One of Hitchcock's Finest

Rating: Null/10 (28 April 2003)

Possible Spoilers Ahead!!
The theme of a movie is the subject of artistic representation; the subject matter which is dealt with through various aspects dictated by the director and enhanced by the actors, editing, lighting, music, and camera techniques. This film's theme, in Hitchcock's own words, is complacency. Expanding upon that briefly, I would suggest that this film's theme focuses on human relationships and their ultimate instability, regardless of how much we may believe they are secure. I feel that this is the complacency that Hitchcock refers to; the complacency that comes when humans begin to take things for granted. Throughout this film we continually see relationship issues surface, predominantly in terms of fear, loneliness and abandonment. While many people think that the first forty or so minutes of the film amount to a slow, boring romantic comedy, these scenes are necessary to establish a pattern of behavior for the actors. We see how Melanie flits around from one pursuit to another, always keeping a safe emotional distance between herself and the rest of the world (helping to fund a foreign child's education) indicating her emotional detachment and lack of depth and purpose as a person. Mitch is a well-to-do playboy who still spends weekends with his sister and mother on the lake. Lydia is Mitch's possessive mother who is absolutely terrified of losing him to another woman. We see the characters toy with one another's emotions, treat relationships as though they were jokes and refuse to take others' feelings seriously. If we consider the bird attacks we can see a kind of pattern develop. The first bird hits Melanie in the head as she is coyly toying with Mitch from the boat, the second crashes into Annie's door as she discusses her own loneliness and dismay over losing Mitch herself, and the third attack, which occurs at Cathy's birthday party, immediately succeeds a conversation between Mitch and Melanie regarding her abandonment as a child and subsequent emotional pain. Many people are quick to question the attacks on the innocent school children, at a loss any reason why they were ambushed. However, Donald Spotto suggests in his book, The Art of Alfred Hitchcock, that it is a reflection of Lydia's fear that she will lose her own children, particularly Mitch, and wind up all alone. Lydia's anguish and distress is also emphasized when the birds attack and kill her dear friend Dan Fawcett.
Comparisons are frequently made to other Hitchcock films, particularly Psycho. Obviously, an evident bird motif is present throughout much of the film. Anthony Perkins's hobby is taxidermy and the Bates Motel is littered with his work; the beady-eyed creatures constantly peering down on him and Marion. Such a motif is used as a type of foreshadowing, with Anthony Perkins himself playing a kind of bird of prey. Many also feel that Janet Leigh had many bird-like qualities and behaviors herself and Marion's last name was `Crane,' a type of bird. Some even liken Melanie's ascent up the stairs and near death after the bird attack to the legendary shower sequence in Psycho. The Birds is considered one of Hitchcock's finest masterpieces and an example of his great plot/dialogue techniques are best displayed in the opening sequence as Melanie enters the bird shop. A man whistles at her as she crosses the street and she looks back with a satisfied little grin, illustrating her need for outside approval and the pleasure she receives from a vain little ego boost. She then glances at the sky and comments on the dark mass of birds gathering - a foreshadowing of events to come. From there, she immediately enters the store, where all the birds are safely locked in their cages, posing no threat at all to human civilization and accomplishment. In another presage, one of the birds escapes its cage briefly, wrecking momentary havoc in the artificial human world. This masterfully sets up the basic plot for the entire movie in a single opening sequence. A second example of Hitchcock's dexterity can be seen in his camera angle technique, particularly in relation to Melanie. The angle is continuously changing throughout the film, at times making the audience feel as though they are Melanie, and at other times that they are watching her. The sequence where Melanie is delivering the birds to Mitch's house is a prime example of the change in camera angle. As Melanie boats out to his house the audience looks at Melanie, just as they do when she takes the boat and heads back. We see her spying on Mitch, monitoring his reaction, yet we are not spying with her, but watching her spy. Conversely, as she writes the birthday note to Cathy explaining the love birds, a subjective shot is used and it seems as though it is our hands doing the writing. The variation in shots prevents us from completely identifying with her, which ultimately builds tension in us. We expect her to be attacked suddenly every time she is in a vulnerable spot, yet she doesn't have any idea of her vulnerability. If we were to identify with her, we would similarly have no idea what was coming. That would certainly make for a scarier movie when the birds ambushed, but it would come nowhere near the suspense we feel waiting nervously for Melanie to be assailed. Hitchcock is one of the world's greatest directors and The Birds has long been considered one of his greatest films. Using what at the time were state-of-the-art special effects, he created a suspenseful thriller which is still winning audiences over today.