Jay made a comment during the swarming attack at the school about CGI. There was no CGI back then, illustrators had to paint the extra birds into the scenes. Most scenes used real birds but to get the swarming flock effect they used the painted in special effects just like a cartoon, frame by frame.
CGI means Computer Generated Image. Before the existence of computers with enough power to create "realistic" images, all the special effects in movies were created with manual and/or visual tricks, puppets, maquettes, in the filming set. And postproduction techniques like the still used blue/green Screen, the mix of diferent filmations, or painting directly on the filmed negatives on by one. The first movie that includes a good and realistic CGI is Young Sherlock Holmes from 1985 in a great short scene, a very good aventure movie for you to react! Tron from 1982 also includes CGI but much more primitive. You are doing a great work guys!
I always get a laugh when they talk about "CGI" or "graphics" in reviews for films from the days when all effects were either practical or they had to literally draw onto each frame of the film. It's a different era, having to either build a mechanical bird or bring in 3200 live birds, trained to do what you want them to do. And that includes bringing in trainers, wranglers, feeders and medics, as well as supervisors to ensure no harm came to them during production. It's a bygone era, when if you wanted it to be seen, you had to find a way to really put it there.
Same way they handled a lot of the wide-set shots in the first Star Wars. Individual components were hand painted on glass. I love when art becomes painstakingly impossible.
The scene where Tippi Hedren is sitting on the bench and each subsequent shot reveals more and more birds is peak filmmaking. It raises tension in such a natural way
I've tried to watch this movie at least three times over the last 40yrs. It's so slow and not really scary (mostly comical), I've fallen asleep every time. 😆 Ya want scary?? Have a movie with an invasion of Cassowaries or Shoebills. Now ya got my attention!! 😳😆
Hitchcock was the master of SUSPENSE not horror. In interviews with him, he stated that if you were at a theater and he announced that there was a bomb beneath one of the seats but didn't know which one or when it would go off, the suspense would be created in your mind trying to figure out the details. THAT'S what made him a master of this genre of psychological thrillers. He didn't need to create the gore - your own mind would do that.
Ever since the early 70's, I and even my parents considered this Hitchcock classic, extremely slow-moving, exaggerated and one of the least scary products of his work. It always seemed more of a comedy to me, like the Freddy Kruger movies. I don't think I've heard the expression "Yeah, right!! 🙄" said so many times before I fell asleep, by my Dad and my brothers while watching any other movie growing up. Ya want scary?? Have a movie with an invasion of Cassowaries or Shoebills with a touch of JAWS music. Now ya got my attention!! 😳😆
Horror *is* a form of suspense. In fact, I'd say there's a very find line between the two. There are some horror movies that are freakishly suspenseful, and there are some suspense movies that step over the line into horror. So, while most of Hitchcock's films are suspense, he definitely did some horror. This very movie, for example, is horror. Plain and simple. I think that, now days, the term "horror" makes people think of slasher movies and gore fests, and they seem downright insulted that Hitchcock is being associated with something so low brow. But, back in the day, horror and suspense were considered two sides of the same coin, often distinguished only by the fact that, in a horror story, the suspense was being caused by something mysterious and unknown, possibly even supernatural. In fact, a lot of writers and such that did mystery and suspense also did horror. Arthur Conan Doyle, for example.
What you call "starting slow" is classic Hitchcock: laying the groundwork for the movie, developing characters you actually care about, and building suspense that has a fantastic payoff. The vast majority of suspense and horror movies of the past 30+ years do almost none of that. I greatly prefer this style of movie.
Back in 1971 my sister and I were leaving our high school for the day. There was a kid walking in front of us eating pop corn. As we crossed the football field birds started to attack him. He panicked and started to run. We yelled for him to drop the pop corn as we tried to chase the birds away. There were over a dozen. When he finally dropped the pop corn they left him alone and we all ran for the bus stop. We had all seen this movie as kids and we were sure shaken up.
Rear Window is a great one. It’s so charming, suspenseful, and visually pleasing. And the main actors Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly are great together - I hope you get to that one!
Remember- Hitchcock was not about making “scary” films as they are today. He was all about suspense, and making the audience experience as much suspense as possible for what the characters in his films were going through. He was about setting up psychological mysteries and forcing the audience to figure out a lot of situations for themselves.This is definitely one of his more open-ended films, but they all left some questions unanswered or motivations unexplained.
The film is based on a short story by the British author Daphne du Maurier who also wrote "Rebecca" which Hitchcock filmed too. Hitchcock expanded the concept by a lot but it was her original idea.
The actress who played the mother was Jessica Tandy. She starred in the 1985 hit "Cocoon" and "Fried Green Tomatoes" from 1991 which also starred Kathy Bates. (Tandy and Bates were terrific together in that film--highly recommended). Jessica Tandy won an Oscar for best lead actress for "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989) and became the oldest actress to ever win the award. For a truly scary and gross out film for you guys to watch I recommend watching "The Fly" with Jeff Goldblum. For sheer tension and fear I recommend watching the 1978 remake of "The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" which stars Donald Sutherland and a young Jeff Goldblum. The unease from this movie will stay with you quite a while after watching it.
The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers from 1978 is a Great one to check out. Probably my top choice for creepiest, most effective, and well-made sci-f/horror films ever. So glad somebody finally suggested it.
I always thought the reason that they got out without being attacked during the last scene was that they had the lovebirds in a cage. One of the birds screamed out “Back off guys…they have hostages!”
In old monster movies, sometimes you could get 40 minutes or more into the movie without ever seeing the monster. Viewers were more sophisticated back then and appreciated a good build up, unlike now where everyone seems to have such short attention spans and needs to see the monster in the opening scenes. Movies used to be story driven, now they are action and special effects driven. This movie is an absolute masterpiece of suspense, which is what Alfred Hitchcock was all about. Not horror, but suspense!
I was going to say the same thing. Young viewers don't understand good filmmaking. They want all action and no story. They don't even want nor care to get to know the characters. It's sad really.
Movies have been playing 'Top this' for so long that modern audiences want the monster front and center. That's besides the texting and other distractions. "Less is more" gets lost in the attempt to make money in foreign markets and before pirated copies make the rounds.
I think part of the reason it was left unexplained is because it’s more unsettling to have no idea why this would happen. There’s also no predictable pattern of when they might attack. It leaves the audience in a weird suspicious place so when they leave the theater and walk outside… they see birds, and they look at them differently. Now, you see a flock of birds hanging out in a group and it gives you an uneasy feeling. You keep your eye on them. It is a cool way to bring the horror and suspense out of the theater and carry it with you. If the movie was about space aliens or crazy monsters, you wouldn’t have that feeling because you never actually see those… but birds are everywhere. 😳
I agree, it was left open for everyone to interpret their own version or vision of why it happened. I don't remember how old I was when I first saw this movie, had to be back in the 80's though. One time we were at the beach, this was some time in the 90's and like a fool, I decided to feed a couple of the seagulls some of the chips we had, major mistake... lol Next thing we saw were dozens of birds flying towards us, this movie quickly came to mind, I dropped the bag of chips and we bailed. lol Agree with everything you mentioned, it was left open for a reason.
This was based on a true story of a bird attack in California in 1961. The reason was never discovered just like this movie. Daphne DuMaurier is one if my favorite authors and wrote one if my top 10 books, Rebecca.
Actually, the same region experienced the same problem in 1991. Turns out that single celled algae will occasionally become toxic, then works its way up the food chain to the fish that the sea birds eat. None of the other animals are bothered by this toxin, but it has a devastating effect on birds. It causes disorientation, seizures and even death. The dead birds in 1961 weren't tested, but a lab had a sample of a small organism that fed on algae from 1961, so that specimen was tested. It was rife with the toxin.
The actress who plays the Mother was Jessica Tandy. You can also see her in "Driving Miss Daisy" and "Fried Green Tomatoes", both movies that I think you should do reaction videos for, Jay and Amber. 😇👍
First of all the movie is based upon a short story by Daphne du Maurier so that is why it ends abruptly. Next, Hitchcock didn’t do Horror. He did Suspense. He was a master of building tension, letting your own fears get the best of you and popping the balloon when you least expected it. He was also a master story-teller and every detail of every shot was story-boarded. The shots of the wood chipping away was done over several times because it was not happening the way he had envisioned it. He was reported to have been one of the most frustrating people to work with and his movies show you why. This gets categorized as horror because when it came out it completely pushed the envelope for theater-goers. For example: the scene of the guy in pajamas was extremely controversial at the time.
Cathy was played by Veronica Cartwright, who grew up to appear in some iconic movies in supporting roles, notably Alien, The Witches of Eastwick, and the 1978 version of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Check 'em out.
Alfred Hitchcock was the master of suspense. Every inch of a film by him was meticulously detailed by plan. One of my favorites by him is Shadow of a Doubt and of course Rear Window and so many more.
I was nine years old when this came to the theatres in 1963 and I saw it. One of my favorite Hitchcock films. My friend and I sat in the first few front rows. Scared us to death, but loved every minute of it. This is back when you could see a double feature for 25 cents.
