The Birds

The Birds is a thriller about a wealthy woman from San Francisco who pursues a man to a small Northern Californian town that takes a horrible turn when birds start to attack the public with extreme violence.

In the movie dramatic irony is used as the audience knows something the character does not.For example, in the school yard Tippi Hendren has no clue that behind her a flock of birds is gathering, however, the audience is able to watch the build up.  Also in this scene the innocent children's song playing in the background is in contrast with the evil nature of the birds making it more terrifying.

In the cafe scene, Hitchcock used a high angle shot to make it as if it is the gaze of a pitiless God who has no intention of intervening.


The movie features 370 effects shots and the final shot is a composite of 32 separately filmed elements.

There were also many different endings thought of for the film, one was the Golden Gate Bridge covered in birds.  The film does not end normally as Hitchcock wanted it to be an unending horror.