"The Birds" (1963) "The Birds" (1963)

The Birds (1963) Color-120m. ***½ D: Alfred Hitchcock. Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Veronica Cartwright, Ethel Griffies, Charles McGraw, Joe Mantell, Elizabeth Wilson, Doodles Weaver, Richard Deacon, Suzanne Cupito (Morgan Brittany). Hitchcock's classic about a woman (Hedren) and mass birds attacks that follow her around isolated coastal California community. Not for the squeamish; a delight for those who are game. Hold on to something and watch. Script by Evan Hunter, loosely based on Daphne du Maurier's story. Followed by a TV sequel in 1994. Available on DVD and Cassette.

That was Leonard Maltin's review for "The Birds". Again, check out his books he publishes every year: "Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide."

Here are a bunch of picture's I took from the AFI. They recently had a TV special called "AFI 100 Years... 100 Films". I highly recommend it, and if I ever get another VCR, I will hook the two together and make some copies for anybody who wants one.

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Anne (Pleshette) gets killed in a bird attack.

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All the kids running down the street acting like the birds are attacking them. The birds were super-imposed onto the film later.

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Some of the birds resting on a light fixture between shootings.

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Hitchcock giving tryouts for birds to be in the film.

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Hitchcock's famous 'poodles cameo' in font of Davidson's Pet Store. There is no real Davidson's, but the shop itself does exist. It's in Berkley Square in San Francisco. Hitchcock had a cameo appearance in every one of his films.

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Hitchcock directing birds in font of the Daniels' house.

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The set in Bodega, a small coastal town about 40 miles north of San Francisco.

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Hitchcock gets startled by a synthisizer that reproduces bird noises.

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Hitchcock reviews a script and gets scolded by Pleshette. :-)

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Suzanne Pleshette appeared in The Birds as Anne Hayworth, the school teacher.

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Pleshette taking a cigarette break.

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Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) and Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) running down the street in Bodega. There appears to be fake birds laying around. o_o

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Rod Taylor played Mitch Brenner. Taylor is from Sydney, Australia, though you wouldn't know it from this movie; he sounds totally American in it.

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Taylor on the phone.

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Pleshette and Taylor between scenes.

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Taylor taking a smoking break with Hedren and Pleshette.

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Taylor on another smoking break, by himself.

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Melanie (Tippe Hedren) gets attacked after discovering a giant hole in the roof of an upstairs bedroom.

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Tippi Hedren in a publicity photo for the movie. Me like. c.c

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Tippi Hedren's wardrobe was done by Edith Head, Academy Award winning designer. I've seen her name in the credits to other movies, but I can't remember what they were... heh

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View of Hitchcock and Hedren from above, I think this might have been a magazine article, sort of introducing Hedren to the world. It might have even been part of a TV commcerial.

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Hitchcock adjusting Hedren's make up.

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Tippi Hedren in a publicity photo. One night Hitchcock invited her to dinner, and gave her a present of a pin of sea gulls in flight. She was then asked if she wanted the part of Melanie, and excepted it. I wonder if she still has the pin? (Hitchcock and Hedren got a fight in the middle of filming her 2nd Hitch movie; "Marnie" (1964). She called him 'fat' or something.)

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Tippi is visited at her dressing room by Foster Phinney, the assistant director, and by one of her feathered co-stars.

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Hitchcock and his wife, Alma, first spotted then-aspiring New York actress 'Tippi' Hedren on a television commerical for a dietetic soft drink called Sego.

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Miss Hedren's first meeting with the great director took place on Friday the 13th, in 1962.

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Tippi on a smoking break, I think. This might be a scene in the movie. :-p

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Cathy Daniels (Veronica Cartwright). I can't remember exactly how they spelled the name 'Cathy' in the film; there are several ways of spelling it. o.o;

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Gregory Peck visits the set. Hitchcock and Peck both have won the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the American Film Institute. Henry Fonda, Sydney Portier, Clint Eastwood, Bette Davis, and Orson Welles also won the award.

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A picture from the famous scene of Anne, Melanie, and all the kids getting chased down the street.

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Hitchcock bids the cast and crew a fond farewell after filming. Hedren, Taylor, and Tandy are visible in the front of the crowd.

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