I saw this film when I was young too and it terrified me. Every house I was in I would scan it to see if it could be defended against birds. Like an inner room you could hide in... such as a pantry or under the stairs.
The Birds was partly inspired by the true events of a mass bird attack on the seaside town of Capitola in California on August 18, 1961, when "Capitola residents awoke to a scene that seemed straight out of a horror movie. Hordes of seabirds were dive-bombing their homes, crashing into cars and spewing half-digested anchovies onto lawns". The cause of the birds' behavior was toxic algae.
This story is about relationships and the birds are symbols of emotional upheaval. Annie was still in love with Mitch and was jealous of Melanie. The mother was weak and fearful and jealous of both Annie and Melanie. The woman with children in the restaurant saw Melanie as an irresponsible playgirl. In the end, the birds are calm when the mother nurses Melanie as they leave for the city.
Hitchcock wanted to portray nature striking back at man, and he selected birds as nature's weapon because they have historically been shot at, stuffed, eaten, and put in cages. He was also pursuing highly inventive photographic techniques like rotoscoping, and the use of big wide shots like the birds descending from the sky during that scene of chaos, which some called a "bird's eye view" and he corrected as "God's view." In addition to using live birds, he also used stuffed birds, animatronic birds, and animated birds. For the climactic scene in the attic, he physically threw live birds at Tippi Hedren until she physically broke down. Hitchcock was the master of suspense, and he liked bringing chaos, murder, and suspense to quiet and idyllic American towns, especially places where they don't lock their doors and everybody knows their neighbors business. Ultimately, the reason for the birds attack is unknown, and NOT KNOWING is chilling, because it might not be our place or within our comprehension to know. After all, what often gets us into a scrap with nature is our arrogant view of humanity being above nature or able to tame nature. What's most terrifying to me about this film is that the birds could have killed all of them, but they chose to WAIT. Whatever for?
This has always been my favorite Hitchcock movie since I was a kid. Birds don’t bother me BUT if I see a large gathering of birds my mind automatically goes back to the playground scene with all the birds covering the monkey bars.
The leading lady is the mother of Melanie Griffith and grandmother of Dakota Johnson. Another great Hitchcock movie that Tippi Hedren is in is called MARNIE. It’s a very good movie as well. The leading man in that movie is Sean Connery.
I always wonder how a movie like 'The Birds' plays to people 30 and younger because there is a lot of build up and character development before the terror starts.. and the ending is so unsettling because there is no resolution.
Alfred Hitchcock had a whole list of horror movies he did not just create suspense movies his horror movies were the birds, the rope, psycho, vertigo, rear window, dial m for murder, and lots more horror movies and yes birds was considered as a horror movie
When i first saw this film , i started looking at birds as something more, than just our cute feathered friends . Rod Taylor was brilliant in this and in my opinion , he was Australia's greatest ever actor . You have to watch The Time Machine, Rod Taylor is brilliant as H G Wells
Another thriller by Alfred Hitchcock is Rear Window. Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly made such a good pairing. And Raymond Burr waa just amazing! I can watch that movie everyday for the rest of my life and never get tired of it.
Hitchcock is the master of suspense. There are scary moments but his power was to slowly increase the tension and then let your mind fill in the horror.
@@davidwoolbright3675 Exactly. It's, honestly, much more realistic than any explanation they could give and the not knowing is what makes it scarier. It turns the birds into a singular force of nature. And by the end of the movie, they are the ones in control, not humans. In the end, they win.
@@davidwoolbright3675 They'd immediately tell us it's the result of climate change and will need to send another $4 billion to Ukraine. That has to be the costliest war the US was never in.
44:22 - when they rescue her from the attic, and she comes to on the couch, and the camera is directly above her, her eyes open, and looks straight down the barrel of the camera: full eye contact with us, the audience, with wide-eyed panic, hands flailing: that bit gets ME every time. The visceral response to human panic, right there. Hitchcock knew what he was doing!
Man up Jay! First thing I do in the mornings is get that first cup of coffee and go on my back porch. The birds start singing at precisely 7:10 each morning. Maybe there is a difference between city birds and country birds. Mine are usually red or blue birds. They don't attack they just sing their hearts out.
I’m so glad you watched this! I’m sure someone mentioned this but if not - the daughter is Veronica Cartwright who played Lambert in “ALIEN”! This movie has a build up for sure. Your faces when the birds came out of the chimney had me crying! 😂
Hitchcock wanted you think about the movie long after it was over. Not explaining why the birds attacked is a good way to do that. Because sometimes nature happens. The Birds is not intended to be a horror movie like a slasher movie. Its a Man vs. Nature tale. It’s that slow creep up the spine . A classic thriller from the master of suspense.
That's what makes it so good. "What's up with the birds?" - we don't know, and so can't really prevent or predict it. And that could happen to YOU too - who's to say? Brilliant. 😉👍
@jeannoah2018 I saw this movie in a theatre long after this movie originally came out, in the 80s. The audience in the theatre laughed so hard at the two birds swaying with the car!
One of my favorite movies. Went to Bodega Bay. Toured the area. Visited the school. The restaurant, there is a little country store that plays the movie all day and has so much memorabilia. I loved that town. This is a suspenseful movie. The unknown is what scares you.
My parents had a beach house in Bodega Bay and we'd spend summers and several holidays there each year. I started going in the early 1970s, so the town looked very much as it does in the film. My parents have since passed away and we sold the beach house, but it was such a wonderful experience and I still visit often. The lore around The Birds is still prevalent among the locals in BB.
The schoolyard scene is classic Hitchcock. The children chanting, the tension building as more birds settle on the jungle gym. I also found the mother's run down the hall after discovering the body extremely provocative.
One of the many things I love about any Hitchcock film is the amazing vista's no shot is wasted, all dialog matters, and the tension just mounts and mounts and mounts.
More Hitchcock please!! 1. Rear Window 2. North By Northwest 3. To Catch A Thief 4.Dial M For Murder 5. The Man Who Knew Too Much (Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day you’ve reacted to her as a singer , now see her as an actress!)
This movie is not a scary movie like other moderns, it's a classic horror film. It does not rely on jump scares, instead it lets the acts speak for themselves. We don't know why this is happening, there isn't a handy explanation that conveniently makes itself known. We know no more than the characters to whom this is all happening. There aren't musical queues to artificially manipulate your emotions. It's nature striking back at man in its purest form. This is a movie that I never get tired of watching. All of the actors are impeccable in their roles, and every scene is flawless. Hitchock, as disgusting as he was toward Tippi, knew how to make a great horror movie.
Unfortunately, today people are so used to being shown and told every detail of the storyline of a film that they've begun to depend on that almost to the point that they can't enjoy a movie without it. Hitchock spoke once about the difference between a momentary scare and extended suspense. It reminds me of the original movie The Fly where throughout the movie, until the very end, we never saw the face. We were made to build in our own minds what the character might look like. How horrible he'd become. In the newer film with Goldblum, they show his transformation throughout the movie which to me doesn't create the same feeling of horror and suspense. The end of the original movie in the garden, you're brought to the point where you feel like yelling at Francois to turn around so he can see Andre' the fly trapped in the web screaming, "Help me!". We hear him screaming but Francois doesn't and the audience naturally feels like calling out to Francois to save him. Again the suspense. Rather than the newer version where, after fighting Goldblum, Geena Davis shoots him. I love these movies much more. When we as the viewers, are allowed to add our own bits and pieces to the story, sometimes we make up in our minds even more frightening stories than the writers might. Why are these birds doing this? What does he look like under the hood?
Well said. Some folks think that Horror is supposed to be non-stop gore and jump scares when in fact that is the opposite of good Horror. The tension created in this movie is smply second to none and way scarier than any spoon fed CGI Marvel crap that new franchises are full
I don't think its a "horror" movie, and Hitchcock himself said he did NOT make horror films. This is a SUSPENSE/MYSTERY movie. Hitch was the Master of SUSPENSE, not Horror.
@@kbrewski1 It is very obviously Hitchcock's take on a "Monster Movie" Yes he does it with his own twist. but make no mistake: a movie about Birds monstrously and violently attacking people is a Horror movie no matter how you spin it
@timcardona9962 I'll go by Hitchcock's own words rather than your off base speculative musings. Again, Hitchcock was known as the Master of SUSPENSE and NEVER called the Master of Horror.
Hitchcock wrote a final scene, and even did the storyboards, where they're driving through the town and the birds attack again, pecking at the convertible top, and just as it is totally destroyed, they reach the edge of town and Mitch is able to step on the gas and speed away. But Hitchcock thought that would detract from the climactic scene, which was the attack on the house and Melanie in the upstairs bedroom, so he left it out. He also wanted to leave it unexplained as to WHY th birds were attacking. You can think it was because of the two lovebirds, but then wouldn't the other birds have attacked and broken the cage to set them free when Cathy brought them outside? As the studio had Hitchcock add an explanatory scene with the psychologist in Psycho, I think he wanted to do it his way in this movie and leave you guessing even more than you would have in Psycho.
