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The Birds
Original movie poster for The Birds
Directed by	Alfred Hitchcock
Produced by	Uncredited: Alfred Hitchcock
Written by	Short story: Daphne du Maurier Screenplay: Evan Hunter
Starring	Introducing: Tippi Hedren With: Rod Taylor Jessica Tandy Suzanne Pleshette Veronica Cartwright Charles McGraw Ethel Griffies
Music by	Electronic score:
Cinematography	Robert Burks
Editing by	George Tomasini
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	March 28, 1963
Running time	119 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	US$2,500,000
Followed by	The Birds II: Land's End
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

This is the article about the film version of "The Birds". For information on the story version, see The Birds (story)

The Birds is a 1963 horror film by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on the short story The Birds by Daphne du Maurier. The film's innovative special effects, soundtrack, and apocalyptic theme influenced later "revenge of nature" disaster films. Unlike most other films of its era, The Birds did not have a music score or an ending in the conventional sense.

Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Production 3 Awards 4 The Birds (2009 film) 5 The Birds in popular culture 6 Listen to 7 References 8 External links

Beautiful young Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), a wealthy socialite whose father is the proprietor of a large newspaper, visits a San Francisco pet shop to pick up a myna bird she has ordered for her aunt. There, Melanie meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor), a lawyer who is looking for a pair of lovebirds to give to his young sister.

Intrigued by him, she buys the lovebirds and finds the address for Mitch's home in Bodega Bay, a small coastal village up the Pacific coast. Melanie drives to Bodega Bay and delivers the birds by sneaking across the small harbor in a motor boat to the Brenner residence. Melanie walks right into the house and leaves the birds on a table with a note. As Melanie is headed back across the bay, Mitch circles around in his car to meet her. Just as she is about to pull up to the dock, a seagull swoops down and gashes her head.

Over the next few days the avian attacks continue, as Melanie develops relationships with Mitch, his clingy mother, Lydia (Jessica Tandy), his teenage sister, Cathy (Veronica Cartwright), and Cathy's teacher (and Mitch's former lover), Annie (Suzanne Pleshette). The attacks escalate from a few birds strafing Cathy's birthday party, to a neighboring farmer's gruesome death, to a mass attack on the town's children at their school.

The climax of the film comes as a seagull attack on the harbor-front results in a fire and more deaths. Melanie and Mitch's family ultimately take refuge in Mitch's house, where Mitch saves Melanie from birds who have broken into the attic. Lydia and Mitch bandage Melanie's wounds, but determine she must get to a hospital. In a surreal and apocalyptic scene, a sea of landed birds ripples menacingly around them as they leave the house, but does not attack. The car radio gives reports of several smaller attacks by birds in a few other communities in coastal California. The sea of birds parts as they slowly proceed toward the road and pick up speed. The film concludes with the sun rising as the four of them drive away from the farm, down the coast road and out of sight.

This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (November 2007)

The film depicts a series of bird attacks on the residents of a Californian seaside village named Bodega Bay. In Daphne du Maurier's story, the birds attacked Britain, not California. The film was shot on location both in Bodega Bay and the nearby village of Bodega, the location of the historic school building used in the production. This was the second of Hitchcock's films to be shot in Sonoma County; the first was Shadow of a Doubt, filmed mostly in Sonoma County's county seat, Santa Rosa. Hitchcock also filmed a few scenes in downtown San Francisco, including his own cameo in which he exited the pet store with his own dogs.

Hitchcock was inspired by a report in the 18 August 1961 issue of the Santa Cruz, California Sentinel newspaper [1] of birds exhibiting strange and sometimes violent behavior. This event was brought up in the film between the town residents in the Tides diner.

Hedren was told mechanical birds would be used for the terrifying and brutal attic scene. Instead, live birds were hurled at her by prop men for a week. When one nearly gouged her eye she became hysterical, collapsed and spent a week haunted by "nightmares filled with flapping birds". After visiting the set Cary Grant praised her as "one very brave lady".

Instead of a typical film soundtrack, Hitchcock had Oskar Sala painstakingly create bird sounds on his trautonium, which were then scored to the movie by Bernard Herrmann. No natural bird sounds were used. There is a very high-pitched soundtrack of electronic noise through the film which subconsciously adds to the tension experienced by the viewer. Just prior to the attack on the school children, as they run from the historic school, they sing an unaccompanied song.

