Why I love The Birds

Rating: 9/10 (29 November 2013)

The movie starts out with the chance meeting of Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor. Hedren immediately takes a liking to Taylor and a cat and mouse romance courtship begins, with Hedren going out of her way to deliver some birds to Taylor's niece, all in the guise of wanting to see him again. The two take turns alternately flirting with each other and spurning each other's advances. I'm not a fan of romance, but this is played out so enchantingly, and charmingly that it's almost hypnotic to watch. To top it all off, Hedren is so stunningly gorgeous that it's almost impossible to take your eyes off of her.
After the two meet again on the island, the real story begins. We all know what happens next, and it is played out with such horror and suspense that we are left literally sitting on the edge of our seats in anticipation of what is going to happen next. The bird attacks are very realistic and scary, and the home invasion scene is powerful. There are just enough pauses in the action where the tension dies down enough so that when it amps up again, we are left breathless.
As far as suspense/horror goes, this is a classic example of how it can be done perfectly. Kudos to Hitchcock. 9.5/10