I read that Hitchcock wanted to end the film by having them drive all the way to San Francisco trying to escape, only to find the Golden Gate Bridge covered in birds. The studio rejected that idea, thinking that it was too pessimistic.
This movie totally freaked me out the first time I saw it. It still freaks me out. Then I read some of the horror stories that Tippi Hedren went through during filming...hell no!
There was an incident that happened in California where sea birds that ate toxic algae started attacking people, houses, and cars, and puking all over. Hitchcock read an article about it and it became an inspiration for the movie along with a 1952 short story with the same name, written by Daphne du Maurier. The majority of the birds used were real. However $200,000.00 was spent on mechanical birds. The special effects were created at Walt Disney studios by Ub Iwerks.
Jessica Tandy is the actress who plays the Mother, she has two films I would love for you to react to, both are in my top 10 of all time favorite films, first DRIVING MISS DAISY, co starring Morgan Freeman, she won an Oscar for her performance, the movie has two scenes that get me misty eyed every time and are deeply deeply touching, the movie is mainly about a developing friendship between an older woman and her driver, Dan Aykroyd has a supporting role. The next movie, is FRIED GREEN TOMATOES , a deeply touching movie about friendship , Kathy Bates co stars with Jessica.along with Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary Louise Parker For your next Hitchcock film, I suggest REAR WINDOW, its a murder, thriller, mystery type film co starring two screen legends, Jimmy Stewart and the stunning Grace Kelly, you have not seen glamour until you have seen Grace Kelly!!!
Hitchcock didn't go for cheap jump scare garbage that is what most 90-minute horror films have become. Please don't ever judge his work off of the crap that goes for thrillers/horror today. Hitchcock was a genius and each of his films is meant to transport viewers to a world that is both familiar and unfamiliar simultaneously. Every frame can be frozen into a portrait that looks like a piece of art. There's always a mood that he's going for and he can paint it just as easily with words of dialogue as he can with unique set designs. It all works together in each of his films to create something new and fresh and wholly unique in each one. If you watch any other film of his, you'll start to see the common vocabulary in audio and visual storytelling. Its his and nobody else will ever be Hitchcock.
Yeah, the idea isn’t the immediate jump scare but giving you something to remember in the long term and make the real world a little scarier. Lots of people (including my parents) were nervous about taking a shower after seeing Psycho, and I suppose some people probably got uneasy around birds after seeing this one.
If you want to know why the birds attacked, you’ll have to ask the birds. When I saw this as a kid, I figured out a room in my house that would be the safest if the birds attacked 😂 (it was a big closet)
You can visit the place where this was filmed. It's Bodega Bay on the California coast north of San Francisco. The crows landing on the playset was a classic move from Hitchcock. He would show the audience the peril while keeping the character oblivious to the danger to heighten the tension.
The little girl, shes Veronica Cartwright, she played “Lambert”, the lady with the short blond hair in the 1979 film Alien with Sigourney Weaver. She was also in another classic horror film in 1979, called Invasion of the Body Snatchers. So to be in 3 iconic films, is a big accomplishment.
She was also the "church lady" in Witches of Eastwick who had the profane freak out in church & power-barfed the cherries til her husband offed her lol!
Veronica Cartwright (Angela's sister) also played astronaut Gus Grissom's wife in "The Right Stuff", and in the late 1950s she played Violet Rutherford in the "Leave It to Beaver" TV series.
And one of the other girls in the schoolhouse attack (the girl on the right in the still shot when the 2 girls are looking up at the birds) is the child actress Suzanne Cupito, who later renamed herself as Morgan Brittany, and appeared as Katherine Wentworth in the TV series "Dallas" (among other things).
I was six years old when this movie premiered in 1963. My older brother took me to see this movie and it scared the hell out of me. This was before the days of motion picture movie ratings and this was not a G rated Disney film! I was freaked out every time I saw birds on the street for a days afterwards. In 1963 these video effects seemed so realistic. As you said Jay, imagine what this movie would be like with today’s CGI technology!
One of my best Halloween costumes was when I went to a party as Melanie Daniels. I had the cute sixties suit, the French twist hairdo, fake birds attached all over me, and lots of blood everywhere. It was amazing.
Hitchcock is the master of suspense. You won't see any gore or blood he'll just keep you on the edge of your seat by what's in your own brain. And you'll think about it every time you see a lot of birds on a power line.....
Oh yes! That is a fantastic film! One of my favorites. The fact that the real-life Joan Crawford and Bette Davis feud made for perfect casting was entertaining.
The writer of this book was a genius. 70 years later and we still are talking about what this all means. The Human imagination is infinite. There have been 100's of theories as to why the "Birds" acted this way. And there will be 100's more. Again, the Author let us finish the story in our minds and through our conversations. A very effective way to keep the book and movie alive through the generations. Thanks for your reaction.
Just to clarify: This was based on a short story, not a novel, and it really just provided inspiration for Hitchcock’s story. There are few similarities between the two, apart from inexplicable bird attacks. DuMaurier’s story, by the way, was said to have been based on a real event.
The best theory about what happened is that the birds got something in their food chain that made them aggressive, something like toxic algae. But this movie started a trend of 'nature attack' movies like "Kingdom of the Spiders" with William Shatner, or "Phase IV" directed by Saul Bass, who also made the titles for some of Hitchcock's movies.
@@Cau_No I heard the "Best" theory was that Mitch's Mother had an influence over nature that she did not consciously know. Was it just coincidence that the women in Mitches life seemed to bear the brunt of the attacks? As I said in a comment here. The Author let us finish the story. And there are a lot of "us"... ha ha
@@Cau_No I loved Kingdom of the Spiders! Shatner made that movie for me. X) Ants! was another great nature attacks movie from 1977; definitely made your skin crawl! Lol
The young girl is Veronica Cartwright who is in another thriller as an adult in the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Also a good one to react to.
I remember watching that as a kid with my mom when it came on TV. That school yard scene when all the kids and teachers were slowly walking past all the crows. Omg I was terrified 😂. Another classic y’all should do is “The Bad Seed”.
I think the fact that the attacks are never explained makes them more unsettling. And no, I don’t think they were spurred on by the lovebirds, Melanie’s arrival, or any other event. They just decided to attack.
Watching this as a child in a movie theater in early sixties was horrifying. The playground scene was almost impossible to stand. This movie was unlike any movie that preceded it. The point was to leave no explanation to continue the suspense after the movie as well as to keep people talking about it. Like you, I was saying get rid of the love birds!!!
Interesting fact: Tippi Hedren is the reason why we can all afford manicures and pedicures. She visited a Vietnamese refugee camp near Sacramento and the women were fascinated with her nails. She brought in cosmetologists and they learned a trade that kept them from ever becoming a burden to taxpayers and nail salons became affordable to all.
The masterpiece of Hitchcock was his psychological magic instead in your face bloody, dumb slasher films....it's more use your own thoughts, and the " what if birds; all billions talked, and flocked together, we'd be done for"😊He's the best at letting each person interpret their own dialog, and storytelling at its best😊think about crows, buzzards, gulls just to name a few, if they stayed together instead of migrating separately...we'd be done for( they love soft tissue like eyes)😅
Me too. I watched it at home on our black-and-white TV. I was probably between 10 and 11. It came on the late show and I had a TV in my room. I snuck and watched it. It was days before I could tell my mom why I couldn’t sleep and was afraid. I wasn’t supposed to watch it. 😂The guy with his eyes pecked out was one of my nightmares
That little girl in light blue on the ground being pecked by the seagulls was Morgan Brittany as a child actress. Adult Morgan Brittany was huge in the 80s-90s.
Jays face when they came through the fireplace 😂😂 Thanks guys, I really needed the laugh today. This is my favorite Hitchcock movie. It’s just possible enough…
A lot of Hitchcock films end that way. You're supposed to decide the why of the birds. You must see, North By Northwest. OMG it is amazing. It's disturbing on a totally different level. Great reaction as always. As we say in Texas; y'all be safe.
North By Northwest is a masterpiece 🥰 One of my all time favourite films of all time along with The Birds & Rear Window. God I miss my days as a film studies student 😢
Actress Tippi Hedren, who plays Melanie, is Melanie Griffith’s mother. The scene where Melanie is upstairs being attacked by birds left Tippi Hedren traumatized. Some of those birds were literally tied to her. Alfred Hitchcock may have traumatized some of the other actresses in his movies but he never cared. He just wanted a scene.
One of the inspirations Hitchcock had for the Birds was based off a News article he read about a real life set of bird attacks off the pacific northwest. There was an episode of mysteries at the museum about it. Loved the reaction.
In college, my husband went to a dorm Halloween party, and his date dressed up as Melanie Daniels. She sewed craft-store birds to a suit she found at a thrift store. He still talks about that costume 40 years later - not the girl, just the costume. Next, you have to react to "Rebecca," Hitchcock's first film after he moved from England to America in the late 1930s. Great twist.
I don't know if you guys know that the lovely stylish Tippi Hedren is Melanie Griffiths mother. She made this and Marnie and was totally tortured by Hitchcock is the Birds. Probably because she looked like his favorite actress Grace Kelly. When Grace left movies to marry the Prince of Monaco he took it out on Tippi. We met her in an airport coming back from Spain, she was casually dressed but elegant and looked great. We told her we loved her movies and she was really appreciative and sweet. She is a big animal rights advocate and rescuer too.
