56 Day to Halloween- 1963 The Birds

Over the next 100 days, I will present one movie of significances in horror, suspense or thrillers for each year from 1919 to 2018. The next film presented here is the 1963 horror thriller "The Birds" starring Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, and Veronica Cartwright directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

The Birds (1963)

Dir- Alfred Hitchcock

Hitchcock had a thing for finding new talent, a young blonde named Tippi Hedren can thank Hitch for putting her in the role that would forever shake our belief in man's superiority on Earth. The Birds is a unique story; it starts out as a simple chance meeting between a man and woman. Her curiosity in this handsome stranger would lead to her following him home to a sleepy port city of Bodega Bay. With her arrival begins the real story, a strange series of bird attacks that are sudden and strangely seem deliberate. The two do meet up, and the chemistry between them is quite funny at times. When a birthday party is suddenly interrupted by a series of attacks the real action unfolds. The whole town is held hostage by millions of attacking birds who appear out of nowhere and unleash a hell of fury. With the family trapped in the house and held up as prisoners, we see the love develop between the two as their guard is dropped and emotions flare. Tippi Hedren is the breakthrough star of the film as the beautiful Melanie in her film debut; she is supported by Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, and Veronica Cartwright.  The bird attacks are a real treat, and one can revel in the fear caused by seemingly harmless animals. Hitchcock had a way of taking ordinary people and having them encounter strange situations.