The Birds

Name: The Birds
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Horror, Romance
Released: March 29, 1963
Duration: 119 min
Rating: 90
Cast: Charles McGraw, Ethel Griffies, Jessica Tandy, Joe Mantell, Lonny Chapman

1963

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 15 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 109 Ratings

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7.8

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7.8	Your Score
7.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 109 Ratings

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The Birds

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Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures | Release Date: March 29, 1963 | PG-13

Starring: Charles McGraw, Ethel Griffies, Jessica Tandy, Joe Mantell, Lonny Chapman, Rod Taylor, Ruth McDevitt, Suzanne Pleshette, Tippi Hedren, Veronica Cartwright

Summary: A wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Horror, Romance

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 119 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Andrew Sarris

The Birds is here, and what a joy to behold a self-contained movie which does not feed parasitically on outside cultural references—Chekhov, Synge, O’Neill, Genet, Behan, Melville, or what have you. Drawing from the relatively invisible literary talents of Daphne DuMaurier and Evan Hunter, Alfred Hitchcock has fashioned a major work of cinematic art, and cinematic is the operative term here, not literary or sociological. Read full review

100

J. Hoberman

Jaws before the world was ready, Hitch’s much misappreciated follow-up to Psycho is arguably the greatest of all disaster films—a triumph of special effects, as well as the fountainhead of what has become known as gross-out horror. Read full review

100

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

Hailed as one of Hitchcock's masterpieces by some and despised by others, The Birds is certainly among the director's more complex and fascinating works. Read full review

100

Empire Kim Newman

Genuinely disturbing thriller classic from the master of suspense. Read full review

100

Empire Angie Errigo

A mysterious army of enemies, with no suggested motive and, what's worse, they're your friendly garden crows. Clamps itself to your recollection and doesn't let go. Read full review

James Powers

Alfred Hitchcock has concocted an elaborate tease in The Birds, as if to prove that suspense and thrills can be induced as much by the expectation of horror as by horror itself. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Director Alfred Hitchcock goes nattering on with an hour of some silly plot-boiling about a flirtatious society girl (Tippi Hedren), a lovelorn schoolmarm (Suzanne Pleshette), an Oedipus wreck (Rod Taylor) and a pair of lovebirds. Hitchcock addicts will just be getting jittery for their first fix of gore when it suddenly becomes clear that the birds is coming: man's feathered friends set themselves to wipe out an entire village on the California coast. Why did the birds go to war? Hitchcock does not tell, and the movie flaps to a plotless end. Read full review

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User Reviews

mcsw712

Nov 22, 2018

seriously this should be a ten. I mean they attacked a real actress with actual birds.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

alejandro970

Aug 18, 2019

When Mother Nature goes mad. 12 years before Jaws, the horror came on wings over your head. Despite the modest special effect of that time, has enough for scare and cause nightmares the most cynical, especially for the apocalyptic end. Beware of imitations.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

giglio

Oct 7, 2021

Bem atuado, bem dirigido, bom roteiro, o suspense na crescente. Perfeito. Até os efeitos para a época são ótimos.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

FilipeNeto

Jun 28, 2018

"The Birds" is one of the greatest classics in Alfred Hitchcock's career. Its story basically reports an attack of raging birds against a small village on the Californian coast. The movie has often been touted as overrated but I definitely disagree. It's true that this kind of situation is"The Birds" is one of the greatest classics in Alfred Hitchcock's career. Its story basically reports an attack of raging birds against a small village on the Californian coast. The movie has often been touted as overrated but I definitely disagree. It's true that this kind of situation is quite unusual and the reasons for the abnormal behavior of the birds is never properly explained to us. I also considered the way the main character behaves, practically chasing a man she is attracted to without knowing him, is illogical and, at least, strange. That's the biggest negative criticism I can make of this movie which, apart from that, is flawless. The script explores a "nature vs. human" situation quite well, doing it in a way that we actually see as threatening, dangerous and tense. The way the birds behave is highly intimidating, and I just hope no animal has been wounded during the shootings. Cinematography is very good as well as visual effects. Tippi Hedren gave life to the main character, Melanie Daniels, a young spoiled daughter of a big-shot, and Rod Taylor played Mitch Brenner, for whom she is romantically interested. Both actors went very well in their characters, counting on the collaboration of a very competent support cast.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Computey18

Mar 2, 2023

If its an Hitchcock film, then its a good film. Also greenscreen and birds.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DawdlingPoet

Nov 24, 2021

This is a typical Hitchock film in that its pretty tense and suspenseful at times, it keeps you guessing and isn't an all out horror film but perhaps more of a psychological thriller of sorts. I remember reading the story when I was in secondary school, so I had a rough idea of what toThis is a typical Hitchock film in that its pretty tense and suspenseful at times, it keeps you guessing and isn't an all out horror film but perhaps more of a psychological thriller of sorts. I remember reading the story when I was in secondary school, so I had a rough idea of what to expect. The special effects are a bit tame (the bright red blood kept making me think of tomato ketchup - it didn't look like real blood at all I think but I'm maybe a bit of a nitpick?) but of course this is a film of its time, having been released in 1963. I thought it did quite well at making the viewer feel uneasy when faced with groups of birds stood congregating nearby, which is something I doubt anyone would normally bat an eyelid at. I imagine this was really quite a spooky and sinister perhaps even film of its time, although nowadays its hardly what I'd think of as a truly scary film (although one or two images I did find a little frightening) but I can understand why its well regarded and is a cult film. An interesting film by Hitchcock, based on a short story by Daphne DuMaurier, I'd recommend this.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Anthony1993

Apr 23, 2021

I hated everything about the movie it was absolutely garbage and the acting was absolute crap

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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