So happy you are doing another Hitchcock film! EDIT - This will not conquer Jay's fear of birds. It will turn it into a man-eating monster of a phobia just like the rest of us after watching it the first time! (Sorry Jay!)
Yeah, this movie was so intense back in the day! Maybe it's time for a remake so Jay and other modern viewers aren't taken out of the story by the lack luster special effects. X)
@@xzonia1 I think it is really easy to miss the point that nature (in this case birds) can come in a f the world up anytime it wants to. People fear politicians and wars, but just imagine if birds or insects or dogs just rose up and decided to take over, we are done. That is what terrified me about this movie - I had an existential crisis at about age 10 lol.
The fact that it doesn't explain why the birds attacked and didn't have a perfect happy ending with the birds being wiped out (something that is so over-done in movies now) makes this movie very suspenseful and mysterious. It was a classic ending. It's what is now as a dark ending, which is actually very cool.
Supposedly, Alfred Hitchcock was inspired to write this screenplay after hearing about a real-life seagull mass bird attack on the seaside town of Capitola, California in 1961.
Thats why i love the old classics they set up the story and tell a bit of the back story compared to todays movies that just fly through the whole thing with lots of music and CGI effects... give me the classics 9 out of 10 !
The scene when the guy catches fire when dropping the match and you get a far out shot seeing the birds flying and looking at the sheer devestation with the fire is truely brilliant and just the sound of the birds is really creepy. A Hitchcock classic.
The lead actress Tippi Hedron said in a memoir that Alfred Hitchcock allowed her to actually be attacked by the Birds during filming for 5 days. He had promised her he would use mechanical birds but didn't . She said that he tried to kiss her, but she rejected him . He took revenge by having birds actually attack her in the telephone booth scene.
Ok, so I have been suggesting this forever. Jay's reaction did not disappoint. His whole demeanor was one of defense. As many have already stated Hitchcock was all about suspense. Your reaction is very much like most people. The suspense builds, the horror builds, and then you never get a resolution. Why did this happen? When my family watched this, back in the day, we asked the same questions. How did it start? Were the love birds carriers of some kind? And biggest of all, is that how it ends??? Hitchcock was a genius. Check out Rope, Rear Window, Frenzy, and his one genuine comedy, The Trouble with Harry. You will not be disappointed. If not mentioned before, the scene where Melanie entered the room and got attacked by the birds, totally freaked out the actress, Tippy Hedron. She had to be sedated after, and the scene where Mitch carries her down the stairs, is not Hedron. She was not able to shoot it. A whole day of Hitchcock throwing birds in her face for the bedroom scene, really messed her up. Another good scary movie is The Andromeda Strain from 1970. This is SciFi horror, but its pretty good. Written by Micheal Crichton, who also wrote Jurassic Park. Well Happy Halloween. Give thought to watching some of the classic Monster movies, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman, and The Creature From the Black Lagoon. Enjoy!
FANtastic recommendations! I LOVE ROPE! It is about the best suspense movie ever. Rear Window - classic movie! The old monster movies mentioned, Frankenstein, Draucla, The Wolfman, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon are ALL great movies!
@@Muckylittleme Jay seems to be forever doomed as just another M.A.G.A. OKIE jock head schmuck who can only enjoy over the top "junk food cinema"; totally clueless to a finely honed screenplay's nuance - I.E. : in his mind "too slow" - in that pea brain located beyond his bratty & stuck up stubby nub of a nose. What an unaware asshole, with his continuing blowhard reactions that totally miss the point(s) by a mile.
I have always loved this movie. Could you review The Exorcist? Now that is scary. If you like great 1960s horror movies, please review Rosemary's Baby.
I'm proud of you Jay! To conquer your fears is to face them, and you did it! Hitchcock is a master of build-up and his films are not horrors, they're thrillers. He never starts his films with action and that is what I love about his style. I like that Hitchcock left the end open to interpretation. This is an absolute favorite of mine and will throw away the remote when I see it's on. One thing many people don't notice is there is no music in this.
I seen a documentary about Tippi Headren. It said that Hitchcock made advances on her and she refused. So the scene where she’s in the attack with the birds attacking her, he made her repeat over and over. She actually did get hurt by some of the real birds they used.
Jay made a comment during the swarming attack at the school about CGI. There was no CGI back then, illustrators had to paint the extra birds into the scenes. Most scenes used real birds but to get the swarming flock effect they used the painted in special effects just like a cartoon, frame by frame.
Some shots were also composites, with bird footage laid over shots of the actors.
Yep, this was way before CGI.
CGI means Computer Generated Image. Before the existence of computers with enough power to create "realistic" images, all the special effects in movies were created with manual and/or visual tricks, puppets, maquettes, in the filming set. And postproduction techniques like the still used blue/green Screen, the mix of diferent filmations, or painting directly on the filmed negatives on by one. The first movie that includes a good and realistic CGI is Young Sherlock Holmes from 1985 in a great short scene, a very good aventure movie for you to react! Tron from 1982 also includes CGI but much more primitive. You are doing a great work guys!
I always get a laugh when they talk about "CGI" or "graphics" in reviews for films from the days when all effects were either practical or they had to literally draw onto each frame of the film. It's a different era, having to either build a mechanical bird or bring in 3200 live birds, trained to do what you want them to do. And that includes bringing in trainers, wranglers, feeders and medics, as well as supervisors to ensure no harm came to them during production. It's a bygone era, when if you wanted it to be seen, you had to find a way to really put it there.
Same way they handled a lot of the wide-set shots in the first Star Wars. Individual components were hand painted on glass. I love when art becomes painstakingly impossible.
The scene where Tippi Hedren is sitting on the bench and each subsequent shot reveals more and more birds is peak filmmaking. It raises tension in such a natural way
I love how HIGH ANXIETY mimics that scene in the park with Mel Brooks.
I think the repetitive children's song in that scene helps to create tension, too.
I've tried to watch this movie at least three times over the last 40yrs. It's so slow and not really scary (mostly comical), I've fallen asleep every time. 😆 Ya want scary?? Have a movie with an invasion of Cassowaries or Shoebills. Now ya got my attention!! 😳😆
I totally agree. It still creeps me out to this day. Such a great scene.
@@MAGGOT_VOMIT It's a suspense film. Stick to Marvel comics.
Hitchcock was the master of SUSPENSE not horror. In interviews with him, he stated that if you were at a theater and he announced that there was a bomb beneath one of the seats but didn't know which one or when it would go off, the suspense would be created in your mind trying to figure out the details. THAT'S what made him a master of this genre of psychological thrillers. He didn't need to create the gore - your own mind would do that.
Exactly. This is how my mom explained Hitchcock to me. Leaving some things up to the imagination is the true horror. And it really is!😨
Good explanation. You beat me to it.
Ever since the early 70's, I and even my parents considered this Hitchcock classic, extremely slow-moving, exaggerated and one of the least scary products of his work. It always seemed more of a comedy to me, like the Freddy Kruger movies. I don't think I've heard the expression "Yeah, right!! 🙄" said so many times before I fell asleep, by my Dad and my brothers while watching any other movie growing up.
Ya want scary?? Have a movie with an invasion of Cassowaries or Shoebills with a touch of JAWS music. Now ya got my attention!! 😳😆
Horror *is* a form of suspense. In fact, I'd say there's a very find line between the two. There are some horror movies that are freakishly suspenseful, and there are some suspense movies that step over the line into horror. So, while most of Hitchcock's films are suspense, he definitely did some horror. This very movie, for example, is horror. Plain and simple.
I think that, now days, the term "horror" makes people think of slasher movies and gore fests, and they seem downright insulted that Hitchcock is being associated with something so low brow. But, back in the day, horror and suspense were considered two sides of the same coin, often distinguished only by the fact that, in a horror story, the suspense was being caused by something mysterious and unknown, possibly even supernatural.
In fact, a lot of writers and such that did mystery and suspense also did horror. Arthur Conan Doyle, for example.
One of my favorite quotes from him is, "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it."
What you call "starting slow" is classic Hitchcock: laying the groundwork for the movie, developing characters you actually care about, and building suspense that has a fantastic payoff. The vast majority of suspense and horror movies of the past 30+ years do almost none of that. I greatly prefer this style of movie.
Yes, just as he did in Rebecca!
Yawn
Back in 1971 my sister and I were leaving our high school for the day. There was a kid walking in front of us eating pop corn. As we crossed the football field birds started to attack him. He panicked and started to run. We yelled for him to drop the pop corn as we tried to chase the birds away. There were over a dozen. When he finally dropped the pop corn they left him alone and we all ran for the bus stop. We had all seen this movie as kids and we were sure shaken up.
Rear Window is a great one. It’s so charming, suspenseful, and visually pleasing. And the main actors Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly are great together - I hope you get to that one!
Yes! Loved this one the best.
Yes!!! Rear window is CNN kind of my faves
Rear window the best
@@kenclan464 Me too!
