Birds Review

8/3/2019 Birds Review

1/7

Birds

Poster Art


2/7

Birdsisafilmthatisalmostaopen,blankbookforpeoples

interpretationswithamixofFreudianmeaningsand

emotions,towhichhasbeenpickedupbymanycriticssuch

asT.Milnesashestates,Fullofsubterraneanhintsastothe

waysinwhichpeoplecageeachother,it'sfierceand

Freudianaswellasgreatcinematicfun,withamplefodder

fortheamateurpsychologistfollowinguponHitch's

tortuousinvolvementwithhisleadingladies.(T.Milnes,

2006)Thoughitisdateditstillverymuchholdsafeelof

uncertainty,anuncertaintyofwhyandwhatishappeningto

whichisneveransweredthroughoutthefilmtowhich

makesthisamostlovedfilmbycriticssuchasK.Newmanashestates,Genuinelydisturbingthrillerclassicfromthe

masterofsuspense,(K.Newman,2007)andT.Milnes,this

isHitchcockathisbest.(T.Milnes,2006)

Therehavebeenmanyinterpretationsastowhatthisfilm

couldmeanandorwhatthebirdssymbolizeasB.Crowther

states,

Whether Mr. Hitchcock intended this picture of how a

plague of birds almost ruins a peaceful community to be

symbolic of how the world might be destroyed by a

sudden disorder of nature's machinery is not apparent in

the picture. Nor is it made readily clear whether he meant

the birds to represent the classical Furies that were

supposed to pursue the wicked on this earth. (B.

Crowther, 2000)

Though still is very much unclear, its one way to look at it if

you simply look at it from a disaster movie point of view,

though there are many hints as to another way, a more

meaningful way if you take into consideration a few things such

as the old mother to whom is afraid of losing her son to a lover,

the love birds in a cage and that nature or also know as mother

nature is striking the young girl, to whom has fallen for the son,


3/7

as soon as she draws the young man away from his mothers

home. B. Crowther also views it along these lines as he states,

although it isn't in Mr. Hitchcock's style to inject

allegorical meanings or social significance in his films.

But the context of the birds concentrating their fury upon a

house in which a possessive and jealous mother hovers

anxiously over her son is so obvious and fascinating that I

rather lean to it. ( B. Crowther , 2000)

One could say that the birds are a symbol or are at least linked to

the mothers feelings or arguably obsession with keeping her son

from leaving her for another. There are two key point to show

and back up this theory, the first being when she meets the

mother and to which the mother replied, Oh, I see, to the fact

she came to bring love birds, though seems so innocent then, but

would later seem to hold another meaning. To which brings one

to the next key point of when the family leaves the house at the

end of the film. The young woman to whom was attacked and

seems to have lot her independence due to this attack is in the

car with the mother while the daughter asks if she can bring the

love birds. This again is a action to which brings no real value to

the film, due to these birds not holding much ground in the film

unless there was a hidden meaning behind these birds, to which

brings one back to the mother holding the young woman to

whom is holding onto her or better stated, relying on her for

help. The mother has almost a satisfactory look on her face. This

could simply imply the mother is ready to let go of her son and

trusts this woman due to what they have been through or thatshe has got something else that she wanted, to which brings us

back to the birds and there hidden meaning. One could take the

two lovers as the love birds and the mother as the cage, never

letting them go, always under her control so they have to rely on

her and can never abandon her.


4/7

Caged Lovers

However this film, though as a very interesting story to it, it also

has some grate camera work to it as well, though not as up front

and extravagant as some of his other films, it still used to grate

effect to show the audience what is going to happen from one

scene to the next to which brings in a lot of tension and

anticipation. Though this is used many times there are two that

are most memorable, first being as she begins to cross the river

back to the town. The woman is watching the young man rushall the way around the river to see her and is constantly flicking


5/7

between her and him to whom she is watching which bring the

anticipation of them meeting, though is cleverly interrupted by

the first of the bird attacks to brake up almost, a perfect love

seen to which brings the audience back out of what could have

been. The next is of the young woman by the playground having

a smoke as crows graver behind her to which she is unaware of

until the place is covered. It flickers between the two building

up the tension and winding up the knot of wanting to put a

pillow to ones face so one dues not have to witness to what is

going to happen to her if they attack to which is very well done.

Murder.

However, this adds another layer to the mystery to this already

multi layered film of would she murder to keep her son from

leaving? If you take into consideration that a flock of crows is

called murder to which in this scene flock behind her after themother asks her to go to pick up her daughter.


6/7

These camera movements and editing between the two are the

main reason that even though this film is dated, it still holds a

grasp that is mirrored to day.


7/7

Bibliography

B.CrowtherNewYorkTimes2000(accessed21-feb-12)

http://www.nytimes.com/library/film/040163hitch-birds-

review.html

K.NewmanEmpire2007(accessed21-feb-12)

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=16934 .

T.MilnesTimeOut2006(accessed21-feb-12)http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/67850/the_birds.html

Illustrations

Cagedlovers(accessed21-feb-12)

http://petcaregt.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/types-of-bird-cages.jpg

PosterArt(accessed21-feb-12)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/U9L7Tdp6AOg/Tiwsul1_jvI/AAAAAAAAEF

A/k4cKAH982yk/s1600/811.jpg

Murder(accessed21-feb-12)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2h0mnOEbxwY/Tyf1DvPnNLI/AAAAAAAAAis/pDwwAaUzlD4/s160

0/birds.jpg

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