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By
NICK ZEGARAC
It's both ironic and a
tragedy that for so many non-film buffs the name
Alfred Hitchcock is synonymous with the horror
film genre: tragic and ironic because the
assumption is false and not indicative of
Hitchcock's body of work. Of all of his films,
"The Birds" remains Hitchcock's only genuine foray
into horror.
Based on a short story by Daphne Du Maurier, the
plot concerns the tiny hamlet of Bodega Bay, CA
and an unlikely romance that gradually blossoms
between a headstrong woman of the world, Melanie
Daniels (Tippi Hedren), and a seemingly
mild-mannered attorney, Mitch Brenner (Rod
Taylor). (Aside: Du Maurier's work had inspired
Hitch' before; her novel "Rebecca" had provided
him with his foray into American movies and the
resulting film won a Best Picture Oscar, though
Hitch' would never be honored in his lifetime as
such with a Best Director statuette.)
After a chance meeting in a bird shop in San
Francisco, Melanie is determined to get under
Mitch's skin by secretly delivering a pair of
lovebirds to his family home in Bodega Bay. The
birds are a surprise present for Mitch's young
sister Kathy (Veronica Cartwright). Upon
discovering the gift, Mitch tails Melanie back to
town to settle the score. However, before he can
confront her on shore, a seagull attacks Melanie
in her rowboat, inflicting a head wound that is
but a prelude of sinister things to come. Jessica
Tandy costars as Mitch and Kathy's overbearing
mother, Lydia. Skeptical of Melanie's past and
quite aware of the burgeoning romance between her
son and Melanie, Lydia is determined to keep the
two apart. But that's where the story ends and the
special effects begin.
"The Birds" is by far the most technically
challenging film in Hitchcock's canon. It features
complex matte shots, process photography,
multi-layering of combined live action/pre-shot
sequences and perilous stunt work performed by the
principal actors with live birds. At one point
during the shoot, the script called for Melanie to
be trapped in an attic with birds swarming at her
from every direction. The experience sent Tippi
Hedren into shock and resulted in her temporary
hospitalization. During another sequence Hedren
sustained minor injuries when a window that wasn't
suppose to break suddenly shattered, sending
shards of glass into her scalp and face. For the
sequence in which birds begin to gather on some
playground equipment while Melanie smokes a
cigarette, Hitchcock had intended using live
subjects. But the bird wranglers were unable to
find enough feathered friends to behave.
Ultimately, only a few well-trained fowl were
employed with a host of fake birds used in their
stead. Despite these difficulties, the resulting
film emerges as Hitchcock's final cinematic
triumph; a terrifying blend of surreal fantasy and
harrowing escapism. In the intervening decades the
master of suspense declined into a string of
B-pictures ("Marnie," "Topaz," "Torn Curtain,"
"Frenzy" and "Family Plot") that retread on his
old formulas but with less and less success at the
box office.
Universal's DVD is problematic. Though the picture
is anamorphically enhanced there is an excessive
amount of digital anomalies present throughout. At
times these are so glaringly obvious that it is
impossible to simply ignore the shimmering, edge
enhancement and pixelization. Colors on the whole
are bright and accurately rendered. During process
shots and matte painting effects flesh tones tend
to look a bit pasty. Age-related artifacts have
not been cleaned up and are present throughout.
Contrast levels and fine detail are on the whole
nicely realized though, at times, the picture does
have a decidedly harsh look that is not very film
like. The audio is mono but has been nicely
cleaned up. Extras include a very thorough and
entertaining documentary on the making of the
film, screen pages and storyboard ideas on how the
film was supposed to end, as well as the original
theatrical trailer.
Please note: Universal's packaging that advertises
an "alternate ending" is deceiving since no ending
other than the one already featured in the film
was ever shot. The "alternate" as advertised is a
series of still images and storyboard ideas strung
together for a final that that might have been but
has never actually existed on celluloid. |