It’s a masterpiece
Remember- Hitchcock was not about making “scary” films as they are today. He was all about suspense, and making the audience experience as much suspense as possible for what the characters in his films were going through. He was about setting up psychological mysteries and forcing the audience to figure out a lot of situations for themselves.This is definitely one of his more open-ended films, but they all left some questions unanswered or motivations unexplained.
Yes, although I have seen at least one RUclips reactor say this movie terrified him.
He's the Master of Suspense for a reason
The film is based on a short story by the British author Daphne du Maurier who also wrote "Rebecca" which Hitchcock filmed too. Hitchcock expanded the concept by a lot but it was her original idea.
The actress who played the mother was Jessica Tandy. She starred in the 1985 hit "Cocoon" and "Fried Green Tomatoes" from 1991 which also starred Kathy Bates. (Tandy and Bates were terrific together in that film--highly recommended). Jessica Tandy won an Oscar for best lead actress for "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989) and became the oldest actress to ever win the award. For a truly scary and gross out film for you guys to watch I recommend watching "The Fly" with Jeff Goldblum. For sheer tension and fear I recommend watching the 1978 remake of "The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers" which stars Donald Sutherland and a young Jeff Goldblum. The unease from this movie will stay with you quite a while after watching it.
The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers from 1978 is a Great one to check out. Probably my top choice for creepiest, most effective, and well-made sci-f/horror films ever. So glad somebody finally suggested it.
And Body Snatchers also stars Veronica Cartwright (playing Jeff Goldblum's wife), the girl who played Cathy in this movie.
The original is far superior to the remake.
Yeah I suggested cocoon too great movie ❤
@@paulmartin7332
I'm still afraid of "the pods".
In case nobody mentioned, a group of crows is called a Murder.
Why is that?
I always thought the reason that they got out without being attacked during the last scene was that they had the lovebirds in a cage. One of the birds screamed out “Back off guys…they have hostages!”
😂😂😂
Best comment
You win the Internet.🤣
Tippy Hedren = Melanie Griffith
That's funny
In old monster movies, sometimes you could get 40 minutes or more into the movie without ever seeing the monster. Viewers were more sophisticated back then and appreciated a good build up, unlike now where everyone seems to have such short attention spans and needs to see the monster in the opening scenes.
Movies used to be story driven, now they are action and special effects driven.
This movie is an absolute masterpiece of suspense, which is what Alfred Hitchcock was all about. Not horror, but suspense!
Very well said!
Amen.
And when the monster is revealed, it hits you in the face. Hitchcock didn't hold back.
I was going to say the same thing. Young viewers don't understand good filmmaking. They want all action and no story. They don't even want nor care to get to know the characters. It's sad really.
Movies have been playing 'Top this' for so long that modern audiences want the monster front and center. That's besides the texting and other distractions. "Less is more" gets lost in the attempt to make money in foreign markets and before pirated copies make the rounds.
I think part of the reason it was left unexplained is because it’s more unsettling to have no idea why this would happen. There’s also no predictable pattern of when they might attack. It leaves the audience in a weird suspicious place so when they leave the theater and walk outside… they see birds, and they look at them differently. Now, you see a flock of birds hanging out in a group and it gives you an uneasy feeling. You keep your eye on them.
It is a cool way to bring the horror and suspense out of the theater and carry it with you. If the movie was about space aliens or crazy monsters, you wouldn’t have that feeling because you never actually see those… but birds are everywhere. 😳
THEY WANTED REVENGE AGAINST HUMANITY...FOR TAKING NATURE FOR GRANTED
dont believe me
Research it
I agree, it was left open for everyone to interpret their own version or vision of why it happened. I don't remember how old I was when I first saw this movie, had to be back in the 80's though. One time we were at the beach, this was some time in the 90's and like a fool, I decided to feed a couple of the seagulls some of the chips we had, major mistake... lol Next thing we saw were dozens of birds flying towards us, this movie quickly came to mind, I dropped the bag of chips and we bailed. lol Agree with everything you mentioned, it was left open for a reason.
Indeed.
This was based on a true story of a bird attack in California in 1961. The reason was never discovered just like this movie. Daphne DuMaurier is one if my favorite authors and wrote one if my top 10 books, Rebecca.
Actually, the same region experienced the same problem in 1991. Turns out that single celled algae will occasionally become toxic, then works its way up the food chain to the fish that the sea birds eat. None of the other animals are bothered by this toxin, but it has a devastating effect on birds. It causes disorientation, seizures and even death. The dead birds in 1961 weren't tested, but a lab had a sample of a small organism that fed on algae from 1961, so that specimen was tested. It was rife with the toxin.
@@SilentSooYunhmmm didn’t know that! Thanks!
Wiki (yeah, I know) says the cause was toxic algae, but that wasn't known at the time.
The genius of this film is that it does start out like a romantic comedy which makes it even more unsettling when that all shifts.
like From Dusk Til Dawn, starts out as a kidnapping movie then turns into a vampire fighting movie 😲
The actress who plays the Mother was Jessica Tandy. You can also see her in "Driving Miss Daisy" and "Fried Green Tomatoes", both movies that I think you should do reaction videos for, Jay and Amber. 😇👍
Definitely Fried Green Tomatoes!
Cocoon!
Yes, both great movies!!
First of all the movie is based upon a short story by Daphne du Maurier so that is why it ends abruptly. Next, Hitchcock didn’t do Horror. He did Suspense. He was a master of building tension, letting your own fears get the best of you and popping the balloon when you least expected it. He was also a master story-teller and every detail of every shot was story-boarded. The shots of the wood chipping away was done over several times because it was not happening the way he had envisioned it. He was reported to have been one of the most frustrating people to work with and his movies show you why. This gets categorized as horror because when it came out it completely pushed the envelope for theater-goers. For example: the scene of the guy in pajamas was extremely controversial at the time.
Cathy was played by Veronica Cartwright, who grew up to appear in some iconic movies in supporting roles, notably Alien, The Witches of Eastwick, and the 1978 version of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Check 'em out.
And her sister is Angela Cartwright famous for The Danny Thomas Show and Lost in Space.
Holy crap I never realised that’s her ! Now I see it
The Children's Hour.
Check them all out! Also, she played Jack’s mother on Will & Grace.
@ABoomerReacts you forgot the Sound of Music. 😊
Alfred Hitchcock was the master of suspense. Every inch of a film by him was meticulously detailed by plan. One of my favorites by him is Shadow of a Doubt and of course Rear Window and so many more.
I'd prefer Jay didn't react to old movies, he has no appreciation of the times or the craft employed.
Absolutely He planned movies like a comic magazine, essentially frame by frame.
I was nine years old when this came to the theatres in 1963 and I saw it. One of my favorite Hitchcock films. My friend and I sat in the first few front rows. Scared us to death, but loved every minute of it. This is back when you could see a double feature for 25 cents.
I was the same age in ‘63 and had the same experience.
I was also the same age when this movie came out. I can still watch it today and still love it.
that's so cool!!!! What a film!
I saw this film when I was young too and it terrified me. Every house I was in I would scan it to see if it could be defended against birds. Like an inner room you could hide in... such as a pantry or under the stairs.
Saw it on Creature Features on KTVU back in the day. Filmed in Bodega Bay in Sonoma County California by Sir Alfred Hitchcock.
The Birds was partly inspired by the true events of a mass bird attack on the seaside town of Capitola in California on August 18, 1961, when "Capitola residents awoke to a scene that seemed straight out of a horror movie. Hordes of seabirds were dive-bombing their homes, crashing into cars and spewing half-digested anchovies onto lawns". The cause of the birds' behavior was toxic algae.
Hitchcock is the master of suspense, rather than horror. The deliberate lack of explanation leaves the audience wondering forever. Genius!
This story is about relationships and the birds are symbols of emotional upheaval. Annie was still in love with Mitch and was jealous of Melanie. The mother was weak and fearful and jealous of both Annie and Melanie. The woman with children in the restaurant saw Melanie as an irresponsible playgirl. In the end, the birds are calm when the mother nurses Melanie as they leave for the city.
Hitchcock wanted to portray nature striking back at man, and he selected birds as nature's weapon because they have historically been shot at, stuffed, eaten, and put in cages. He was also pursuing highly inventive photographic techniques like rotoscoping, and the use of big wide shots like the birds descending from the sky during that scene of chaos, which some called a "bird's eye view" and he corrected as "God's view." In addition to using live birds, he also used stuffed birds, animatronic birds, and animated birds. For the climactic scene in the attic, he physically threw live birds at Tippi Hedren until she physically broke down. Hitchcock was the master of suspense, and he liked bringing chaos, murder, and suspense to quiet and idyllic American towns, especially places where they don't lock their doors and everybody knows their neighbors business. Ultimately, the reason for the birds attack is unknown, and NOT KNOWING is chilling, because it might not be our place or within our comprehension to know. After all, what often gets us into a scrap with nature is our arrogant view of humanity being above nature or able to tame nature. What's most terrifying to me about this film is that the birds could have killed all of them, but they chose to WAIT. Whatever for?
