The aspects of a typical thriller it has are that it is fast-paced and action-packed, intense and the villain is really powerful but the hero is really resourceful in response.
From the trailer, I think it appeals to the audience because it describes the summary of the movie in such a dramatic way that, at the time, it must have scared viewers before the film was even released. This, in a way, would have made people both too afraid and excited to see the movie in the cinema.
The Birds (1963) is a Horror and Thriller movie and is 119 minutes long.
Cast and Crew
Alfred Hitchcock:- The director of many horror and thriller movies, e.g. The Birds, Psycho, North by North West. Also known as "The Master of Suspense".
Daphne Du Maurier:- The story-writer of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". She is best known for her story-writing in The Birds, Rebecca, Don't Look Now, Hungry Hill, etc. She also wrote a few novels, e.g. The Loving Spirit (her first novel), Rule Britannia (her last novel), etc. She was also the cousin of the Llewelyn Davies boys, who were the inspiration for The Lost Boys in J.M.Barrie's Peter Pan novel. She was born on 13th May, 1907, in London, England. She died 19th April, 1989, in Par, Cornwall.
Evan Hunter:- Born Salvatore Albert Lombino, he was the screenplay-writer of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". He is best known for his screenplay-writing in The Birds, High and Low, Blackboard Jungle, Strangers When We Meet, etc. He wrote more than 100 novels, plays and film scripts, as well as the writings of the 1981 TV series "Hill Street Blues". He was born on 15th October, 1926, in New York City, USA. He died 6th July, 2005, in Weston, Connecticut from larynx cancer.
Rod Taylor:- Born Rodney Sturt Taylor, he is a famous actor who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", The Time Machine, Inglourious Basterds, 101 Dalmations (as a voice actor), etc. He was once offered an Astronaut role in the 1968 movie "The Planet of the Apes". His trademark is playing as virile, adventurous characters. He was born 11th January, 1910, in Sydney, Australia. In Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", he plays one of the two main characters, Mitch Brenner.
Tippi Hedren:- Born Nathalie Kay Hedren, she is famous actress renowned for her work in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", Marnie, I Heart Huckabees, I Woke Up Early The Day I Died, etc. Her role in "The Birds" mentally scarred her for many years due to one scene, where Hitchcock only told her to "look worried, walk up the stairs and open the door at the top", so her reaction in that one scene near the end of the movie was completely genuine. Her trademark is an unaffected, icy mid-period "Hitchcock blond", a voluptuous figure and a deep, sultry voice. She was born on 19th January, 1930, in Minnesota, USA. In Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", she plays one of the two main characters, Melanie Daniels.
Suzanne Pleshette:- She was an actress who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", Spirited Away (as a voice actress), The Bob Newhart Show, The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride (voice actress). Her Trademark is her husky voice. She received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on her birthday, January 31st, 2008. Upon her death, she was buried in Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California, between her two late husbands, Tom Gallagher and Tom Poston. She was born 31st January, 1937, in New York City, USA. She died 19th January, 2008, in Los Angeles, California. In Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", she plays the local schoolteacher, Mitch's ex-lover and one of the victims of the birds, Annie Hayworth.
Plot
"The Birds" is about a wealthy socialite who works in a bird shop who accepts a love-bird delivery request of a potential boyfriend for his younger sister and travels to his hometown; a small town called Bodega Bay in Northern California. However, upon her arrival, a plethora of supernatural events involving birds start to occur, one after the other.
In what ways is this an archetypal thriller?
Most thrillers tend to cast the external threat as a human being/ group of humans. Unlike those, The Birds has the unusual external threat of nature itself, specifically the large population of birds in Bodega Bay.
Hitchcock has the habit of putting in his movies the fact that there is nowhere to hide. Bodega Bay is one such case. The birds can get in anywhere, no matter how much the buildings get barricaded by survivors. These birds are seen as incredibly strong and persistent, as well as incredibly dangerous and terrifying; something birds aren't usually seen as in everyday life.
