A stodgy first half enlivened by a great second

Rating: 9/10 (8 November 2015)

Despite its classic status, it's fair to say that THE BIRDS isn't director Alfred Hitchcok's best film. It isn't even among his best work. When it finally gets going, delivering powerhouse shock after powerhouse shock with its endless sequences of bird attacks, it's a bloody good movie. But that impact is lessened by the lukewarm first hour, which adds absolutely nothing to the film as a whole other than introducing the characters and delivering a few eerie foreboding scenes.
Now, I understand all about exposition. I know how Hitchcock's intention was to build realism by portraying ordinary life before letting rip with the bird attacks. After all, they do benefit from the long build-up. But in this first hour, the smart dialogue is full of details which just don't add anything to the story. We learn stuff we don't need to know about the people involved, and more than once I looked at my watch as the time passed by slowly. Hitchcock was a visual master, and the film looks just fine visually. It's the script – by Ed McBain, no less – that doesn't deliver the requisite interest.
Still, once the birds DO attack, things really hot up. The shock scenes do just that – the bit with the chimney is an example of a good, solid cinematic moment. The attack on the children's party is another. Characters hole up in a bar, and things remain just fine until the end. Hitchcock choreographs an excellent 'out of control' set-piece as the town is destroyed, full of flames and broken glass and chaos. We get a mini siege scenario at the end, no doubt inspiring the likes of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and all that's come since. The special effects are still pretty good to this day and Hitchcock doesn't skimp on the sadism in the bloody attacks, either.
I was in two minds about the cast. Rod Taylor was always a very light actor, best at comedy or adventure films. He's a solid leading man presence here, nothing more. Jessica Tandy is excellent, playing a very irritating character and giving her some warmth and life despite her bad points. Veronica Cartwright is convincingly menaced, just as she was years later in ALIEN. But Tippi Hedren, the heroine, just didn't gel with me. I found her cold and unlikeable, and it got to the stage that I didn't care very much when she was attacked. So there you have it, the classic film of two halves: a rather dull first half and an excellent second.