The Birds (1963)

Directed by

Alfred Hitchcock

Genre

drama film, action film, horror film, adventure film, mystery film, melodrama

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 59m

Rated

NR

Rating

7.5 of 10 from 4,495 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In a small coastal town, birds suddenly start attacking people violently and without warning. A socialite visiting the area tries to make sense of the chaos with a local man and his family as the attacks grow more frequent and deadly.

tenseunsettlingslow-burnsuspensefulbleakvisually strikingeerieominous

What happens

The Birds is a 1963 American natural horror film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, released by Universal Pictures and starring Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, and introducing Tippi Hedren in her film debut. Loosely based on the 1952 short story of the same name by Daphne du Maurier, it focuses on a series of sudden and unexplained violent bird attacks on the people of Bodega Bay, California, over the course of a few days. The screenplay is by Evan Hunter, who was told by Hitchcock to develop new characters and a more elaborate plot while keeping du Maurier's title and concept of unexplained bird attacks. While it initially received mixed reviews when originally released, its reputation improved over time and it has since been considered to be one of the greatest horror films of all time. At the 36th Academy Awards, Ub Iwerks was nominated for Best Special Effects for his work on the film. The award, however, went to the only other nominee, Emil Kosa Jr., for Cleopatra. Hedren won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress for her role in the film. In 2016, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress, and selected for preservation in its National Film Registry. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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