Film Review: The Birds

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Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963) is a well known and commonly talked about classic, involving crazed birds that attack people in oversized flocks. The madness begins to storm down once flirtatious Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) travels to Bodega Bay to find lawyer Mitch Brenner, (Rod Taylor) after he plays a prank on her in a San Francisco bird shop. Right after she plants a couple of caged love birds in his home, she is attacked by a seagull. Soon after, the birds begin to attack in relentless outnumbering flocks while they unleash ferocious violence against the citizens of Bodega Bay. 
 
Figure. 1. The Birds film poster.
 
The real question that Hitchcock has us still asking to this day is "why?" The vicious bird attacks are unexplained as to why they're happening, and left unanswered even now. One thing's for certain, there is a vivid importance that lingers amongst the female characters in The Birds. Mitch Brenner's different relationships with the female characters, cause them to clash and behave unmannerly towards each other, in a tug of war for Mitch's full and undivided attention and love. In fact, perhaps it isn't so suspicious that the bird attacks begin only once Melanie partakes in flirting with Mitch Brenner. Out of all potential first victims, it just happens to be Melanie. At this point she has not yet met Mitch's overprotective mother Lydia, (Jessica Tandy) but she has met previous lover of Mitch Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette) who at the time her previous relationship with Mitch is unknown. The first seagull could be considered a cheap shot by Annie, out of jealously towards Melanie. When watching for the first time it can be difficult to notice this, as her past with Mitch isn't mentioned until later. So to kick off the film's battle for female dominance, you could say that Melanie is spitefully struck by Annie's jealousy after only just meeting her. The bird attacks become horrendously worse after Melanie is introduced to Lydia as well, as if the birds are a weapon built off female power possessed by Lydia, a power so strong that not even she can control. The power is so strong that in order to hurt Melanie she must risk hurting others in the process. Mitch had no potential girlfriend or future wife in his life before Melanie came along, and as soon as she began walking on that territory is when jealousy arose amongst the others. "What woman wouldn't feel threatened if Melanie arrived in town? In her chic green suit, her peroxide hair swept into an immaculate chignon, and her soft lips moulded into a succession of minxish pouts, Hedren makes Melanie the very height of 1960s sophistication." (Sooke, 2015)
 
Like Hitchcock does cleverly, the film's true genre creeps up on you, after making you suspect the film belongs to a completely different genre. For The Birds you will originally be made to feel as if you're experiencing a romantic comedy, between Mitch and Melanie. The suspense forges itself into something strikingly sinister once getting to know the characters, and understanding their own personal desires for Mitch. "It is only after Hitchcock's exploration of the feminine psychology revolving around each woman's 'attraction' to Mitch that the frequency and severity of the bird attacks increase." (Nolfi, 2012) After gaining some knowledge of character's emotions it then makes the bird attacks more sensible and begins to underline a more personal representation. Mitch's lonely widowed mother shares traits of a motherly bird, with her overprotective instinct for her children, not wanting to let them go. The monstrous flocks perch themselves in areas, rallying up in numbers before attacking pedestrians simultaneously. With the mention of the attacks being related to the thoughts and emotions of characters, the consequence of such power is that it can be uncontrollable. The birds can't just hurt Melanie when the spiralling of rage spreads itself in an untamed mass. Many die, including Annie, one of our clearly jealous characters. Whether the bird attacks represent her aggression or just Lydia's alone, it is obvious that her death was a result of the unmatchable and out of control attacks. She dies while in the presence of Mitch's sister Cathy, (Veronica Cartwright) which itself raises even more questions. Is Cathy partly responsible for the bird attacks as she is trying to defend the relationship with her highly loved brother? Did Annie die because she was too close to Cathy, and her overprotective mother did what she had to? Or perhaps even, is Cathy the key to the unexplained attacks? She is the one who surrounds the caged love birds and has a highly recognisable admiration for them, perhaps she has a link to birds, who soon become part of her army. After all, she is one of the least characters to be suspected. 
 
Figure. 2. The Birds film still.
 
The fact that the birds only begin to attack once Melanie pursues Mitch suggests they symbolise more of a defensive process than an offensive one. It probably would have all been avoided if Melanie had decided to leave and go back to San Francisco. The violent birds are the defence for control and power, possessed by the mother, Lydia, who watches over her territory and keeps others out. Mitch is seemingly old enough and charming enough to be married or partnered, there doesn't seem to be much reason as to why he isn't. This highlights the idea that his mother is dangerously possessive over him, and whenever a potential spark enters his life she must act accordingly to prevent that (this being the bird attacks) After Lydia feels intimidated by this new stunning young lady, (who doesn't seem to be leaving anytime soon) she has to unleash a darker side in order to retain her feminine dominance. This is also hinted by Annie earlier in the film, when she warns Melanie of Mitch's mother. Near the end of the film Melanie is brutalised by a large bunch of birds in the attic, leaving her in a powerless state. After being knocked unconscious, the independent and confidently strong character of Melanie that we know has fallen apart. She no longer seems to be the in control and sexualised female from the beginning of the film, she seems drastically traumatised and mentally scarred. Mitch seems almost weary and distant of her, while Lydia seems caring. She holds Melanie while smiling, for the first time in the film looking as if she is happy to be around her. But it's not so much the case... In fact, she has broken Melanie, destroyed her as a person completely in the process of regaining the power she once held. "Once Melanie sacrifices herself at the end of the film, the attacks stop. Melanie is out of the picture, catatonic and helpless, as the mother once again becomes the head of the core female group." (Saporito, 2015) Despite the cliff-hanger leaving the atmosphere and fate of the characters unknown, it only makes sense to assume that the attacks must have stopped from this point on, and that the madness is somewhat repressed.
 
Figure. 3. The Birds film still.
 
Cathy picks up the cage of lovebirds and brings them into the car with her at the end. With these birds making this final appearance suggests they symbolise something in the film. It could be that they symbolise Mitch, the man who is caged by his mother and ultimately will never have the freedom of a relationship with another woman. He is forever stuck and stripped of his freedom, just like the lovebirds. 
 
The Birds tells the story of power, control and female dominance through its vague characters, while giving the main plot the responsibility of being the metaphor for this story. 

Illustration List
Figure. 1. Honeybone N, The Birds film poster. http://horrornews.net/46153/film-review-the-birds-1963/ (Accessed 02/02/18)

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