The Birds (film)
| The Birds | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Produced by | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Screenplay by | Evan Hunter |
| Based on |
The Birds by Daphne du Maurier |
| Starring |
Rod Taylor Tippi Hedren Jessica Tandy Suzanne Pleshette Veronica Cartwright |
| Cinematography | Robert Burks, ASC |
| Edited by | George Tomasini |
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Production
company |
Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions
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| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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119 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3.3 million |
| Box office | $11.4 million |
The Birds is a 1963 American horror-thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on the 1952 story of the same name by Daphne du Maurier. It focuses on a series of sudden and unexplained violent bird attacks on the people of Bodega Bay, California over the course of a few days.
The film stars Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren, in her screen debut, supported by Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette and Veronica Cartwright. The screenplay is by Evan Hunter, who was told by Hitchcock to develop new characters and a more elaborate plot while keeping du Maurier's title and concept of unexplained bird attacks.
In 2016, The Birds was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress, and selected it for preservation in its National Film Registry.
Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), a young socialite known for rather racy behavior and playing pranks, meets lawyer Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a San Francisco bird shop. He wants to purchase a pair of lovebirds for his sister's eleventh birthday, but the shop has none. He had seen her in court once before when her recklessness resulted in the breaking of a plate-glass window, but she does not know him; attracted, he plays a prank by pretending to mistake her for a salesperson. She is infuriated when she discovers this, even though she also likes to play practical jokes. Then, intrigued by his veiled advance, she finds his weekend address in Bodega Bay, purchases a pair of lovebirds, and makes the long drive to deliver them. Discovering he is not there, she leaves the birdcage inside the Brenner family home, with a note. He spots her on the water through a pair of binoculars during her retreat, and races across the bay to head her off. She is attacked near shore on the town side and injured by a seagull. He invites her to dinner, and she hesitantly agrees.
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Wikipedia