Thrillers are usually as fast-paced and action-packed. This can be seen in The Birds, like at any moment when the birds attack, e.g. when Melanie is trapped in the phone box in the middle of Bodega Bay in chaos. However, it can also be slow-paced with no action at all to build up a foreboding sense of tension, suspense and dread, e.g. THIS!!
Thrillers often include resourceful heroes that must thwart the evil plans of a more powerful villain. In The Birds, this is both true and false. There are heroes and villains present in the movie, the former being the humans and the latter being nature itself (the birds). However, the heroes here are unable to stop the villains, as you can't thwart nature's plans. So, in the end, all the humans can do is quietly escape from the birds, who have completely taken over Bodega Bay. So, in hindsight, in this movie, the villains win and triumph over the heroes; something which is mostly uncommon in all parts of media, not just films.
Thrillers often use plot devices such as red herrings, cliffhangers and suspense etc. The Birds uses heavy suspense in scenes that are usually slow-paced and have a certain character wandering alone, e.g. when Mitch Brenner's mother finds the farmer's mutilated body and when Melanie walks upstairs into one of the bedrooms only to be attacked by hordes of birds.
The movie also uses dramatic irony. This means when the audience knows something the character(s) in the movie do not. In The Birds, Melanie is unaware that the birds had been gathering in the schoolyard as she is waiting for Mitch's younger sister outside, however we, the audience, are completely aware. Here, the character is denied knowledge that only the audience possesses.
Thrillers are often villain-driven plots in which the hero has to overcome obstacles created by the villain to stop the hero from thwarting his/her plans. In The Birds, while the plot is mostly driven by the villains, i.e. the birds, the protagonists are rendered unable to overcome the birds' attacks and instead, in the ending, run away, leaving the villains as the victors.
The MacGuffin (a vague but important plot element) of the movie is the pair of lovebirds that Melanie Daniels gave to Mitch's younger sister for her birthday.
Hitchcock Technique
In the Schoolyard scene, the children singing heavily contrasts to the cruelty and the evil of nature portrayed through the birds. The character of Melanie, as well as most of the humans in Bodega Bay, at first, takes nature for granted.
When the birds attack Bodega Bay, the high angle shot seems to represent how a pitiless God would look down on the human world in shame and hatred and only stand by and watch as the humans suffer from the birds' assault on the town.
The Birds (1963) is a Horror and Thriller movie and is 119 minutes long.
Cast and Crew
Alfred Hitchcock:- The director of many horror and thriller movies, e.g. The Birds, Psycho, North by North West. Also known as "The Master of Suspense".
Daphne Du Maurier:- The story-writer of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". She is best known for her story-writing in The Birds, Rebecca, Don't Look Now, Hungry Hill, etc. She also wrote a few novels, e.g. The Loving Spirit (her first novel), Rule Britannia (her last novel), etc. She was also the cousin of the Llewelyn Davies boys, who were the inspiration for The Lost Boys in J.M.Barrie's Peter Pan novel. She was born on 13th May, 1907, in London, England. She died 19th April, 1989, in Par, Cornwall.
Evan Hunter:- Born Salvatore Albert Lombino, he was the screenplay-writer of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". He is best known for his screenplay-writing in The Birds, High and Low, Blackboard Jungle, Strangers When We Meet, etc. He wrote more than 100 novels, plays and film scripts, as well as the writings of the 1981 TV series "Hill Street Blues". He was born on 15th October, 1926, in New York City, USA. He died 6th July, 2005, in Weston, Connecticut from larynx cancer.
Rod Taylor:- Born Rodney Sturt Taylor, he is a famous actor who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", The Time Machine, Inglourious Basterds, 101 Dalmations (as a voice actor), etc. He was once offered an Astronaut role in the 1968 movie "The Planet of the Apes". His trademark is playing as virile, adventurous characters. He was born 11th January, 1910, in Sydney, Australia. In Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", he plays one of the two main characters, Mitch Brenner.
