters. Taylor and Hedren have a warm, believable chemistry as a pair. The job that has been done in the editing and sound-effects department is superb. And the ending has a wonderful apocalyptic quality. This is first-rate filmmaking. Many have tried to attach psychological or metaphysical meanings to the picture, but I find it enjoyable and rewarding on simpler, less complicated levels. It doesn't have much substance; it's just a cunning horror film and a decent love story, with some nice humorous moments.

SIGHT

Universal presents the film with a new, 16x9 enhanced widescreen transfer in the film’s original ratio of 1.85.1. Universal has done an amazing job with the transfer, except for the flaws from the imperfect source print. Remember, the source print is nearly 40 years old now. There is some noticeable speckles and scratches during the opening and closing title sequences, but hardly any at all during the course of the movie. Some of the close up shots of Melanie are soft. I noticed some edge enhancement on the transfer. The main problem with the film is grain. Some shots have a lot of grain while the following shot has none. That’s not too bad except these instances of grain usually occur together. So consistent it is not. But that is the only negative thing I can comment on, and it hardly detracts from the film’s visceral impact. The transfer is wonderfully full of natural colors and intricate detail. Color reproduction is excellent, from the crimson blood, to the setting sun, to the multicolored feathers of our flying friends. The black level is deep and true, making for a generally outstanding image, colorwise. The scenes filmed on location and the scenes filmed in the studio are masterfully edited by Hitchcock to get that authentic feel. Robert Burke’s cinematography gives Hitchcock’s colorful imagery a shot in the arm on this mostly-luscious transfer. NOTE: The improved resolution of this 16x9 enhanced DVD reveals some limitations to Albert Whitlock’s special effects.

SOUND

The Dolby Digital 2 channel mono soundtrack is a good one. Being a movie of firsts for Hitchcock, this is the first time he has not incorporated a prominent score into the film. This lack of a score actually makes the film seem more real, and makes some scenes more tense. Instead, sounds of synthesized bird noises were created for the soundtrack—and these eerie noises effectively enhance the film. Also the movie is very dialog driven, with the voices coming from the center channel without any distortion. The only thing that’s missing in the soundtrack is bass. Other than that the mix is clear, natural, and without any background noise.

FEATURES

Universal really delivers here. Included is the classic Hitchcock trailer for THE BIRDS, which does not feature clips from the movie. Instead it is just Hitch himself in a room talking about man and birds relationship through the ages, as he dines on roasted pheasant! The trailer is in remarkably good shape for such an vintage piece of celluloid, and is widescreen (1.85.1), 2 channel mono, and runs 5:00. The 90 minute documentary, ALL ABOUT THE BIRDS, details the intricate production of the film including interviews with the stars, screenwriter Evan Hunter, and even Hitchcock’s own daughter, Patricia. The documentary explores Hitchcock’s directorial style in the context of THE BIRDS, and also focuses on the filming of the ground-breaking special effects scenes. This documentary is full frame and is 2 channel mono. The Deleted Scene is not actually a scene from the movie, rather you view the script and some photographs of this unrecoverable deleted scene. Also, the original ending is shown via screenplay. Apparently, this original ending was never filmed. The storyboard menu consists of bird attack storyboard drawings along with photographs from the movie to compare the artwork to. There is also a menu that allows you to view Tippi Hedren’s screen tests. These screen test reels are full frame, mono, and run 10 minutes. There is some talent bios (for Hitchcock, Hedren, Taylor, Tandy, and Pleshette) and production notes. There are also a couple newsreel shorts, including THE BIRDS is Coming (full frame, B & W, mono, 1:10), and Suspense Story (full frame, B & W, mono, 1:30). There is also a photo gallery containing many interesting promotional shots, lobby cards, posters, etc.

CONCLUSION

One of the greatest suspense thrillers of all time finally gets it due thanks to Universal Home Video, who should be given a medal for this deluxe special edition DVD. Another film to prove that Alfred Hitchcock really was one of the most gifted filmmakers of our time. THE BIRDS inspired a whole new generation of filmmakers and the film still holds up to repeat viewings today. Don’t take my word for it, check out THE BIRDS on DVD.

THE BIRDS is available from DVDEmpire.com

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