Wrong. This was a movie adapted from a best selling short story, picked by the studio head and given to Hitchcock to direct.
I think her name is Daphne Du Maurier. @@ptthunder
Birds were in Psycho also - the stuffed ones in Norman's office.
Modern films feel they have to explain everything. Hitch knew not knowing was much more chilling.
@@edlilliyes, and she hated the movie. 😅 The story is very good and different characters than this movie.
I loved seeing Suzanne Pleshette! She was such a beautiful lady and dearly loved!
"They're worse than Walmart birds" 😂
This has always been my favorite Hitchcock movie since I was a kid. Birds don’t bother me BUT if I see a large gathering of birds my mind automatically goes back to the playground scene with all the birds covering the monkey bars.
Me too, along with that song popping into my brain. Blippity Bloppity tickity tockety sprickity sprockety now now now....😂
Fun fact about birds: boys don't have a penis, and girls don't have a vagina.
It’s amazing how that scene plays in our minds decades after first seeing it.
The leading lady is the mother of Melanie Griffith and grandmother of Dakota Johnson. Another great Hitchcock movie that Tippi Hedren is in is called MARNIE. It’s a very good movie as well. The leading man in that movie is Sean Connery.
I love that movie. I was going to suggest it.
I always wonder how a movie like 'The Birds' plays to people 30 and younger because there is a lot of build up and character development before the terror starts.. and the ending is so unsettling because there is no resolution.
I'm in my early 30s and grew up with this movie. I think it depends more on what types of movies you're exposed to early on.
Another truly great, classic 60s film is, "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?" (1962), starring cinema legends, "Bette Davis and Joan Crawford".
Fantastic movie.
One of my faves.
"Imitation of Life" (1959). Starring Lana Turner, Juanita Moore, and Susan Kohner.
Hitchcock movies are not horror movies, they are suspense movies.
Alfred Hitchcock had a whole list of horror movies he did not just create suspense movies his horror movies were the birds, the rope, psycho, vertigo, rear window, dial m for murder, and lots more horror movies and yes birds was considered as a horror movie
When i first saw this film , i started looking at birds as something more, than just our cute feathered friends . Rod Taylor was brilliant in this and in my opinion , he was Australia's greatest ever actor . You have to watch The Time Machine, Rod Taylor is brilliant as H G Wells
Yes! Especially to reacting to The Time Machine. That’s one not too many are reacting too, sadly.
Both Taylor and James Garner were excellent in the 1964 film _36 Hours._
@@AndrewJensactually James Garner and Rod Taylor give me the same vibes. A man’s man. Honorable and very alpha.
Rod’s last movie was Inglorious Bastards.
If they skipped the beginning we wouldn’t have a vested interest in the people.
Jessica Tandy played the mother. She's in Driving Miss Daisy with Morgan Freeman. You will love that movie!❤
Another thriller by Alfred Hitchcock is Rear Window. Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly made such a good pairing. And Raymond Burr waa just amazing! I can watch that movie everyday for the rest of my life and never get tired of it.
Hitchcock is the master of suspense. There are scary moments but his power was to slowly increase the tension and then let your mind fill in the horror.
Really glad you guys watched this masterpiece of suspense/horror. Have you noticed that there is absolutely no music the whole time?
Except for the now, now, now song lol 😂
that ain't music LOLOL @@beatleschick1000
That doggone song, it lasts forever! @@beatleschick1000
I've watched this movie like 10 times and never noticed that!
I like that they didn't force the birds to start attacking for any particular reason and then stopped just as soon. Not everything has to ve spoon-fed
The fact is…if it really happened there would likely be no reason we could figure out why!
well it did happen in California in 1961 and they did have a reason. @@davidwoolbright3675
@@davidwoolbright3675 Exactly. It's, honestly, much more realistic than any explanation they could give and the not knowing is what makes it scarier. It turns the birds into a singular force of nature. And by the end of the movie, they are the ones in control, not humans. In the end, they win.
@@davidwoolbright3675 They'd immediately tell us it's the result of climate change and will need to send another $4 billion to Ukraine. That has to be the costliest war the US was never in.
Not the place
44:22 - when they rescue her from the attic, and she comes to on the couch, and the camera is directly above her, her eyes open, and looks straight down the barrel of the camera: full eye contact with us, the audience, with wide-eyed panic, hands flailing: that bit gets ME every time. The visceral response to human panic, right there. Hitchcock knew what he was doing!
Man up Jay! First thing I do in the mornings is get that first cup of coffee and go on my back porch. The birds start singing at precisely 7:10 each morning. Maybe there is a difference between city birds and country birds. Mine are usually red or blue birds. They don't attack they just sing their hearts out.
I’m so glad you watched this! I’m sure someone mentioned this but if not - the daughter is Veronica Cartwright who played Lambert in “ALIEN”! This movie has a build up for sure. Your faces when the birds came out of the chimney had me crying! 😂
She was also in the 1978 version of Invasion of The Body Snatchers
@@tsblonde510 and in the Sound of Music
@@paulaholte6735 ... That was her sister, Angela.
@@infonut oops ... you're right :-P my bad
Hitchcock wanted you think about the movie long after it was over. Not explaining why the birds attacked is a good way to do that. Because sometimes nature happens. The Birds is not intended to be a horror movie like a slasher movie. Its a Man vs. Nature tale. It’s that slow creep up the spine . A classic thriller from the master of suspense.
That's what makes it so good. "What's up with the birds?" - we don't know, and so can't really prevent or predict it. And that could happen to YOU too - who's to say? Brilliant. 😉👍
My favorite scene in the whole movie is the 2 lovebirds swaying with the turns of the car. That always makes me laugh!
@jeannoah2018 I saw this movie in a theatre long after this movie originally came out, in the 80s. The audience in the theatre laughed so hard at the two birds swaying with the car!
One of my favorite movies. Went to Bodega Bay. Toured the area. Visited the school. The restaurant, there is a little country store that plays the movie all day and has so much memorabilia. I loved that town. This is a suspenseful movie. The unknown is what scares you.
They have the phone booth there too. Plus tons of signs that say….
Got…..Birds?
LOVE bodega bay, i go there every year!
My parents had a beach house in Bodega Bay and we'd spend summers and several holidays there each year. I started going in the early 1970s, so the town looked very much as it does in the film. My parents have since passed away and we sold the beach house, but it was such a wonderful experience and I still visit often. The lore around The Birds is still prevalent among the locals in BB.
I used to live in the Bay Area and I always wanted to take that drive and I’m mad at myself for never doing it
The schoolyard scene is classic Hitchcock. The children chanting, the tension building as more birds settle on the jungle gym. I also found the mother's run down the hall after discovering the body extremely provocative.
The children singing before the school attack was irony. Innocent song while evil gathers.
One of the many things I love about any Hitchcock film is the amazing vista's no shot is wasted, all dialog matters, and the tension just mounts and mounts and mounts.
More Hitchcock please!!
1. Rear Window
2. North By Northwest
3. To Catch A Thief
4.Dial M For Murder
5. The Man Who Knew
Too Much (Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day you’ve reacted to her as a singer , now see her as an actress!)
Rebecca and Strangers on a train
And Hitch's other masterpiece, Vertigo!
The Trouble with Harry!
This movie is not a scary movie like other moderns, it's a classic horror film. It does not rely on jump scares, instead it lets the acts speak for themselves. We don't know why this is happening, there isn't a handy explanation that conveniently makes itself known. We know no more than the characters to whom this is all happening. There aren't musical queues to artificially manipulate your emotions. It's nature striking back at man in its purest form. This is a movie that I never get tired of watching. All of the actors are impeccable in their roles, and every scene is flawless. Hitchock, as disgusting as he was toward Tippi, knew how to make a great horror movie.
Unfortunately, today people are so used to being shown and told every detail of the storyline of a film that they've begun to depend on that almost to the point that they can't enjoy a movie without it. Hitchock spoke once about the difference between a momentary scare and extended suspense. It reminds me of the original movie The Fly where throughout the movie, until the very end, we never saw the face. We were made to build in our own minds what the character might look like. How horrible he'd become. In the newer film with Goldblum, they show his transformation throughout the movie which to me doesn't create the same feeling of horror and suspense. The end of the original movie in the garden, you're brought to the point where you feel like yelling at Francois to turn around so he can see Andre' the fly trapped in the web screaming, "Help me!". We hear him screaming but Francois doesn't and the audience naturally feels like calling out to Francois to save him. Again the suspense. Rather than the newer version where, after fighting Goldblum, Geena Davis shoots him. I love these movies much more. When we as the viewers, are allowed to add our own bits and pieces to the story, sometimes we make up in our minds even more frightening stories than the writers might. Why are these birds doing this? What does he look like under the hood?
Well said. Some folks think that Horror is supposed to be non-stop gore and jump scares when in fact that is the opposite of good Horror. The tension created in this movie is smply second to none and way scarier than any spoon fed CGI Marvel crap that new franchises are full
I don't think its a "horror" movie, and Hitchcock himself said he did NOT make horror films. This is a SUSPENSE/MYSTERY movie. Hitch was the Master of SUSPENSE, not Horror.
