Maestra

Dayan Silva


Analysis of the movie “THE BIRDS” 1963


In the movie “The Birds” directed by Alfred Hitchcock (1963), the opening sequence introduces the viewer to Melanie Daniels. The first sequence of shots establishes the relationship between the wild birds flying in the sky and Melanie. She looks at them after she is distracted by the whistle of a young boy who is fancying her. Thechange of expression in her face, from her subtle smile to her confused look, gives a hint about the horror of uncontrollable forces of nature to come. The mise-en-scene in the first 24 shots anticipates the contradiction created by beauty, not only with humans but also amidst birds.

Hitchcock uses the city landscape of San Francisco for the introduction, giving the viewer a sense of theCalifornian lifestyle. The style of this movie is suspense (as are most of Hitchcock's movies), but in this one, he creates a monster movie rather than his usual psychological thriller. Contradiction is a big element of this film and it is visible since the beginning of the movie. At the onset, the colors are full of life, and as dark events begin to occur, we notice the colors begin to fade away. Anexample is Melanie's brown dress, which distinctly changes colors throughout the film.

The usage of high angle shots and point of view shots complement the film's antagonist. The framing of shots and the camera movements of this movie are usually short takes. The story telling uses continuity editing to masterfully build tension and suspense. Also the audio of the movie effectively relates to whatis happening onscreen. The use of sound in the film constantly switches, utilizing both noise and silence. In the beginning, we hear the ambient sound of the city, a bus passing by and the whistle that calls the attention of the protagonist. Then, appropriately, the sound of the birds flying above the city and the silence of Melanie looking up at them denotes an auditory foreshadowing. Thissequence is a perfect example of that constant change between silence and bird sounds which creates suspense. Moreover, the whistle is a great example of the relationship between sound and sexuality. As the sounds grow in intensity, there is an ominous sexuality that grows between the main characters as well as the viewer.

The plot is another factor that bridges the first twenty four shots to theentire movie. “The Birds” is a narrative and fictional story. The story takes place in the real world where the protagonists find themselves in San Francisco, and eventually end up in Bodega Bay surviving the rage of the birds. The story begins with a girl named Melanie Daniels who enters a pet shop; setting up a very innocent environment. Ms Daniels meets Mitch, who approaches her as if she waspart of the pet shop’s staff. Melanie plays along and pretends to be a sales person. Mitch asks her questions about the birds, and even though she does not know, she gives him answers. He of course, knows she is lying because he knows exactly who she is and he flirts with her accordingly. Ms Daniels even opens a cage and a bird flies out. Luckily, Mitch catches the bird under his hat. Herein lies aconnection with the rest of the movie. Ms Daniels, out of mischievous innocence, frees a bird that in reality SHOULD be free and not locked in a cage.

This is a film that displays an innovative, ingenious horror to the audience. When Ms Daniels finally finds out where Mitch lives, she drops off the cage with the two love birds. She does so secretly, placing the birds inside of Mitch'smother's house. Her dark destiny unravels as a seagull pokes her forehead and this is the first time the antagonist acts.

This is a story full of suspense, and the narrative organization has a cause and effect to create a great deal of tension and horror. The story takes place over a weekend, with several resolving conflicts providing chaos and order. The director uses sound, plot, and...