Hitchcock's movies

Written by:
Evan Hunter

Based upon the story by:
Daphne Du Maurier

Cinematography by:
Robert Burks

Production Design by:
Robert F. Boyle
George Milo

Costume Design by:
Helen Colvig

Music by:
Bernard Herrmann

Film Editing by:
George Tomasini

Produced by:
Alfred Hitchcock

Cast

Rod Taylor (Mitch Brenner)

Jessica Tandy (Lydia Brenner)

Tippi Hedren (Melanie Daniels)

Suzanne Pleshette (Annie Hayworth)

Veronica Cartwright (Cathy Brenner)

Ethel Griffies (Mrs. Bundy)

Charles McGraw (Sebastian Sholes)

Ruth McDevitt (Mrs. MacGruder)

Lonny Chapman (Deke Carter)

Joe Mantell (traveling salesman)

Doodles Weaver (fisherman)

Malcolm Atterbury (Al Malone)

John McGovern (postal clerk)

Karl Swenson (drunk)

Richard Deacon (man in elevator)

Elizabeth Wilson (Helen Carter)

Bill Quinn
Doreen Lang
Morgan Brittany

Lawyer Mitch Brenner and the rich girl Melanie meets in a San Francisco
pet store; the man invites her in Bodega Bay where his mother and young
sister Cathy live; there is a party for Cathy's birthday.
Melanie accepts and when she arrives she is attacked by a gull which bites
her face; Annie, the little town's teacher hosts her.
During Cathy's party lot of gulls attack the children and in the evening
Brenner's house is assaulted by hundreds of birds.
None can explain what's happening and everyone is terrified, birds attack
people and eat their eyes.
Next day while Melanie waits for Cathy to be out from school, some crows
attacks her and the little girl, they go safe into the car.
Later the whole town is assaulted by thousands of birds which destroy
everything they found. Mitch e Melanie bar the house and they are safe
from birds' killing fury.
When they go out in the morning a terrifying silence stands over the town;
they leave by the car while all the birds motionless look at them .

The movie presents evil as an environmental fact, but a lot of themes are
involved in "The birds": psychological one, reprehesented by Melanie who
fights against her loneliness behaving as a snob girl; religious one, birds can be
interpreted as a God's punishment against manhood, naturalistic one, the
rebellion of Mother Nature.
Hitchcock gives no personal interpretation on the event, he doesn't want to
judge, he simply shows and he makes a movie full of anguish and terror.