The Birds
1963
***½
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Veronica Cartwright, Ethel Griffies, Ruth McDevitt, Lonny Chapman, Joe Mantell
A young woman is infatuated by a handsome lawyer and tracks down where he lives. Just as she arrives in the coastal town of Bodega Bay, all the birds start to act in a menacing manner. In one of his most iconic films, Hitchcock builds suspense extremely slowly. It's almost halfway point before flocks of hostile birds begin to attack the townsfolk. Thankfully no attempt is made to explain any of the events. Due to Hitchcock's brilliant filmmaking skills, the special effects, which are more than 60 years old, still look convincing. Based on Daphne du Maurier's 1952 short story.
