The Birds

What Spielberg did for the ocean in Jaws, Hitchcock did for the skies in his legendary 1963 classic The Birds, one of the most terrifying films from the Master of Suspense.  When beautiful socialite Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren, in her film debut) travels to the picturesque coastal town of Bodega Bay in pursuit of eligible bachelor Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor), she is inexplicably attacked by a seagull.   Suddenly, thousands of birds begin to flock into town, preying on schoolchildren and residents in a horrifying series of relentless attacks.    Melanie and Mitch must fight for their lives against a deadly force that cannot be explained or stopped as Mother Nature sends a potent warning from the skies via the unlikeliest of villains.  An ecological nightmare like no other, The Birds, adapted from Daphne du Maurier’s novella, finds Alfred Hitchcock in peak form as he orchestrates a symphony of nerve-shredding suspense and avian terror.   Also starring Suzanne Pleshette, Jessica Tandy and Veronica Cartwright. (Dir. by Alfred Hitchcock, 1963, USA, 119 mins., Rated PG-13)