Although not as horrifically shocking as "Psycho," "The Birds" is a more sophisticated film, and represents a high watermark in the prolific career of a true maestro of cinema.
Comment
06/17/09
The Birds (1963)
95
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:39
Fresh:37
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.9/10
Consensus: Proving once again that build-up is the key to suspense, Alfred Hitchcock successfully turned birds into some of the most terrifying villains in horror history.
Runtime: 2 hrs
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: In THE BIRDS, Alfred Hitchcock's heart-pounding follow-up to PSYCHO, the director couples a tone of rigorous morality with dark humor to create a thriller that begins as a light comedy and ends as... [More]
Starring: Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
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Reviews for The Birds
The movie flaps to a plotless end.
10/07/08
Top CriticPerhaps only a director of Hitchcock's caliber can make such a fowl story fly.
11/07/07
Feels like it was made by a brilliant filmmaker who simply felt challenged by the enormity of the task. In that regard, it's close to 100 percent successful.
09/26/07
Hailed as one of Hitchcock's masterpieces by some and despised by others, The Birds is certainly among the director's more complex and fascinating works.
09/21/07
Top CriticMaybe not quite the pinnacle of Hitchcock's career but definitely in the top five.
09/21/07
Top CriticGenuinely disturbing thriller classic from the master of suspense.
09/21/07
Beneath all of this elaborate feather bedlam lies a Hitch cock-and-bull story that's essentially a fowl ball.
09/21/07
Top CriticAlfred Hitchcock's most abstract film (1963), and perhaps his subtlest, still yielding new meanings and inflections after a dozen or more viewings.
09/21/07
Top CriticInventive classic.
08/22/06
It's fierce and Freudian as well as great cinematic fun, with ample fodder for the amateur psychologist following up on Hitch's tortuous involvement with his leading ladies.
06/24/06
This masterpiece is one of Hitchcock's purest forays into cinema; it's such a complete piece that it even gets by with two mediocre actors.
02/11/06
Mediocre as melodrama, but the signature avian attacks are without equal.
12/09/05
What sets The Birds apart from the other films in Hitchcock’s incredible ten-year run between 1954 and 1964 is its remarkable chilliness.
11/01/05
Technically, the best Hitchcock ever...and one of the most nail-biting.
08/01/05
Underestimated at the time, this is Hitchcok's last undisputed masterpiece, and a more complex film than Psycho
07/31/05
More novelty than spectacle, but overall a chilling exercise in nihilistic terror.
01/31/05
No review available.
12/21/04
The Birds is most notable though for turning something completely harmless into an incredible menace -- all with absolutely no explanation.
11/16/04
Latest News for The Birds
March 24, 2009:
Screenwriters Talk Poltergeist, The Birds Remakes 
What would possess a screenwriter to try and update "The Birds" and "Poltergeist"? Thanks to a new interview with husband-and-wife duo Stiles White and Juliet Snowden, you can... More...
September 26, 2008:
Exclusive: Brand New The Children Photos and Director Introduction
Writing exclusively for RT, director Tom Shankland presents the first gallery of stills from the set of his twisted child-zombie movie The Children and takes us in to the... More...
October 19, 2007:
Naomi Watts Joins Bay's Birds Flock
Finally, something truly terrifying has come out of Hollywood. Make sure you're sitting down, and don't say we didn't warn you -- this news is not for the faint of heart. More...
January 15, 2007:
Producer Thinks Naomi Watts is for "The Birds"
It's remake heaven. Platinum Dunes producer Brad Fuller has his sights on adding "The Birds" to his slate -- which already includes "The Hitcher,"... More...
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