He discloses his prior knowledge of her and that his ruse was intended to make her appreciate being on the other end of a joke. Mitch tests Melanie's knowledge of birds, which she fails. Recognizing Melanie from her court appearance regarding a practical joke gone awry, Mitch pretends to mistake her for a shop employee. Plot Īt a San Francisco pet store, socialite Melanie Daniels meets lawyer Mitch Brenner, who is looking to buy lovebirds for his sister Cathy's 11th birthday. In 2016, The Birds was deemed 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant' by the United States Library of Congress, and selected for preservation in its National Film Registry. The award, however, went to the only other nominee, Emil Kosa Jr., for Cleopatra. The screenplay is by Evan Hunter, who was told by Hitchcock to develop new characters and a more elaborate plot while keeping du Maurier's title and concept of unexplained bird attacks.Īt the 36th Academy Awards, Ub Iwerks was nominated for Best Special Effects for his work on the film. The film stars Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren in her screen debut, alongside Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, and Veronica Cartwright.

Loosely based on the 1952 short story of the same name by Daphne du Maurier, it focuses on a series of sudden and unexplained violent bird attacks on the people of Bodega Bay, California, over the course of a few days.

The Birds is a 1963 American natural horror- thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

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