The Birds

A wealthy San Francisco playgirl pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people there in increasing numbers and with increasing viciousness.

• Director:Alfred Hitchcock
• Genre:Drama / Fantasy / Horror / Thriller
• Runtime:119 minutes

Cast

Rod Taylor : Mitch Brenner
Jessica Tandy : Lydia Brenner
Suzanne Pleshette: Annie Hayworth
Tippi Hedren : Melanie Daniels (as ‘Tippi’ Hedren)
Veronica Cartwright: Cathy Brenner

The story focuses on beautiful young Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), a wealthy socialite whose father is an owner of a large newspaper. Melanie visits a San Francisco pet shop to pick up a mynah bird she has ordered for her aunt. There she meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor), a lawyer who is looking for a pair of lovebirds to give to his sister. Mitch sees Melanie and pretends to mistake her for a salesperson. Melanie acts the role, believing that she is fooling Mitch, until he reveals that he has known all along that she did not work in the shop. Melanie, infuriated, inquires as to the reason for Mitch’s behavior. He mentions a previous encounter that he had with her in court.

Intrigued by Mitch, Melanie buys the lovebirds and finds the address of Mitch’s home in Bodega Bay, California, a small village up the Pacific coast. She drives to Bodega Bay and delivers the birds by sneaking across the small harbor in a motor boat. Melanie walks into the Brenner residence and leaves the birds on a footstool, with a note. As she is heading back across the bay, Mitch observes her through a pair of binoculars, then circles around the bay in his car to meet her — but just as she is about to pull up to the dock, a seagull swoops down and inflicts a cut on her head.

Over the next few days, the avian attacks continue, as Melanie’s relationship with Mitch, his clinging mother, Lydia (Jessica Tandy), his 11-year-old sister, Cathy (Veronica Cartwright), and Cathy’s teacher (who is also Mitch’s former lover) Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette) develops. The second strange bird incident occurs when Melanie stays for the night at Hayworth’s house and a gull kills itself upon hitting the front door. The next attack occurs at Cathy’s party. Avian violence escalates when Lydia discovers a friend dead in his bedroom. Read more