Product Description

AS BEAUTIFUL BLONDE MELANIE DANIELS ROLLS INTO BODEGA BAY IN PURSUIT OF ELIGIBLE BACHELOR MITCH BRENNER, SHE IS INEXPLICABLY ATTACKED BY A SEAGULL. SUDDENLY THOUSANDS OF BIRDS ARE FLOCKING INTO TOWN, PREYING ON SCHOOLCHILDREN AND RESIDENTS IN A TERRIFYING SERIES OF ATTACKS. CONTAINS MANY BONUS FEATURES.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2515 in DVD
• Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
• Released on: 2000-03-28
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 120 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Vacationing in northern California, Alfred Hitchcock was struck by a story in a Santa Cruz newspaper: "Seabird Invasion Hits Coastal Homes." From this peculiar incident, and his memory of a short story by Daphne du Maurier, the master of suspense created one of his strangest and most terrifying films. The Birds follows a chic blonde, Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), as she travels to the coastal town of Bodega Bay to hook up with a rugged fellow (Rod Taylor) she's only just met. Before long the town is attacked by marauding birds, and Hitchcock's skill at staging action is brought to the fore. Beyond the superb effects, however, The Birds is also one of Hitchcock's most psychologically complicated scenarios, a tense study of violence, loneliness, and complacency. What really gets under your skin are not the bird skirmishes but the anxiety and the eerie quiet between attacks. The director elevated an unknown model, Tippi Hedren (mother of Melanie Griffith), to being his latest cool, blond leading lady, an experience that was not always easy on the much-pecked Ms. Hedren. Still, she returned for the next Hitchcock picture, the underrated Marnie. Treated with scant attention by serious critics in 1963, The Birds has grown into a classic and--despite the sci-fi trappings--one of Hitchcock's most serious films. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

Sure to Ruffle Your Feathers
Hitchcock's macabre classic finally gets its due on this DVD Collector's Edition. The film, which by turns thrills (the various bird attacks) and amuses (the frequently bantering dialogue), is presented in all its widescreen glory -- an important consideration for Hitchcock enthusiasts, given the director's meticulous planning of his films' visual compositions. "The Birds" features some great cinematography, a nerve-wracking soundtrack, and some finely wrought performances (particularly those of Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette and Ethel Griffies); all are well-served by the film-to-DVD transfer. There are a wealth of bonus features, including newsreel footage of Hitchcock and Hedren publicizing the film, an extensive stills gallery, and a fascinating behind the scenes production documentary. Especially intriguing are the ad-libbed screen test clips pairing Hedren with "Psycho" player Martin Balsam while Hitchcock provides verbal instructions off-camera! All in all, a most welcome addition to my DVD collection, and one I'm pleased to recommend for yours.

It gets better every time you see it...
Alfred Hitchcock apparently spent the better part of two years trying to find subject matter that he felt would be worthy of a follow up film after 1960's PSYCHO. He bought Daphne duMaurier's short story, "The Birds", and very quickly decided that he would only retain the title, and the bird attack plot point. Evan Hunter and Hitchcock crafted the screenplay structure, and after a staggering amount of technical pre-production, Hitchcock made THE BIRDS. It opened to huge acclaim from the public, if not critics, and is one of the master of suspense's best remembered pictures. As it should be. And with the stunning new DVD edition, this terrific movie at last gets the home video treatment it so richly deserves.

The transfer is immaculately sharp and clear, letterboxed at the 1.85:1 ratio used for theatrical exhibition, and the mono digital sound is clean and vibrant. The letterboxing actually gives the film more breathing room, and some of the sequences, especially the complex technical passages such as the attack on the school, and the spectacular attack on the town, have a visceral punch that's ratcheted up by the clarity of the digital image and sound. Don't be put off by the many sodium process shots that were necessitated by the demands of the screenplay; they are perfectly cut into the film, and give the movie a primitive realism that is perfectly in keeping with Hitchcock's stylized view of reality. His films are all designed within an inch of their lives, and the audience is all the better for it.

The extras on this collector's edition are quite valuable. A featurette entitled "All About The Birds" presents interviews with actors Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Veronica Cartwright, along with various technical personnel, and is lively and full of information about the film's production. Also featured are Tippi's screen test, production notes, a trailer, and web links. This is one package that beautifully showcases a film which gets better each time you see it.

Hitchcock's masterpiece...
The Birds is Hitchcock's masterpiece. It is my official selection for the best Hitchcock movie EVER...It is so much more than just a horror movie - especillay when you start asking yourself why the birds attack. Could the bird attacks be fueled by female sexual hysteria and competition for the only virile male (Rod Taylor) in the film? Or could it be just mankind's payback for abusing the fowl of the animal kingdom? This film is loaded with haunting images and symbolism which deserves multiple viewings and discussion among serious film buffs. Not only is the film worth 5 stars but there is an impressive flock of DVD extras. The film itself is a beautiful widescreen presentation with very nice sound; the extras should thrill Hitchophiles with a "making of documentary", vintage newsreels of the film's theatrical release, a very witty original trailer, deleted scenes, and Tippi Hedren's original screen test. YES!