It seems cliche to give it a ten but it is that good

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2019)

The Birds is one of those movies that I've always heard of, know of, read of but never watched it. I finally got it to watch it and I was really surprised. I really haven't seen too many of Hitchcock' movies except Psycho and Rebecca. The Birds is based on the short story by Daphne Du Maurier. I have never read it so I don't really know what might have been added or not. I will be reading it, however, to find out.
It is a very slow starter. Whether you'll find the characters interesting enough to make it worth the wait is up to you. I thought they were interesting and a lot of the dialogue had so much subtext that I was constantly intrigued. I thought the character of Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) was very interesting. My thoughts about her evolved throughout the movie and quite naturally. It didn't feel like the movie was forcing her sad, sad story down my throat to make me like her. Mitch felt very generic handsome male and the little girl, Cathy, felt off. She looked about thirteen but acted like she was supposed to be six. I just kind of wrote that off a the child acting of the time. I love the character of Annie (Suzanne Pleschette) and loved every interaction she had with Melanie.
The shots were absolutely awesome. I honestly wasn't expecting much from the Birds themselves. They were done very well and some of the shots with them were genuinely creepy. For instance, Melanie is waiting outside of the school, having a cigarette, while waiting for Annie (oh how times have changed). The shot cuts between her and the playground behind her. First there's one bird. Cut to Melanie. There's more birds. And more. And it's in absolute silence which just seems so unnatural for birds that it enhances the creepiness of it.
Another shot that I really loved was near the end of the movie. We learn about how Melanie's mother left her and her father. There is also some very believable tension between Mitch's mother and Melanie. At the end (no spoilers, don't worry) Mitch's mother is holding Melanie close to her and the look Melanie gives her is so sweet. It doesn't feel disingenuous, it doesn't feel forced or overdone, it's just a very sweet moment.
I would recommend it if you don't mind a slow burn. But, really, with Hitchcock are you expecting a fast-paced gore-fest?