Tangled Relationships in a Suspense Thriller

Rating: 8/10 (1 December 2014)

The Birds presents a story of a young woman named Melanie Daniels, played by Tippi Hedren, who pursues a handsome stranger played by Rod Taylor, as Mitch Brenner, to an outlying fishing village north of San Francisco, where she encounters an unusual phenomenon of birds attacking people.
Aside from the main story, we find some interesting characters in the village: a young school teacher named Annie Hayworth, played by Suzanne Pleshette, who left San Francisco to be with Mitch and never returned and Jessica Tandy, as Mitch's mother Lydia Brenner, who delivers the cold shoulder to any woman who is interested in her son. So Melanie Daniels, the daughter of a wealthy newspaper baron, finds herself at odds with Annie and the mother Lydia. Both Melanie and Annie are in conflict with Lydia, a common foe and this brings the two women to form an awkward friendship. The three main female characters have roles defined by their connection to Mitch. For me, the characters of the female performers are a memorable part of the movie.
Melanie's strong streak of independence attracts Mitch but doesn't work too well with his mother, who seems bent on keeping her son a bachelor who can help fill the gap that followed the death of her husband four years before Melanie arrives on the scene. Melanie is a prankster and someone who is used to getting her way but she shines in a crisis that puts her to the test. Melanie is tough but she can also show her soft side with Mitch's younger sister Cathy (Veronica Cartwright) and the two form a strong bond.
The movie comes to a climax with the massive bird assaults which unfold very slowly with some small incidents and to add to the suspense, cutaways to birds crowding together on phone poles and play structures. The suspense was very effective with the muted sound track followed by the sudden burst of birds. With the birds becoming a threat to the village, we can feel the tension building before key scenes. I did find the attacks too over the top but Hitchcock was never one to shy from trying something new. The birds become Melanie's main opponent and require her to draw on untested sources of strength and determination. Mitch too performed heroically in the test against the forces of nature. Both Mitch and Melanie showed their mettle through their sheer endurance, a great partnership in adversity. The ending is enigmatic but allows the viewer lots of scope to speculate.