Cheap The Birds [Region 2] (DVD) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of The Birds [Region 2]

Still remarkable
"The Birds" is one of Alfred Hitchcock's most famous thrillers, though it's not always regarded as one of his best. The humans are often thought to be less interesting than the feathered beasts who wreak havoc on the town of Bodega Bay. But the special-effects are remarkable even in these more modern times when computer technology has rendered some of Hitchcock's techniques obsolete. <
> <
>The humans may be overshadowed by the birds, but they provide some of the best moments. The scene at the diner following the attack on the school is one of the highlights. As 'Tippi' Hedren discusses the attack on the phone with her father, the others gathered for lunch are skeptical, especially Mrs. Bundy (wonderfully played by Ethel Griffies) whose avocation is the study of birds. <
> <
>"Their brainpans aren't big enough," she says in explaining why birds lack the intelligence to launch the organized attack that Hedren describes. <
> <
>"I don't know anything about their brainpans," Hedren says. <
> <
>"Well, I do," Mrs. Bundy declares, "I do know." Mrs. Bundy is a minor character, but she steals the show during her brief scenes. <
> <
>Hitchcock also knew that the anticipation of horror can be more frightening than the actual thing. The attacks themselves are less effective than the moments preceding them. Even a simple scene like the one in which Rod Taylor looks with curiosity upon the birds lined up on a telephone wire as he says goodbye to Hedren conveys anxiety, as does the moment when a bird crashes into Suzanne Pleshette's door. The best moment is the scene outside the school where Hedren waits, unaware that another attack is imminent. <
> <
>"The Birds" was a box-office hit when it opened in spring 1963, and it would shatter previous viewing records when it made its television debut on NBC five years later. It was also the great director's final cinematic triumph. The films he had left to make ("Marnie," "Torn Curtain," "Topaz," "Frenzy," and "Family Plot") all have points of interest, but their quality is sporadic, and none are as satisfying as the film that Hitchcock once described as an allegory on judgment day. <
> <
>Brian W. Fairbanks <
>

---

"Nature vs. nurture Lodge, nature always wins"
Melanie Daniels is the Paris Hilton of her day, she has a wealthy father and often finds herself, or did find herself a regular in the tabloids. After some games Melanie is in hot pursuit in her convertible screeching her tires along, accompanied by two love birds who sway back and forth as she races to Bodega Bay to surprise lawyer Mitch Brenner with said birds. <
>Mitch's mom is afraid she'll be abandoned and sees sexy Melanie as a threat to steal her boy. Ever since her husband died she isn't much of a mom to Mitch or his 20 year younger sister Cathy, Melanie herself was abandoned by her mom yet the only mother we need to concern ourselves with in this film is mother nature. <
>Alfred Hitchcock actually makes sweet little birds scary, I've seen his greats Vertigo, Psycho, Rear Window, Nororious, and Strangers on a train and I did not expect The Birds to be as freaky as it was. Nearing the end we begin to really like Melanie, she isn't the Paris type at all she's just misunderstood. She is warm, kind and beautiful and Cathy really likes her and Mitch's mom is starting to come around, Oh no!, so do The Birds!! As she ascends the eerie staircase to investigate the noise, and finds herself trapped in a room paralyzed with panic and fear unable to scream as the birds peck at her entire body is this it for Melanie? Watch and see mu ha ha ha. <
>Hitchcock's concept is interesting as our bird expert points out earlier in the film. In our world there are 100 billion birds, another reminder of how nature can dwarf us. We find our friends Melanie and the Brenner Family ultimately locked up in their house by birds in a role reversal where the humans are in the cage and are scarred and confused and are never given a reason why. <
> <
>The Masterpiece Collection <
>**DVD** The technicolor was great and the picture quality good even strechted on a 106" screen. The sound was dolby digital 2 channel would've been nice to get a 5.1 track hearing the birds swooping in from all angles. <
>This is a definite add to any collection and I would recommend. <
> <
>** The Birds is also # 96 on Bravo Channels Scariest movie moments list of 100 ** Also received 1 oscar nomination for best effects in 1964 **

---

The Birds
Undoubtedly one of Hitchcock's scariest films, the special effects are surprisingly effective for the time; you may never look at our winged friends quite the same again. Rod Taylor is stolid in a role Cary Grant might have done ten years prior, and Tippi Hedren is suitably intriguing as the icy blonde who's a magnet for men--and birds. The scene where Melanie sees the birds gradually build up on the playground jungle gym remains one of Hitch's most inspired and creepy set-pieces.