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The Birds (1963)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
28 March 1963 (USA) moreTagline:
Suspense and shock beyond anything you have seen or imagined! morePlot:
A wealthy San Francisco playgirl pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people there in increasing numbers and with increasing viciousness. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(59 articles)
"Michael Jackson Loved His Animals", Interview With Animal Rights Activist Tippi Hedren (From Huffington Post. 2 July 2009, 8:06 AM, PDT)
Exclusive: We Chat with Tippi Hedren at the Unveiling of the Madame Tussauds Hitchcock Waxwork!
(From FEARnet. 1 July 2009, 6:15 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
A film that stays interesting through repeated viewings moreUS Showtimes:
(register to personalize)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Rod Taylor | ... | Mitch Brenner | |
| Jessica Tandy | ... | Lydia Brenner | |
| Suzanne Pleshette | ... | Annie Hayworth | |
| Tippi Hedren | ... | Melanie Daniels (as 'Tippi' Hedren) | |
| Veronica Cartwright | ... | Cathy Brenner | |
| Ethel Griffies | ... | Mrs. Bundy, elderly ornithologist | |
| Charles McGraw | ... | Sebastian Sholes, fisherman in diner | |
| Ruth McDevitt | ... | Mrs. MacGruder, pet store clerk | |
| Lonny Chapman | ... | Deke Carter, cook in diner | |
| Joe Mantell | ... | Traveling salesman at diner's bar | |
| Doodles Weaver | ... | Fisherman helping with rental boat | |
| Malcolm Atterbury | ... | Deputy Al Malone | |
| John McGovern | ... | Postal clerk | |
| Karl Swenson | ... | Doomsayer in diner | |
| Richard Deacon | ... | Mitch's city neighbor |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
119 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Certification:
Australia:M (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1963) | UK:15 (1987) | UK:X (1963) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Spain:T | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-15 (uncut) (2002) (DVD) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | France:-12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 (1976) | Norway:18 | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #20385) (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (new rating) (1984) | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:16Fun Stuff
Goofs:
Continuity: While in the car when the crows attack the school, Melanie's left hand is by her head when she beeps the horn. In the next shot, her hand is on the steering wheel while beeping the horn, the next shot her hand is by her head again. moreQuotes:
[first lines]Melanie Daniels: Hello there, Mrs. MacGruder.
Mrs. MacGruder, pet store clerk: Oh, hello, Miss Daniels.
Melanie Daniels: Have you ever seen so many gulls? What do you suppose it is?
Mrs. MacGruder, pet store clerk: Well, there must be a storm at sea, that can drive them inland, you know. I was hoping you'd be a little late because he hadn't arrived yet.
Melanie Daniels: Oh, but you'd said three o'clock...
Mrs. MacGruder, pet store clerk: Oh I know, I know. I've been calling all morning. Oh, Miss Daniels you have no idea. They are so difficult to get, really they are. We have to get them from India, when they're just baby chicks, and then we have...
Melanie Daniels: But this one won't be a chick, will he?
Mrs. MacGruder, pet store clerk: Certainly not. Oh no, certainly not. This will be a full grown mynah bird, full grown.
Melanie Daniels: And he'll talk?
[...]
more
Soundtrack:
Arabesque nr. 1 moreFAQ
Does Alfred Hitchcock have a cameo in "The Birds"?Was Melanie responsible for causing the birds to attack?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
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It's interesting how many of the previous user comments have discerned different aspects of this film. Besides the horror elements of the movie, the relationships between Mitch and his mother (who he calls "Darling"), Annie Hayworth and Melanie Daniels and Melanie and Mrs. Brenner are plenty to keep the viewer interested.
Although the movie did not have a musical score, there was one song in the film if you noticed. When Tippi Hedren plays the piano in the Brenner home, the strains of a song familiar as the closing theme of the PBS "Stargazer" show are heard.
I particularly enjoyed Suzanne Pleshette's performance as Annie Hayworth and the entire diner scene with the various viewpoints of the townfolk on the "bird" situation. The overhead scene of the gulls swooping down on the burning gas station is incredible to me. The two deaths due to bird attacks are done in a way to produce maximum shock.
These are some of the reasons why this movie doesn't wear out after repeated viewings.