Alfred Hitchcock's seagull

Rating: 8/10 (29 April 2011)

Bodega bay sees the arrival of sophisticated socialite (Hedren), cautiously optimistic of a budding relationship with local boy (Taylor) over whom all the local girls swoon – none more so than school teacher (Pleshette). But jealousy and social acceptance become minor distractions to the relaxed seaside lifestyle, when the community's bird population suddenly get into a flap and begin terrorizing bystanders.
Hitchcock's rather austere treatment of what is, ostensibly, a strained love triangle played against a backdrop of marauding flocks of seagulls, contains one strong characterization (that of Annie, the jilted school teacher as played with aplomb by gravel-voiced Pleshette) and some glorious location cinematography. Other than that, it's a labour intensive allegory, a loose machination for examining gender tensions, based around a colloquial term for women (Birds). Chauvinistic widow Mitch Brenner dalliances with unsuspecting quarry, admired by his mostly senile neighbours, encouraged to end his therapeutic (read womanizing) ways and find a replacement wife and mother to his school-aged daughter, i.e. Annie. But his pathological weakness for blondes – in direct contrast to Annie's raven-haired vixen – introduces a superior contender that must fend off the unwanted attentions of all comers (some feathered) to claim her trophy and rightful place as the family's next matriarch.
Hitchcock's macabre self indulgence is evident in his treatment of Hedren, whose encounter with the feathered contestants is a harrowing experience, and a somewhat confronting action sequence for its vintage (Hedren later stated she narrowly avoided being blinded by a stray beak). As usual the complexities in the characterizations bleed into the fabric over an extended period of time, the almost arbitrary appearance of the birds gradually becomes pervasive coinciding with the characters' darkest revelations. And while the construction is interesting, the lack of momentum occasionally drifts into soap opera.
Narrative challenges aside, it still remains a stylish approach, with memorable scenes including some graphic attacks, and the best performance of a woman scorned you're ever likely to see on the screen. It's just a shame that it takes 2 hours to convey.