He threw breadcrumbs before the film was even released, taking great pleasure in increasing anxieties through a carefully constructed teaser akin to Walt Disney's promotional films of the era, albeit tinged with Hitchcock's dark sense of humor and iconic "How do you do" before introducing his lecture on the birds' "age-long relationship with man" a warning against tampering with nature. At least to begin with.Īlthough Hitchcock's film is one of few that hints at the supernatural, the "Master of Suspense" sets out to feed on the fear of his audience. No giant apes or lizards from 20,000 fathoms here ― ironically, those creature features made more sense in their exposition ― instead, we are shown a more benevolent threat. And all the while, nature resembles something unpredictable, especially when caught in the realms of cinema… presented as an unexplainable terror.ĭubbed an "apocalyptic poem" by Federico Fellini, Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 classic The Birds remains a prime example of the inexplicable forces at play while exploring "man versus nature." In this instance, a subgenre often referred to as "animal attack movies" that Hitchcock's masterpiece set the template for. All this time, we have become increasingly complacent to the sheer power of the elements, no longer relying on the hunt to survive or a retreat into those ancient dark places… now we thrive on order. After thousands of years huddled in caves fending for ourselves, what we would deem to be more civilized (and I use this term lightly in today's world) has led to conquering frontiers… while building walls to keep "things" out, organized lives packed into cubic meters covering thousands of square mileage. "We put our animals in zoos or reservations and our plants in pots or organized rows a place for everything, and everything in its place." ― Christopher and Kathleen Vander Kaay, Anatomy of Fear (2014)įorces of nature are the ultimate test on humanity.
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