Hitchcock's Followup to Psycho.

Rating: 8/10 (29 May 2015)

The Birds (1963): Dir: Alfred Hitchcock / Cast: Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Veronica Cartwright: Tremendous followup to the success of Psycho. Director Alfred Hitchcock addresses our means of taking things for granted. Birds are harmless and beautiful but Hitchcock reverses their peaceful nature for one of terrifying menace. A small town is suddenly attacked at random by birds of various species. Tippi Hedren ventures to Bodega Bay in pursuit of a lawyer, played by Rod Taylor but her romantic endeavours are interrupted with sudden bird attacks. Hedren and Taylor have terrific chemistry playing individuals of different backgrounds. She had a wild reputation while he used his profession to create an introduction that would lead to her venture to the Bay. Jessica Tandy plays Taylor's widowed mother who is afraid of losing her son to this mysterious new woman. It is interesting how the bold dispositions shift after the birds launch a climatic attack in the attic. Suzanne Pleshette is superb as a school teacher who was once involved with Taylor. She is not the jealous rival but rather an accepting bystander whose fate is under watch by crows. Veronica Cartwright plays Taylor's much younger sister who is celebrating a birthday. The plot problem is not solved and the reason for the bird attacks is never clear but the suspense is maddening. Score: 8 / 10