The Birds is a film mostly remembered for it's special effects (even though they kind of look dated at times now) but it is also an interesting film because so far, I have seen it quite a few times, and I'm still not sure what all of it means? What are the birds supposed to represent?
Hitchcock was a genius in that he throws you in different directions during the film and just when you start to think you've got it he throws you in another direction.
A brilliant horror classic but what does it mean?

I think "The Birds" is a precursor to something like "Jaws", a story about nature (or animals) taking it to humanity. I think it's supposed to scare the hell out of you because there's no logical explanation for why the birds are so angry and violent and why they picked this community, again like "Jaws", but once they find they like the area, they stick around.

I haven't read Daphne du Maurier's story, so I imagine it's been considerably changed. The ending is ambiguous so it does add to the power of the film. Are the birds a sign of the pending Apocalypse? If so, the ending is just the calm before another storm. Or does the sun represent that the nightmare is over, and all will return to "normal"? I think it works both ways. I'm glad Hitch didn't try to say the birds ate some food contaminated by recently-tested government drugs or some such thing. It's scarier when there's no explanation.

To me, the most memorable thing, besides all the attacks (especially the final one), is the use of sound. Bernard Herrmann supervised the sound in the film since there is no musical score.

Thanks man.
Yeah I agree, the fact that there is no sound but bird noises makes you feel like you're always surrounded by them. This makes the events that are occuring a bit more real and, consequently,more scary!
I love the scene where the woman is driving and the lovebirds move both at the same time from side to side as the car swerves. That's just brilliant.

Brilliant film, a perfect thriller! I love the feel of reality and the lack of explanation, it makes it what it is, a true classic!

Something my dad said before I saw it, the birds flip out because of the caged love birds. That if they were released things would go back to normal. I thought it would go into that in the movie, and it didn't overtly (or at all, did I miss something?) I guess the fact these sweet innocent love birds were imprisoned didn't sit well with the bird community. Why didn't the lovebirds ever get riled?

Michael Bay is producing a remake of The Birds, starring Naomi Watts, to be released in 2009. That sounds like a lame joke, but really it's a lame truth. Check IMDB.

Oh. Dear. God.

quote:

Originally posted by Ishmaels coffin:
Oh. Dear. God.

Oh, come on, Ishmael! It's guaranteed to be action-packed & just think of the number of birds we could have or the amount of damage that can be done with CGI! What if he makes the birds a bit more threatening by making them genetically enhanced with a need for vengeance? Just imagine the final stand-off at the end, an action star with a BFG, just blasting the tar outta birds the size of cats! Kill 'em all! We would also get alot of "witty" banter from a black dude & lots of shouting from a police captain! Don't forget a crappy love story thrown in just for the ladies! Now that would be a movie about killer birds!

See my comments about this Bay-by over on the Transformers thread!!

Soooo, who do you think will end up being right, you or me ? Or are we both right?!

i never really understood the appeal of this movie. i've seen it a couple times (most recently a few months ago). the whole thing is just so stupid to me. nothing has a logical explanation: there is no reason the protagonist follows the girl to her home in the harbour town, as there is no reason for the birds to go ballistic. this lack of logic doesn't really incite horror or mystery for me. it just makes it seem like a retarded sequence of retarded events. not to mention the old-timey melodramatic acting. i started laughing a few times.

somebody try to sway me... i think the same way about Vertigo, which is the only other Hitchcock i've seen. i mean, i can appreciate all the marvelous technicality, but in the end it means nothing if the plot is this ridiculous.

Well, you watched two of the Master's more ridiculously-plotted films, but, especially in Vertigo's case, the utter insanity of the thing actually makes it more compelling and explains deeper truths about humanity, at least if watched repeatedly. If you want to watch what I consider a very strongly-plotted Hitchcock movie, I suggest Rear Window or Shadow of a Doubt, both of which couldn't be simpler, yet I don't believe that anyone can improve upon them.

Back to The Birds. First off, it's the woman who follows the man back to his weekend haunt, and there are both sexual attraction and a battle of the sexes going on in the seemingly-inconsequential first half of the film. The woman brings two love birds in a cage with her, and the implication (or not) is that that somehow sets the birds off. However, to me, it's much more interesting if we don't know why the birds go on a rampage. The stupidest (well, not the stupidest, but...) thing about the original Night of the Living Dead was the hint of a reason about why the dead came back to life. It might help to know the cause if you want to fight what made the enemy who they are, but in The Birds, the characters are too isolated and things happen too quickly to care about the "whys". All you want to do is somehow survive and get the hell outta there, even though they may not even be anyplace to get to that isn't the same.

Oh well, I haven't watched the film for awhile, and I'll let others have their say, if they want. I'm not trying to convince you, but you did mention two movies which originally left me underwhelmed, but now they both resonate deeply with me. Happy movie watching.

Well, here's a theory (scroll down the page) that blames Jessica Tandy-

The Birds

So based on that theory (and I actually really like it), Jessica Tandy is a witch! I'd probably want some "Witchy Woman" goodness in the remake, but certainly nothing blatant.