The Show Must Go On...

Well, one thing about being sort of confined to the apartment (recall kneecap dislocation) and, as Pink Floyd said, "Got thirteen channels of **** to choose from..."  Since I have basic cable, I have even more.  But yesterday, all the TV seemed a bit blah.  I looked over my DVDs, then gazed over at my huge collection of movies in VHS format -- something I haven't really done in a while.  Ah, time to revisit a few of them...

'The Birds' directed by Alfred Hitchcock was a perfect choice for the afternoon.  I made a bag of microwave popcorn and grabbed a tasty cold beverage to settle into the movie that scared me so as a child back in 1963 when I saw it in a drive-in theater with my parents.  Yeah, my parents weren't too protective of me.  I recall seeing 'Psycho' in its original release when I was no more than five years old.  I had nightmares for a while.  Since I grew up only slightly twisted, I guess they did okay with me.  As a small child I was mesmerized with Alfred Hitchcock movies and the 'Twilight Zone' and 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' television series, as well as black & white horror movies.  I've always had a side of me drawn to the macabre.  I don't think that's a bad thing at all.  After all, I never shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.  So, I guess I'm sort of kind of okay.

Now, the top photo is one of mine.  This one obviously isn't!  (If you click on it, you can get the URL of the site from whence it came.)

Back to 'The Birds' -- I don't believe I've watched this movie more than once after purchasing the VHS of it maybe ten years ago... maybe less... a long time ago.  On yesterday's rewatch, I think the biggest impression I had from the film is the generational changes since it was made.  I also picked up on a few great Hitchcock directorial aspects which were cool added touches.  I knew the story inside and out, so I'm not going to delve too much into that.  If you don't know the movie, go buy it. 

A Hitchcock added bit I loved:  When Melanie is driving the winding road up to Bodega Bay with the caged lovebirds in the car, there's an extended shot of the birds swaying in unison as the car goes into turns.  :-)

A question I have:  Why is Melanie constantly wearing a fur coat?  I know it can get chilly in Northern California, but that's a bit too much.  I can only assume the fur stood to represent her wealth and social status.  But it seemed a little out of place to me.

Things which wouldn't work today:  All the smoking, for sure.  In the old Hitchcock movies, EVERYONE smokes... a lot.  I remember those days, but it's still a cultural shock to trip back to the past.  Another thing which wouldn't work is getting Mitch's sister's name from the Postmaster... or, as it was inevitably, from the teacher.  Sheesh, if you poked around looking for a kid's name today all sorts of red flags would go up and the authorities would be notified on short order!  Yet another thing which wouldn't work today is the fact that Melanie rented a boat without presenting any identification.  Yeah, right... that would go down big today, huh?

Technical junk:  When I first saw this movie in the 60s, it seemed very realistic.  Now, after several years of CGI and advances in the industry, it's noticeably "fake" in the bird attacks.  Even as the first crow and a few subsequent ones gather on the jungle gym outside the school, it's evident that they are not even sized correctly -- one crow does NOT take up that much room on a jungle gym!  After there are many gathered, the size is much more in proportion.  The attack scenes are also a bit schmaltzy.  But, overall, it's still classic.  So I won't whine.  I'll just mention it.

Her car?:  What was that?  An MGB?  A Triumph?  I know I know the car and I'm just not placing it.  Back when the movie first came out, my family had a Chevy wagon.  We didn't have sports cars or convertibles.  Well, we also didn't have pearl necklaces or fur coats, nor did my father wear a tie around the house.

Classic scenes:  To me, there are some classic cinematic scenes in this movie which must be mentioned.  These aren't in chronological order as they appeared in the movie, but in more of an order as to my own personal impressions.  The phone booth scene where Melanie is trapped as the birds attack.  Eek.  When Lydia discovers the body of Dan Fawcett on the floor with his eyes pecked away.  YIKES.  The schoolchildren being attacked by the birds as they fled for safety.  Eek.  The birds circling over the town as the gasoline started fire burns.  Uh-oh!  Then, at the end... the thousands of birds just gathered ready for the next strike as Mitch, Kathy, Melanie and Lydia have to make their way through them.  Of course, I should also mention Melanie's almost catatonic state after being attacked in the house.  All in all, lots of classic terrifying scenes.

'The Birds' stars Tippi Hedren as Melanie, Rod Taylor as Mitch, Jessica Tandy as Lydia (Mitch's mother) and Suzanne Pleshette as the school teacher (ex-flame of Mitch's).  It's well worth the watch, but then I'd recommend any Hitchcock movie.  Hey, with my leg tied up like this, maybe I'll watch 'Rear Window' today!

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• #1 Comment from skibum2000p 
  8/24/05 4:05 PM | Permalink

  I have been informed that the car is an Aston-Martin DB2....circa 1950's......I too was watching the movie today and was wondering what type car it was.  Now we know...