Hitchcock insisted that the film be without a final "The End", which further hints at the lyrical nature of the movie (called by Federico Fellini: "an apocalyptical poem"). Hitchcock reportedly did consider a final shot of the Golden Gate Bridge covered with birds, implying that the birds would not stop with their local attacks.

The highly-anticipated film was launched with an elaborate promotional campaign, inaugurated with the Hitchcock-engineered phrase, "The birds is coming!" Hitchcock appeared with birds on his shoulder on the cover of Life magazine. Hedren appeared on the cover of Look magazine with the line "Hitchcock's New Grace Kelly."

Hitchcock also released a five-minute trailer featuring himself making a presentation on his "forthcoming lecture about the birds and their age-long relationship with man", giving numerous sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek examples "in which these noble creatures have added to the beauty of the world" such as cavalier hats, eggs, shotguns, and zoos. Actually footage from the film itself is not shown until the last minute of the trailer.

The sequel The Birds II: Land's End that features Brad Johnson and Chelsea Field premiered as a cable television movie in 1994; Tippi Hedren also appeared in a supporting role, playing a different character than in the original film.

There is no musical soundtrack at any time in the film.

To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup because it is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. This section has been tagged since November 2007.

• The film debuted at a prestigious invitational showing at the Cannes Film Festival with Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren in attendance.
• The movie was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Special Effects. It lost out to Cleopatra (1963).
• Tippi Hedren received the Golden Globe as the most promising newcomer of 1964. She shared this award with Ursula Andress and Elke Sommer.
• Tippi Hedren received the Photoplay Award as Most Promising Newcomer.
• The film topped the list of top ten foreign films selected by the Bengal Film Journalist Association. The Association also awarded Alfred Hitchcock the Best Director Award for the film. [2]

According to Hollywood Reporter^[1], a 2009 remake of The Birds is in the works, rumored to star Naomi Watts, who would take the role of Melanie Daniels.^[2] The story will be based on the original short story by Daphne du Maurier, while the screenplay is being written by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White. The producers are Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller. Martin Campbell is set to direct it. IMDb Profile

It had been reported the film would have a release date of July 3, 2009. However, producer Brad Fuller discounted that report in an interview with The Trades^[3].

In an interview with the Denver Post, Robert Knepper said he would also be starring in the new remake. Although no official word is out on the subject, it is believed that he has signed.^[4]

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (November 2007)

To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup because it is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. This section has been tagged since November 2007.

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• After the film's release, a famous Mad magazine parody appeared entitled "For the Birds." One of its panels reproduces a "The Birds is coming!" poster with an added graffiti line, "And good grammar in advertising has went!"
• In an episode of Animaniacs, the Goodfeathers sign onto the filming of a movie called "The Boids" as extras. The episode includes caricatures of Hitchcock, Hedren, and Jack Nicholson.
• In an episode of That '70s Show, in a Halloween episode dream sequence, Kitty, while feeding her neighbor's bird, is trapped inside a phone booth that simply happens to appear in the room and is then attacked by dozens of birds.
• Mel Brooks' movie High Anxiety (1978) parodies several Hitchcock films, including The Birds, when birds "attack" him by excreting on him.
• The Simpsons makes several references to The Birds:
  • In "A Streetcar Named Marge", when Maggie is picked from the day-care center, babies are perched all over the building. When Homer and the kids leave, a caricature of Hitchcock is walking his dogs on the sidewalk (a recreation of his cameo; see below).
  • In the episode "Itchy & Scratchy Land", Marge wishes the family had gone to the bird sanctuary. However, in the bird sanctuary, the birds have gone crazy, and Hans Moleman is menaced by birds in a phone booth, with birds crashing against the glass.
  • In the "Treehouse of Horror XI" segment "Night of the Dolphins", the invading dolphins stand on their tails on the power lines. It also features a scene where the family leaves the house as they're surrounded by watchful dolphins, a reference to the final scene of the film.
  • In the episode "Homer vs. Dignity", the citizens of Springfield are attacked by gulls.

