The Birds
Alfred Hitchcock’sThe Birdscontinues tobe regard as one of the scariest movies ever made . In 2001 , the motion picture was listed at # 7 on the American Film Institute ’s compiling of the 100 Greatest American Thrillers of all fourth dimension . In addition to its 96 % Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes account , the film also presently boasts a 90/100 Metacritic rating .
Released in U.S. dramaturgy on March 29 , 1963,The Birdsfollows Melanie Daniels ( Tippi Hedren ) , a undivided San Francisco socialite who , upon a sojourn home in Bodega Bay , becomes set on by savage flocks of shuttlecock of every band . With the film set about its 58th day of remembrance , here ’s a detailed look back atThe bird ' production account .
Inspiration
grant toIt ’s Only a Movie , Alfred Hitchcockobtained the rights to Daphne Du Maurier ’s unretentive storyThe Birdsin 1955 , with plans for its use on his telly showAlfred Hitchcock Presents . However , very small of Du Maurier ’s story is present in the photographic film adjustment .
In 1961 , a standardized phenomenon to the patch of the film occurred in Santa Cruz , California . On August 18 , 1961 , theSanta Cruz Sentinelnewspaper published the hysterical newspaper headline , " Seabird Invasion Hits Coastal Homes , " before detail a story about billion of chick doss into residential home and make major damage . Hitchcock start filming the movie briefly after reading about the incident .
Casting
Before Rod Taylor was vomit up as the male lede Mitch Brenner , Hitchcock conceive his long - time collaborator Cary Grant for the role . Other name were considered before Hitchcock decide he did n’t need a openhanded star , as he felt his name the birds were the main attractor . Farley Granger was one of Hitchcock ’s first choices for the role .
Sean Connery , who star in Hitchcock ’s follow - up filmMarnie , was also considered for the function of Mitch . Audrey Hepburn was up for the role of Melanie , while Sandra Dee screen - tested and Jill Ireland try out for the role .
Special Effects
consort to an interview withDick Cavett , Hitchcock admitted that roughly 3,200 real birds were trained for use in the motion-picture show . Hitch also admitted that the ravens were the most clever , while the sea gull were the most ferocious .
According toThe devising of Hitchcock ’s The Birds , Universal spent roughly $ 200,000 produce mechanical birds for the film , although most of the birds depicted onscreen were substantial . A totality of 320 special effects guess were used in the movie , including the final composite shot which is represent of 32 separately filmed images . The moving-picture show earned an Oscar for Special Effects but lost toCleopatra .
Mitch Named After Restaurateur
In the source novel , the main manly lineament is named Nat Hocken . Very minuscule is retained from the novel in the film variant , but when it come fourth dimension to rename the lead eccentric , Hitchcock made an inclusive deal with a local restauranter .
During production , the owner of the Tides Restaurant seen in the moving picture ( Mitch Zanich ) , allowed Hitchcock to take there under the condition that he name the lead role after himself . Hitchcock not only agree , but he also gift Zanich a minor speak purpose as a man who asks , " What happened , Mitch ? " after a Melanie suffers an blast .
Schoolhouse Scene
concord to Tippi Hedren in her memoir , the school boast inThe Birdswas genuinely obsess in substantial - aliveness , which frighten her castmates , but made Hitchcock require to film there even more . Despite appearing as if in Bodega Bay , the school was settle some five miles away from town .
To increase the terror , reshoots were done on a Universal backlot for the scene in which the nestling race from the school in horror as the birds get to attack . child were localise on treadmills and tell to run in piazza , while footage of hoot attacking was add together through rearward - projection . The scene was extremely difficult to dart and took a few days to complete .
Lack Of Musical Score
Despite several pieces of diegetic music see in the film , The Birdsis bereft of an official melodic grade . This was a deliberate choice by Hitchcock to create as much tension as potential . According to the bookHitchcock ’s Secret Notebooks , it wasPsychocomposer Bernard Herrmann ’s theme for the film to have no euphony . As such , Herrmann is accredit as a Sound Consultant .
The light medicine heard in the motion-picture show includes Oskar Sala ’s bird sound , Hedren play Debussey ’s " Two arabesque " on the pianissimo , and the schoolchildren croon " Risseldy Rosseldy . "
Akira Kurosawa’s Favorite Hitchcock Film
Shortly before his death in 1998,legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawacompiled an unranked list of what he conceive tothe great 100 motion picture ever made .
While he limited the list to let in only one film per admired music director , Kurosawa namedThe Birdsas his favorite Hitchcock movie . In his corresponding reason for choosing the film , Kurosawa adduce that the images of so many bird shake in him a genuine sense of dread and wonderment as to how Hitchcock was capable to achieve the scene .
Climactic Attack Scene
The climactic scene of the filmin which Melanie is brutally bombarded by a slaying of crows took seven days to complete . Mechanical bird were attached to Hedren ’s clothing so they would n’t let up . Tippi Hedren suffered a real gash to her face during the scene and required a stint in the infirmary for exhaustion when the scene was completed . Hedren subsequently predict it the worst week of her lifespan .
As a result , when Mitch carries Melanie down the stairs after the attack , the actress in the fit in Hedren ’s stunt double . The shot was filmed while Hedren was still in the infirmary recovering .
Ideas For Ending
The Birdsconcludes with Mitch , Melanie , and Lydia lento escaping through a sea of ominously perched birds outside their house as they drive out of town . Several other ideas to end the celluloid were considered , include one that got as far as stimulate construct art evolve .
According to original storyboards , the alternate termination that gained the most traction would have portray the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco completely cover in hoot , prefigure a dread coup d’etat .
Film Premiere
The sound came from speaker system hidden in the surrounding trees and bushes , meant to increase the fear in various audience members as they left the premiere . Also in attendance at the London premierewere two flamingos , six penguin , and 50 starlings and red cardinals .
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