Hitchcock defines a genre......twice!

Rating: 9/10 (17 August 2012)

If you look at the range of movies Hitchcock has completed, there is no denying that his favorite films revolved around the concepts of the thriller, with the occupation of a murder at the center of his stories. With this continuation of love for the perfect murder, it seemed only matter of time before Hitchcock delved into the genre of horror. Previous to the birds there was Psycho, a film that defined and influenced the concepts of modern horror and created the 'slasher' sub genre that is still presently popular. With the birds Hitchcock once again created another horror sub genre. Through the birds, Hitchcock displays his familiar aesthetics, particularly his ability to deceive the audience and his ability at establishing suspense. Being purely subjective, the birds display why Hitchcock gain the classification of 'the master of suspense'.
We meet the protagonist Melanie and Mitch through a pet shop, surrounded by caged birds. They both engage in a conversation that displays they share a interest in each other. This introduction highlights Hitchcock brilliance in deceiving the audience. I remember when i first watched this and asked myself "Isn't this a horror movie", as the conversation between the two characters evokes a sense of romance. Initially, the introduction sets the film up to be a romantic-comedy, the birds are caged, the humans are happy and the audience are comfortable...for now.
After Melanie and Mitch depart, Melanie feels reluctant to meet Mitch again, she uses Mitch sister as the motivation to meet him again as his sister wanted birds for her birthday, eventually Melanie drives to Mitch's house. The drive consist of some beautiful photography, as Hitchcock uses the landscape to evoke a sense beauty,romance and happiness,like wise 'to catch a thief', the landscape represents the mood of a romance. Furthermore Hitchcock adds some devilish humor, as Melanie drives around the bends, the birds in the car for Mitch begins to slowly shift right to left, the birds are given life hilariously...Wait is this a horror film?.
Eventually Melanie meets Mitch again. At this point, and as i previously noted the film has no traces or elements that consist in a horror film, it's basically become a romance between the two leads. However once we feel comfortable Hitchcock gives us little hints that remind us that this is indeed a horror film, such as when the 'gull' 'accidently' hits Melanie and the bird that hits Annie door. Hitchcock is slowly building the tension.
Through this next sequences, Hitchcock unleashes the horror. The scene of Mitch's sister, Cathy, birthday party. In this scene Mitch and Melanie relationship reaches an emotional climax and at this moment the birds attack, signifying the end of the romance and the beginning of the horror, and my god what horror it is, no one is safe not even the children.
As the violence begins, Hitchcock begins to display his genius in creating tension, as each sequence consist a minimal build to a sensational, horrific climax. For instance the sequence that consist of Mitch mother visiting the farmer. She arrives and everything is silent as she descends through the house, slowly she notices that cups are destroyed and the house is a mess. Once she gets to the room Hitchcock displays her view through a rotation of pov shots. The violence increases through each pov shot until it reaches it's climax, a man with his eyes missing and covered in blood. Furthermore the sequence when Melanie goes to pick up Cathy from school. Hitchcock once stated "The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen: "You shouldn't be talking about such trivial matters. There is a bomb beneath you and it is about to explode!" this was his definition of suspense, which is on full display in this sequence. As Melanie is waiting a bird descends onto some playground equipment, as Melanie continues to wait more birds descend upon the same position, without her knowing. Once she turns around the playground equipment is engrossed in black from hundreds of birds, and as you would suspect they once again create havoc.
After the birds are well established as a public threat, the common people in the diner all suggest theories of why the birds are attacking humans. This scene brilliantly highlights the horrific essence of Hitchcock 'the birds', as these common people are attempting to explain the attack. They don't realize that the answer to their question has no answers. The birds have no goals or motives, they just attack because they can.
Eventually the character have to create their own fortress in their house for protection. Through this passage, Hitchcock creates another brilliant editing sequence that mirrors psycho shower sequence. The sequence consist of Melanie being attacked by the birds while trapped in a room. The editing creates brilliantly a bombardment of horrific images that provides no room to breathe. As an audience we are trapped with her. Eventually Melanie escapes and the family leave the house. Through this end sequence Melanie clings to Mitch mother for her comfort. This is an embedded theme running throughout the birds, the fragility of women and their dependence on men. The ending shot displays a natural landscape that mirrors a apocalyptic future. The shift in tone from the romance to a apocalyptic future is astonishing.
The birds is undeniably a Hitchcock classic that consist of his familiar traits. But the brilliance in the birds is that Hitchcock creates a figure of nature that is considered subordinate to humans, but eventually becomes a dominate figure, and through this process he outlines the fragility of humans and just subordinate we really are.