• The film Finding Nemo has a scene with seagulls perched everywhere, reminiscent of the birds outside the school house.
• In The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius episode "When Pants Attack", swarms of pants gather and pants are fluttering onto telephone lines, and Jimmy's mother states "It's like a homage to Alfred Hitchcock's movie 'The Birds'!"
• In the Arthur episode entitled The Squirrels, Arthur and his friends become paranoid after watching an old horror film about squirrels attacking (and apparently devouring) people.
• One of The Far Side comics created by Gary Larson shows a small flock of birds hidden behind a tree near an old woman feeding squirrels. One of the birds, presumably the leader, says, 'Hey, I have an idea. How many people here have seen Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds?' and most of the surrounding birds raise one wing.
• In an episode of Roseanne, the character of Roseanne's daughter, Darleen, dresses for Halloween as a woman being attacked by birds in an echo of the famous scene with Tippi Hedren.
• On Mystery Science Theater 3000, the mad scientists sometimes declare "We're Evil! EVIL!" mimicking the diner patron who accuses Melanie of causing the birds' attack. In Episode #603, The Dead Talk Back, a movie character speaking of a murder victim proclaims "She was evil!" to which Mike Nelson adds "She brought the birds here!" In Episode #801, Revenge of the Creature, a scene opens in a lagoon with various wildlife, including birds perched on limbs, and Tom Servo sings a bar or two of the song sung by the schoolchildren in The Birds ("Nickety nockety now now now!").
• Saturday Night Live spoofed the famous school-children/bird attack sequence with a mock movie trailer for a "film" entitled The Clams. It featured dozens of chattering clam shells on the schoolyard jungle gym, and giant clam shells pursuing the school-children.
• In the Code Lyoko episode "The Pretender" Xana possesses a bunch of crows so that he can attack the heroes, and nearly kills Yumi. Odd remarks in the episode that he saw a film like this and didn't think it was scary, but quickly changes his mind when he gets chased by the crows.
• In the computer game Zoo Tycoon, if a guest is named Alfred H, black and white birds fly over the zoo, causing guests to scream.
• The comic strip "Mother Goose and Grim" once portrayed "Alfred Hitchcock's The Tweety Birds", in which several versions of Looney Tunes character Tweety are seated menacingly on power lines.
• In an episode of South Park the mutant turkeys peck out one of Kenny's eyes, a spoof of when the Birds attack humans
• In the 2007 film Resident Evil: Extinction, a group of zombified crows perches on telephone lines before attacking the convoy.
• Much of the album art for Norma Jean's Redeemer, was apparently based on scenes from The Birds.
• An episode of the surreal British comedy sketch show Big Train depicted a parody of the Birds entitled 'The Working Class', in which a woman is menaced by working class men wearing boiler suits and flat caps.

• Radio Memories Network: Lux Radio Theater: The Birds with Herbert Marshall (July 20, 1953)
• Radio Nostalgia Network: Escape: "The Birds" (July 10, 1954)

• The Birds at the Internet Movie Database
• The Birds at All Movie Guide
• The Birds at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Birds (2009) at the Internet Movie Database
• 'The Birds' Screenshot Gallery

v • d • e The The Birds Duology
The Birds • The Birds II: Land's End Related Articles: Alfred Hitchcock

v • d • e The films of Alfred Hitchcock
1920s	Number 13 · Always Tell Your Wife · The Pleasure Garden · The Mountain Eagle · The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog · Downhill · Easy Virtue · The Ring · The Farmer's Wife · Champagne · The Manxman · Blackmail
1930s	Juno and the Paycock · Murder! · Elstree Calling · The Skin Game · Mary · Number Seventeen · Rich and Strange · Waltzes from Vienna · The Man Who Knew Too Much · The 39 Steps · Secret Agent · Sabotage · Young and Innocent · The Lady Vanishes · Jamaica Inn
1940s	Rebecca · Foreign Correspondent · Mr. & Mrs. Smith · Suspicion · Saboteur · Shadow of a Doubt · Lifeboat · Aventure Malgache · Bon Voyage · Spellbound · Notorious · The Paradine Case · Rope · Under Capricorn
1950s	Stage Fright · Strangers on a Train · I Confess · Dial M for Murder · Rear Window · To Catch a Thief · The Trouble with Harry · The Man Who Knew Too Much · The Wrong Man · Vertigo · North by Northwest
1960s	Psycho · The Birds · Marnie · Torn Curtain · Topaz
1970s	Frenzy · Family Plot
Misc	List of Hitchcock cameo appearances · List of unproduced Hitchcock projects