@@kbrewski1 It is very obviously Hitchcock's take on a "Monster Movie" Yes he does it with his own twist. but make no mistake: a movie about Birds monstrously and violently attacking people is a Horror movie no matter how you spin it
@timcardona9962
I'll go by Hitchcock's own words rather than your off base speculative musings. Again, Hitchcock was known as the Master of SUSPENSE and NEVER called the Master of Horror.
Hitchcock wrote a final scene, and even did the storyboards, where they're driving through the town and the birds attack again, pecking at the convertible top, and just as it is totally destroyed, they reach the edge of town and Mitch is able to step on the gas and speed away. But Hitchcock thought that would detract from the climactic scene, which was the attack on the house and Melanie in the upstairs bedroom, so he left it out. He also wanted to leave it unexplained as to WHY th birds were attacking. You can think it was because of the two lovebirds, but then wouldn't the other birds have attacked and broken the cage to set them free when Cathy brought them outside? As the studio had Hitchcock add an explanatory scene with the psychologist in Psycho, I think he wanted to do it his way in this movie and leave you guessing even more than you would have in Psycho.
I read that Hitchcock wanted to end the film by having them drive all the way to San Francisco trying to escape, only to find the Golden Gate Bridge covered in birds. The studio rejected that idea, thinking that it was too pessimistic.
This movie totally freaked me out the first time I saw it. It still freaks me out. Then I read some of the horror stories that Tippi Hedren went through during filming...hell no!
There was an incident that happened in California where sea birds that ate toxic algae started attacking people, houses, and cars, and puking all over. Hitchcock read an article about it and it became an inspiration for the movie along with a 1952 short story with the same name, written by Daphne du Maurier.
The majority of the birds used were real. However $200,000.00 was spent on mechanical birds. The special effects were created at Walt Disney studios by Ub Iwerks.
Jessica Tandy is the actress who plays the Mother, she has two films I would love for you to react to, both are in my top 10 of all time favorite films, first DRIVING MISS DAISY, co starring Morgan Freeman, she won an Oscar for her performance, the movie has two scenes that get me misty eyed every time and are deeply deeply touching, the movie is mainly about a developing friendship between an older woman and her driver, Dan Aykroyd has a supporting role. The next movie, is FRIED GREEN TOMATOES , a deeply touching movie about friendship , Kathy Bates co stars with Jessica.along with Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary Louise Parker For your next Hitchcock film, I suggest REAR WINDOW, its a murder, thriller, mystery type film co starring two screen legends, Jimmy Stewart and the stunning Grace Kelly, you have not seen glamour until you have seen Grace Kelly!!!
Sorry it's not Jessica Tandy
Hitchcock didn't go for cheap jump scare garbage that is what most 90-minute horror films have become. Please don't ever judge his work off of the crap that goes for thrillers/horror today. Hitchcock was a genius and each of his films is meant to transport viewers to a world that is both familiar and unfamiliar simultaneously. Every frame can be frozen into a portrait that looks like a piece of art. There's always a mood that he's going for and he can paint it just as easily with words of dialogue as he can with unique set designs. It all works together in each of his films to create something new and fresh and wholly unique in each one. If you watch any other film of his, you'll start to see the common vocabulary in audio and visual storytelling. Its his and nobody else will ever be Hitchcock.
Thank you that’s what they’re used to seeing bloody gore as soon as the movie started they even used mechanical birds so far ahead of its time
Yeah, the idea isn’t the immediate jump scare but giving you something to remember in the long term and make the real world a little scarier. Lots of people (including my parents) were nervous about taking a shower after seeing Psycho, and I suppose some people probably got uneasy around birds after seeing this one.
If you want to know why the birds attacked, you’ll have to ask the birds. When I saw this as a kid, I figured out a room in my house that would be the safest if the birds attacked 😂 (it was a big closet)
(19:08) So funny, "those kids are probably so terrified," Amber says while looking over at Jay, who seems to be paralyzed in a coma of fear.
Alfred Hitchcock movies are more suspenseful than scary. That is what makes them so good and why they are all classics.
You can visit the place where this was filmed. It's Bodega Bay on the California coast north of San Francisco. The crows landing on the playset was a classic move from Hitchcock. He would show the audience the peril while keeping the character oblivious to the danger to heighten the tension.
I went to the school last year. It's a private home now. There's a big plaque out front. Lots of trees are there now. Bodega Bay is lovely.
The little girl, shes Veronica Cartwright, she played “Lambert”, the lady with the short blond hair in the 1979 film Alien with Sigourney Weaver. She was also in another classic horror film in 1979, called Invasion of the Body Snatchers. So to be in 3 iconic films, is a big accomplishment.
funny, I always thought that Angela Cartwright did Birds right before doing Lost In Space. Thanks for info
She was also the "church lady" in Witches of Eastwick who had the profane freak out in church & power-barfed the cherries til her husband offed her lol!
Veronica Cartwright (Angela's sister) also played astronaut Gus Grissom's wife in "The Right Stuff", and in the late 1950s she played Violet Rutherford in the "Leave It to Beaver" TV series.
And one of the other girls in the schoolhouse attack (the girl on the right in the still shot when the 2 girls are looking up at the birds) is the child actress Suzanne Cupito, who later renamed herself as Morgan Brittany, and appeared as Katherine Wentworth in the TV series "Dallas" (among other things).
And no one has mentioned that the school teacher is Suzanne Pleshette, who made many movies, and was in the Bob Newhart TV series.
I was six years old when this movie premiered in 1963. My older brother took me to see this movie and it scared the hell out of me. This was before the days of motion picture movie ratings and this was not a G rated Disney film! I was freaked out every time I saw birds on the street for a days afterwards. In 1963 these video effects seemed so realistic. As you said Jay, imagine what this movie would be like with today’s CGI technology!
One of my best Halloween costumes was when I went to a party as Melanie Daniels. I had the cute sixties suit, the French twist hairdo, fake birds attached all over me, and lots of blood everywhere. It was amazing.
That’s really original!
Did anybody get it?
Hitchcock is the master of suspense. You won't see any gore or blood he'll just keep you on the edge of your seat by what's in your own brain. And you'll think about it every time you see a lot of birds on a power line.....
So glad you are watching older psychological thrillers ❤️ you might want to check out Whatever happened to Baby Jane. So so good ❤️
Oh yes! That is a fantastic film! One of my favorites. The fact that the real-life Joan Crawford and Bette Davis feud made for perfect casting was entertaining.
Baby jane I have dvd better davis is so funny scary at the same time but tht scene wer she kicks Joan to deaf is unessasarily
The writer of this book was a genius. 70 years later and we still are talking about what this all means. The Human imagination is infinite. There have been 100's of theories as to why the "Birds" acted this way. And there will be 100's more. Again, the Author let us finish the story in our minds and through our conversations. A very effective way to keep the book and movie alive through the generations. Thanks for your reaction.
Just to clarify: This was based on a short story, not a novel, and it really just provided inspiration for Hitchcock’s story. There are few similarities between the two, apart from inexplicable bird attacks. DuMaurier’s story, by the way, was said to have been based on a real event.
The best theory about what happened is that the birds got something in their food chain that made them aggressive, something like toxic algae.
But this movie started a trend of 'nature attack' movies like "Kingdom of the Spiders" with William Shatner, or "Phase IV" directed by Saul Bass, who also made the titles for some of Hitchcock's movies.
@@Cau_No I heard the "Best" theory was that Mitch's Mother had an influence over nature that she did not consciously know. Was it just coincidence that the women in Mitches life seemed to bear the brunt of the attacks? As I said in a comment here. The Author let us finish the story. And there are a lot of "us"... ha ha
@@RMBittner Oh drats, I think I said it's based on a book in my comment too, but yes, it was a short story. :P Lol
@@Cau_No I loved Kingdom of the Spiders! Shatner made that movie for me. X) Ants! was another great nature attacks movie from 1977; definitely made your skin crawl! Lol
"Walmart parking lot birds"...you're probably thinking of Grackles
Those birds aren't scary. They only attack left over french fries in the parking lot.
The young girl is Veronica Cartwright who is in another thriller as an adult in the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Also a good one to react to.
I remember watching that as a kid with my mom when it came on TV. That school yard scene when all the kids and teachers were slowly walking past all the crows. Omg I was terrified 😂. Another classic y’all should do is “The Bad Seed”.
Ohhh! "The Bad Seed"! Excellent movie!! Patty McCormack was brilliant!
The scene that traumatized me, as a kid, is when Mitch's mother discovered Dan's body, with his eyes pecked out! Really messed me up!
"Gimme those shoes!"
@@Progger11 "What will you give me for a basket of kisses?" 😂
I think the fact that the attacks are never explained makes them more unsettling. And no, I don’t think they were spurred on by the lovebirds, Melanie’s arrival, or any other event. They just decided to attack.
I remember watching this as a kid with my cousins and for a while we would yell "get down!" when we saw birds flying in our general direction lol
Watching this as a child in a movie theater in early sixties was horrifying. The playground scene was almost impossible to stand. This movie was unlike any movie that preceded it. The point was to leave no explanation to continue the suspense after the movie as well as to keep people talking about it. Like you, I was saying get rid of the love birds!!!
his face when that first seagull attacked the woman was priceless. super serious super fast lol.
