Directorial skill, rather than acting strength.

Rating: Null/10 (6 April 2003)

Hitchcock has taken the fantastical idea from Du Maurier's book and created a film that I judge more on the skill of the director than of the strength of its cast. The portrayal of the birds as vicious, unpredictable, killers is extremely effective and frightening. The cast are methodical, all that is required for this film. Viewers may have a tiny amount of interest in the romantic sub-plot, but what really hooked me was the suspenseful imagery that Hitchcock uses: Crows on climbing frame, or crows on a telegraph line. The ruthless attacks on the children are gripping and shocking, however I would point to the scene that depicts the besiegement of the house from within as the high point of the film: No birds are to be seen but are instead represented by a pulsating crowing reverberating through the house as the desperate situation of its occupants intensifies. A classic piece of film-making.