Tippi Hedren:- Born Nathalie Kay Hedren, she is famous actress renowned for her work in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", Marnie, I Heart Huckabees, I Woke Up Early The Day I Died, etc. Her role in "The Birds" mentally scarred her for many years due to one scene, where Hitchcock only told her to "look worried, walk up the stairs and open the door at the top", so her reaction in that one scene near the end of the movie was completely genuine. Her trademark is an unaffected, icy mid-period "Hitchcock blond", a voluptuous figure and a deep, sultry voice. She was born on 19th January, 1930, in Minnesota, USA. In Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", she plays one of the two main characters, Melanie Daniels.
Suzanne Pleshette:- She was an actress who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", Spirited Away (as a voice actress), The Bob Newhart Show, The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride (voice actress). Her Trademark is her husky voice. She received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on her birthday, January 31st, 2008. Upon her death, she was buried in Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California, between her two late husbands, Tom Gallagher and Tom Poston. She was born 31st January, 1937, in New York City, USA. She died 19th January, 2008, in Los Angeles, California. In Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", she plays the local schoolteacher, Mitch's ex-lover and one of the victims of the birds, Annie Hayworth.
Plot
"The Birds" is about a wealthy socialite who works in a bird shop who accepts a love-bird delivery request of a potential boyfriend for his younger sister and travels to his hometown; a small town called Bodega Bay in Northern California. However, upon her arrival, a plethora of supernatural events involving birds start to occur, one after the other.
In what ways is this an archetypal thriller?
Most thrillers tend to cast the external threat as a human being/ group of humans. Unlike those, The Birds has the unusual external threat of nature itself, specifically the large population of birds in Bodega Bay.
Hitchcock has the habit of putting in his movies the fact that there is nowhere to hide. Bodega Bay is one such case. The birds can get in anywhere, no matter how much the buildings get barricaded by survivors. These birds are seen as incredibly strong and persistent, as well as incredibly dangerous and terrifying; something birds aren't usually seen as in everyday life.
Thrillers are usually as fast-paced and action-packed. This can be seen in The Birds, like at any moment when the birds attack, e.g. when Melanie is trapped in the phone box in the middle of Bodega Bay in chaos. However, it can also be slow-paced with no action at all to build up a foreboding sense of tension, suspense and dread, e.g. THIS!!
Thrillers often include resourceful heroes that must thwart the evil plans of a more powerful villain. In The Birds, this is both true and false. There are heroes and villains present in the movie, the former being the humans and the latter being nature itself (the birds). However, the heroes here are unable to stop the villains, as you can't thwart nature's plans. So, in the end, all the humans can do is quietly escape from the birds, who have completely taken over Bodega Bay. So, in hindsight, in this movie, the villains win and triumph over the heroes; something which is mostly uncommon in all parts of media, not just films.
Thrillers often use plot devices such as red herrings, cliffhangers and suspense etc. The Birds uses heavy suspense in scenes that are usually slow-paced and have a certain character wandering alone, e.g. when Mitch Brenner's mother finds the farmer's mutilated body and when Melanie walks upstairs into one of the bedrooms only to be attacked by hordes of birds.
The movie also uses dramatic irony. This means when the audience knows something the character(s) in the movie do not. In The Birds, Melanie is unaware that the birds had been gathering in the schoolyard as she is waiting for Mitch's younger sister outside, however we, the audience, are completely aware. Here, the character is denied knowledge that only the audience possesses.
Thrillers are often villain-driven plots in which the hero has to overcome obstacles created by the villain to stop the hero from thwarting his/her plans. In The Birds, while the plot is mostly driven by the villains, i.e. the birds, the protagonists are rendered unable to overcome the birds' attacks and instead, in the ending, run away, leaving the villains as the victors.
The MacGuffin (a vague but important plot element) of the movie is the pair of lovebirds that Melanie Daniels gave to Mitch's younger sister for her birthday.
Hitchcock Technique
In the Schoolyard scene, the children singing heavily contrasts to the cruelty and the evil of nature portrayed through the birds. The character of Melanie, as well as most of the humans in Bodega Bay, at first, takes nature for granted.
When the birds attack Bodega Bay, the high angle shot seems to represent how a pitiless God would look down on the human world in shame and hatred and only stand by and watch as the humans suffer from the birds' assault on the town.
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