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The Birds [DVD] [1963]
 
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The Birds [DVD] [1963]

DVD ~ Rod Taylor
3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
Price: £4.98 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

The Birds [DVD] [1963] + Vertigo [DVD] [1958] + Rear Window [DVD] [1954]
Total RRP: £29.97
Price For All Three: £14.64

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Birds [DVD] [1963]
80% buy the item featured on this page:
The Birds [DVD] [1963] 3.9 out of 5 stars (9)
£4.98
Psycho/The Birds [DVD]
13% buy
Psycho/The Birds [DVD] 5.0 out of 5 stars (3)
£6.98
Vertigo [DVD] [1958]
3% buy
Vertigo [DVD] [1958] 4.4 out of 5 stars (39)
£4.98
North By Northwest [1959] [DVD]
2% buy
North By Northwest [1959] [DVD] 4.8 out of 5 stars (45)
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Product details

  • Actors: Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Veronica Cartwright
  • Directors: Alfred Hitchcock
  • Writers: Daphne Du Maurier, Evan Hunter
  • Producers: Alfred Hitchcock
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Subtitles: German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Universal Pictures UK
  • DVD Release Date: 17 Oct 2005
  • Run Time: 115 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00005N6RU
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 7,190 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

    Popular in these categories:

    #14 in  DVD > Classics > Horror & Suspense
    #15 in  DVD > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Alfred Hitchcock

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Vacationing in northern California, Alfred Hitchcock was struck by a story in a Santa Cruz newspaper: "Seabird Invasion Hits Coastal Homes". From this peculiar incident, and his memory of a short story by Daphne du Maurier, the master of suspense created one of his strangest and most terrifying films. The Birds follows a chic blonde, Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), as she travels to the coastal town of Bodega Bay to hook up with a rugged fellow (Rod Taylor) she's only just met. Before long the town is attacked by marauding birds, and Hitchcock's skill at staging action is brought to the fore. Beyond the superb effects, however, The Birds is also one of Hitchcock's most psychologically complicated scenarios, a tense study of violence, loneliness, and complacency. What really gets under your skin are not the bird skirmishes but the anxiety and the eerie quiet between attacks. The director elevated an unknown model, Tippi Hedren (mother of Melanie Griffith), to being his latest cool, blond leading lady, an experience that was not always easy on the much-pecked Ms. Hedren. Still, she returned for the next Hitchcock picture, the underrated Marnie. Treated with scant attention by serious critics in 1963, The Birds has grown into a classic and--despite the sci-fi trappings--one of Hitchcock's most serious films. --Robert Horton

Special Features
English
Region 2


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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Hitchcock, 25 Mar 2009
By G. R. Donaldson (Great Britain) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Given that Alfred Hitchcock is probably one of the most discussed and analysed directors of modern cinema, its difficult to find a new slant on his work. Suffice to say The Birds in my opinion is up there with Psycho and North By North West as the very best examples of his work. The casting of Tippi Hedren is inspired and on the Region 2 DVD we see her actual screen tests. The film looks marvellous with crisp colours and crystal clear sound. I am sometimes wary of buying older titles as I have seen some poor transfers onto DVD.
The Birds has the usual mix of small continuity errors often associated with Hitchcock but these are minor grumbles. Its an excellent film with great performances, so four stars .
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17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars why oh why oh why?????, 23 May 2006
The Birds was filmed in widescreen: this offering is pan and scan.junk version of a great film. Get the region one version instead.
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5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Quick Reviews!, 3 Sep 2007
Hitchcock does it again, by taking a seemingly preposterous situation and turning it into one of the most impressive, intelligent, and tense movies ever. Tippi has often been accused of not being the greatest actress, but in this she is suitably mysterious as the outsider, at the same time seductive and vulnerable. For reasons unknown, Melanie Daniels's arrival at a cosy seaside town heralds the attack of countless birds, ending in death and chaos. It is often assumed that the birds come as a warning about overt female sexuality, as Melanie travels to Bodega pursuing Mitch Brenner (Taylor). Whatever the reason, what ensues is a gripping finale as the remaining townsfolk hide in their house, wondering when the next attack will be. After a rather slow and uneventful build up, the film shocks the viwer with successive and quick assults on the senses. The scene in the café, as the town argues over whether a recent bird attack is real or fake, quickly followed by a full scale bird assault is a famous example. We are ominously told that birds vastly outnumber people. While people fumble around, trying to escape incompetently, the birds work as an unstoppable group. If you kill one, there's a thousand more.

The stand out scenes are obvious; the birds gathering on the playground, the attack on the school children, the `don't open that door scene', and the final scene, as the humans leave, defeated. The birds themselves are truly remarkable, again making CGI seem very very stupid. Never underestimate the powers of live action, suggestion, and good old matte painting. Perhaps too slow for some modern movie lovers, especially those expecting a fully blown gore and shock fest, but for everyone else-this is another must see from The Master.

Most DVDs of The Birds contain good extras- trailers, commentary, and a suitably long and incisive documentary. The stories about the bird trainer, and the one bird which took a personal dislike to Rod Taylor are entertaining.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars AVIANS RUN AMOK IN AN ARTY ACHIEVEMENT
avians run amok in an artistic achievement .


The father of modern cinema Hitchcock celebrates his most innovative and chilling avian caprice in an innocuous... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dr. U. L. Khawaja

5.0 out of 5 stars Horryfying and vibrant thriller
When Melanie Daniels (Hedren) visits a mysterious man in Bodega Bay, she and the townsfolk are struck by the vicious nature of the local birds. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Stampy

2.0 out of 5 stars WARNING: Pan-and-scan version of widescreen film
For resons best known to themselves, Universal UK have issued most of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960s/1970s films (The Birds, Marnie, Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzy) in pan-and-scan 1. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kenneth F. Mcara

5.0 out of 5 stars Another classic Hitch
Hitchcock was always an innovator. Having created the first slasher movie with Psycho two years earlier, The Birds features yet another blonde (following on from Grace Kelly, Kim... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Kraftwerker

4.0 out of 5 stars A Must For Hitchcock Fans
I think the best thing about The Birds is that it is directed by Alfred Hitchcock, to me anything with his name fronting it is scary. Read more
Published 9 months ago by willow

4.0 out of 5 stars Hitchcock's most teasing, tantalising film
Stark, strange, and a little spooky. Based on a short story rich in symbolism and psychological in style, this movie builds the tension well, and Tippi Hedren is the right choice... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Lou Knee

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