The Birds
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The Birds

Year:
Duration:
119 min
Genres:
Horror
IMDB rate:
7.8
Director:
Alfred Hitchcock
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations
Details
Country: USA
Release Date: 1963-03-29
Filming Locations: 17110 Bodega Lane, Bodega, California, USA
Earnings
Budget: $2,500,000
Gross: $11,403,529 (USA) Rentals $5,090,371 (USA)
Cast
Actor
Character
Tippi Hedren
Melanie Daniels
Suzanne Pleshette
Annie Hayworth
Rod Taylor
Mitch Brenner
Jessica Tandy
Lydia Brenner
Veronica Cartwright
Cathy Brenner
Ethel Griffies
Mrs. Bundy - Ornithologist
Charles McGraw
Sebastian Sholes - Fisherman in Diner
Doreen Lang
Hysterical Mother in Diner
Ruth McDevitt
Mrs. MacGruder - Pet Store Clerk
Joe Mantell
Traveling Salesman at Diner's Bar
Malcolm Atterbury
Deputy Al Malone
Karl Swenson
Drunken Doomsayer in Diner
Elizabeth Wilson
Helen Carter
Lonny Chapman
Deke Carter - Diner Owner
Doodles Weaver
Fisherman Helping with Rental Boat
John McGovern
Postal Clerk
Richard Deacon
Mitch's City Neighbor
Bill Quinn
Sam - Man in Diner (as William Quinn)
Darlene Conley
Waitress (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock
Man Walking Dogs Out of Pet Shop
Dal McKennon
Sam the Cook (uncredited)
Mike Monteleone
Gas Station Attendant
Jeannie Russell
School Child (uncredited)
Roxanne Tunis
Extra (uncredited)
Did you know?
Trivia
Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions copyrighted The Birds (1963) twice; on 28 Mar 1963 with a running time of 119 minutes and on 20 Apr 1963 with a running time of 120 minutes. Filming March 5-July 10 1962.
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When audiences left the film's UK premiere at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London, they were greeted by the sound of screeching and flapping birds from loudspeakers hidden in the trees to scare them further.
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Alfred Hitchcock disliked filming on location, so he filmed as much as possible in the studio on-set.
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Goofs
When Melanie was driving her car to deliver the lovebirds, there's a shot of the front of the car and the camera is reflected in the window.
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When the gull attacks Melanie, at the 24th minute, we see Mitch jumping from the pontoon twice: once from Melanie's point of view, then a second time from the pontoon. And Mitch's attitude is clearly not the same in the two shots.
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Annie and Melanie open the door to Annie's house when a seagull hits it. As the door opens houses are clearly visible across the road, after they look up again from the dead bird the view is now the bay with no houses at all.
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Quotes
Doomsayer in diner: It's the end of the world
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Melanie Daniels: Hello there, Mrs. MacGruder.
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Melanie Daniels: Just what is it you're looking for, sir?
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Faq
Q
Is there an alternate ending?
A
It is said that Hitchcock wanted to end the movie with the car arriving in San Francisco, only to find the Golden Gate Bridge covered with birds, giving the foreboding impression that the attacks were not over. However, due to the logistics of filming such a scene, it was never shot. In another ending that was written but never shot, the car slowly drives through Bodega Bay, and the group sees people who have fallen victim to the birds. The birds do not attack, however, until Mitch sees a clear stretch of road ahead and accelerates. The birds then begin to attack the car, but they manage to make it out of the Bay.
Q
Why did Lydia hate Annie, Melanie, and any of Mitch's girlfriends?
A
Lydia (Jessica Tandy) didn't hate them, but her husband died four years earlier, and she felt fearful that, should Mitch marry, she would be left alone.
Q
Does Alfred Hitchcock have a cameo in "The Birds"?
A
Yes. When Melanie enters the Davidson's Pet Shop about two minutes into the film, Hitchcock can be seen leaving it. The two white dogs on leashes are his own Sealyham terriers, Geoffrey and Stanley. A photo of the scene can be seen here.
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Photos from cast
Morgan Brittany
cute duck clip art soft soft tsing ma bridge