Saturday 17 January 2015

The Birds (1963 Alfred Hitchcock)

In tribute to Rod Taylor, who died recently aged 84 of a heart attack. Not the greatest actor maybe, but just always so damn likeable.

Enjoyed superb filmic story-telling more than last time - film has so much 'pure' cinema that it's tempting to watch the whole thing with no sound. I was marvelling at the way the camera set-ups keep changing within a scene. Whilst there's no music at all (c.f. Rear Window) the soundtrack is put together with the usual amount of detail and imagination.

Lulls you into a complete false sense of security. Note how early on Hedren is always photographed soft focus with a soft background - no doubt to offer a vivid contrast to her shell-shocked latter state. Film indeed begins like a good family melodrama, and when Jessica Tandy appears it's the scariest thing that's happened so far!

Jump cuts to dead man with eyes gouged, and the infamous petrol station cutting, are perhaps nods to the nouvelle vague...

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