Interesting fact: Tippi Hedren is the reason why we can all afford manicures and pedicures. She visited a Vietnamese refugee camp near Sacramento and the women were fascinated with her nails. She brought in cosmetologists and they learned a trade that kept them from ever becoming a burden to taxpayers and nail salons became affordable to all.
I read about this too!
The masterpiece of Hitchcock was his psychological magic instead in your face bloody, dumb slasher films....it's more use your own thoughts, and the " what if birds; all billions talked, and flocked together, we'd be done for"😊He's the best at letting each person interpret their own dialog, and storytelling at its best😊think about crows, buzzards, gulls just to name a few, if they stayed together instead of migrating separately...we'd be done for( they love soft tissue like eyes)😅
That scene with the eyeballs hanging out traumatised me when I was a kid 🤣
Me too. I watched it at home on our black-and-white TV. I was probably between 10 and 11. It came on the late show and I had a TV in my room. I snuck and watched it. It was days before I could tell my mom why I couldn’t sleep and was afraid. I wasn’t supposed to watch it. 😂The guy with his eyes pecked out was one of my nightmares
That little girl in light blue on the ground being pecked by the seagulls was Morgan Brittany as a child actress. Adult Morgan Brittany was huge in the 80s-90s.
The ultimate cliffhanger... 60 years and counting.
Jays face when they came through the fireplace 😂😂 Thanks guys, I really needed the laugh today.
This is my favorite Hitchcock movie. It’s just possible enough…
A lot of Hitchcock films end that way. You're supposed to decide the why of the birds. You must see, North By Northwest. OMG it is amazing. It's disturbing on a totally different level.
Great reaction as always.
As we say in Texas; y'all be safe.
North By Northwest is a masterpiece 🥰 One of my all time favourite films of all time along with The Birds & Rear Window. God I miss my days as a film studies student 😢
Actress Tippi Hedren, who plays Melanie, is Melanie Griffith’s mother.
The scene where Melanie is upstairs being attacked by birds left Tippi Hedren traumatized. Some of those birds were literally tied to her. Alfred Hitchcock may have traumatized some of the other actresses in his movies but he never cared. He just wanted a scene.
she's also the grandmother of Dakota Johnson
I saw this at the drive inn , Ranger , Texas 1963 , I was 8 yrs. Scared me to death , I love watching you two watching this HAHAHAHAHA, Texas
One of the inspirations Hitchcock had for the Birds was based off a News article he read about a real life set of bird attacks off the pacific northwest. There was an episode of mysteries at the museum about it. Loved the reaction.
In college, my husband went to a dorm Halloween party, and his date dressed up as Melanie Daniels. She sewed craft-store birds to a suit she found at a thrift store. He still talks about that costume 40 years later - not the girl, just the costume. Next, you have to react to "Rebecca," Hitchcock's first film after he moved from England to America in the late 1930s. Great twist.
My sister made a costume of Melanie too. Green suit and fake birds in her hair.
Why bother with "Rebecca". Jay won't like it because it is black & white and has a storyline to follow.
LITTLE GIRL IS VERONICA CARTRIGHT. GREAT ACTRESS, WHO WAS IN "ALIEN" AND "WILL & GRACE" AS JACK'S MOM.
Her sister was the young girl in Lost In Space TV Show & The Danny Thomas Show.
Partally inspired by a true story that took place in Capitola, CA in 1961. The birds were infected by a toxic algae that made the attack.
I don't know if you guys know that the lovely stylish Tippi Hedren is Melanie Griffiths mother. She made this and Marnie and was totally tortured by Hitchcock is the Birds. Probably because she looked like his favorite actress Grace Kelly. When Grace left movies to marry the Prince of Monaco he took it out on Tippi. We met her in an airport coming back from Spain, she was casually dressed but elegant and looked great. We told her we loved her movies and she was really appreciative and sweet. She is a big animal rights advocate and rescuer too.
The sound effects during the opening credits is insane, it sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
Great reaction! ❤❤
One of many all time classics from Hitchcock! 💯💯💯
So happy you are doing another Hitchcock film! EDIT - This will not conquer Jay's fear of birds. It will turn it into a man-eating monster of a phobia just like the rest of us after watching it the first time! (Sorry Jay!)
Yeah, this movie was so intense back in the day! Maybe it's time for a remake so Jay and other modern viewers aren't taken out of the story by the lack luster special effects. X)
@@xzonia1 I think it is really easy to miss the point that nature (in this case birds) can come in a f the world up anytime it wants to. People fear politicians and wars, but just imagine if birds or insects or dogs just rose up and decided to take over, we are done. That is what terrified me about this movie - I had an existential crisis at about age 10 lol.
@@pastorofmuppets13Agreed. I loved all the nature attacks horror movies of the 60's - 80's for that reason ... bringing awareness to the world! ;)
Fun fact: a group of crows 🐦⬛ is called a murder. A murder of crows. How awesome is that.
The fact that it doesn't explain why the birds attacked and didn't have a perfect happy ending with the birds being wiped out (something that is so over-done in movies now) makes this movie very suspenseful and mysterious. It was a classic ending. It's what is now as a dark ending, which is actually very cool.
Supposedly, Alfred Hitchcock was inspired to write this screenplay after hearing about a real-life seagull mass bird attack on the seaside town of Capitola, California in 1961.
Thats why i love the old classics they set up the story and tell a bit of the back story compared to todays movies that just fly through the whole thing with lots of music and CGI effects... give me the classics 9 out of 10 !
OHHH, I love this movie. I have watched it so many times I have lost track. It never seems to get old.
Rebecca, Vertigo, Notorious and Rear Window are must watch Hitchcock flicks
The scene when the guy catches fire when dropping the match and you get a far out shot seeing the birds flying and looking at the sheer devestation with the fire is truely brilliant and just the sound of the birds is really creepy. A Hitchcock classic.
The lead actress Tippi Hedron said in a memoir that Alfred Hitchcock allowed her to actually be attacked by the Birds during filming for 5 days. He had promised her he would use mechanical birds but didn't . She said that he tried to kiss her, but she rejected him . He took revenge by having birds actually attack her in the telephone booth scene.
Ok, so I have been suggesting this forever. Jay's reaction did not disappoint. His whole demeanor was one of defense. As many have already stated Hitchcock was all about suspense. Your reaction is very much like most people. The suspense builds, the horror builds, and then you never get a resolution. Why did this happen? When my family watched this, back in the day, we asked the same questions. How did it start? Were the love birds carriers of some kind? And biggest of all, is that how it ends???
Hitchcock was a genius. Check out Rope, Rear Window, Frenzy, and his one genuine comedy, The Trouble with Harry. You will not be disappointed.
If not mentioned before, the scene where Melanie entered the room and got attacked by the birds, totally freaked out the actress, Tippy Hedron. She had to be sedated after, and the scene where Mitch carries her down the stairs, is not Hedron. She was not able to shoot it. A whole day of Hitchcock throwing birds in her face for the bedroom scene, really messed her up.
Another good scary movie is The Andromeda Strain from 1970. This is SciFi horror, but its pretty good. Written by Micheal Crichton, who also wrote Jurassic Park.
Well Happy Halloween. Give thought to watching some of the classic Monster movies, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman, and The Creature From the Black Lagoon. Enjoy!
FANtastic recommendations! I LOVE ROPE! It is about the best suspense movie ever. Rear Window - classic movie! The old monster movies mentioned, Frankenstein, Draucla, The Wolfman, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon are ALL great movies!
His demeanour was of a brat made to sit through a movie. 🤣
@@Muckylittleme Jay seems to be forever doomed as just another M.A.G.A. OKIE jock head schmuck who can only enjoy over the top "junk food cinema"; totally clueless to a finely honed screenplay's nuance - I.E. : in his mind "too slow" - in that pea brain located beyond his bratty & stuck up stubby nub of a nose. What an unaware asshole, with his continuing blowhard reactions that totally miss the point(s) by a mile.
For the scene where the main character almost dies, some real birds were also tied to the actress's clothes with nylon straps.
Don’t forget Vertigo. Every time I drove up the 101, it reminded me of that movie.
There’s also Dial M for Murder and Strangers on a Train
I have always loved this movie. Could you review The Exorcist? Now that is scary. If you like great 1960s horror movies, please review Rosemary's Baby.
I'm proud of you Jay! To conquer your fears is to face them, and you did it! Hitchcock is a master of build-up and his films are not horrors, they're thrillers. He never starts his films with action and that is what I love about his style. I like that Hitchcock left the end open to interpretation. This is an absolute favorite of mine and will throw away the remote when I see it's on. One thing many people don't notice is there is no music in this.
I seen a documentary about Tippi Headren. It said that Hitchcock made advances on her and she refused. So the scene where she’s in the attack with the birds attacking her, he made her repeat over and over. She actually did get hurt by some of the real birds they used.
I love tippi hedren and suzanne pleshettes voices.