Ha, yes! Isn't this the movie with probably the silliest fight scene ever? When he wants the other guy to put on the glasses, and he chooses to get an a** whipping rather than to just putting them on??
Good one! I wonder how they got all those birds to do that? Today that would be done with Computer animation, and it would probably look worse. Thanks Welby.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at January 4, 2017 10:11 AM MST
I hope I remember this correctly : From what I've read and from what I remember (I'm a Hitchcock fan and "The Birds" is one of my favorites of his), there was a "bird/s wrangler" (maybe more than one) on the set of the movie. In this scene, and the fact you wondered how they got the birds to do this attests to the approach's success, there were several live birds, which are obvious because they're moving. But that great final shot where the birds are covering the entire playground, there are still many live birds but a lot (the majority, maybe?) are not live birds, they are prop/mannequin birds or whatever they'd be called and were placed all around. I think the scene went something like that. I may be wrong, though.
Originally, I was a bit disappointed to find this out but the scene still works tremendously well and looks very real to me, too.
You're welcome, Lago! Yes, I agree, it is brilliant in its simplicity - - both the final, finished scene and the way they did it. I'm unsure which you were referring to.
Also, if you have the time, I'm wondering what you meant when you said you couldn't believe you hadn't thought about it -- thought about what?
I assume you've seen the movie, so I'll talk some more. but if you haven't seen the movie -- or anyone reading -- I'll put another PLOT SPOILER!! for The Birds again! Ha!
Things I like about "The Birds" and what eventually add up to my liking this playground/crows scene so much ~
* There is absolutely no music score to "The Birds." And, for me, no music adds heavily to the suspense of the movie - - it's only natural sounds. And when it's quiet in the movie, it's QUIET. But when we do hear birds, it's terrifying (to me).
* "Melanie Daniels" (Tippi Hedren) has been asked by Kathy's mom here to go check on Mitch's little sister Kathy (I think that is the character's name) -- "there are such large windows in the school. . . " Creepy little detail to add to my concern about the school's vulnerability to a bird attack. There have been a couple thus far in the movie at this point.
* And the students are singing a children's song when Melanie arrives. Actress Suzanne Pleshette, portraying the teacher, signals to Melanie that she'll be right with her. And Melanie goes to sit on the bench outside to wait for her. And the scene happens.
* No talking, just children's singing. * And we, the viewer, only see some crows starting to congregate behind Melanie but SHE doesn't see them. Only we do!!!
*And then Hitchcock only allows us, the viewers, to see only Melanie smoking a cigarrette in real time as the children seemingly endlessly sing that song. * Then Melanie spots a crow in the sky. She watches it as we, the viewers, see the bird flying in as Melanie's point-of-view. And then that bird flies to the playground - - and that final wondrous moment of the play ground covered in crows. It gives me chills every time! It's all so great for me, ha!
It wasn't until I watched this clip -- it's been a long while since I've watched the entire movie - - but the immediate moments at the end of this clip are great, too! Melanie, frightened, trying to not disturb the birds, quickly and softly makes her way to the school door.
Funny - - I'm not saying I was an extraordinary younger kid or anything but most of these things I mention above about this scene -- I picked up on them the first times I saw this movie when I was a young kid and the scene was terrible for me to sit through/get through! I KNEW something BAD was happening behind Melanie on the bench, all the while she was unaware -- and there was not a thing I could do to help her.
If you read all this, thank you! I enjoyed reliving/sharing my thoughts.
:)
This post was edited by WelbyQuentin at January 4, 2017 5:12 PM MST
I was surprised that the idea of using fake birds. At on point I found myself thinking about the expense incurred if they decided to make robot birds that could fly, and if they even had the technology? Then, I thought that maybe they trained a group of them, but th a sounded as improbable as the robot birds. It never occurred to me to use fake birds!! Wouldn't you say that the children singing could be considered score? They are music, and they do add quite a bit to the feeling of the whole scene. No? I had the same creepy feeling from the building itself. I remember watching The Exorcist when I was very young, in the theaters, thinking about it now, I don't know how I was allowed in, but there I was. I remember that the cross on the wall, and if there wasn't one, that's how I remember it,created a huge impression of fear in me. And to this day going into a place with a big cross way up there, is still frightening. In a way. Thank you for sharing Welby.
Yeah, you're right -- the children singing adds much to the scene. And at the beginning of the movie, Hitchcock's regular score composer, Bernard Herrmann, I believe is a "Birds electronic sounds" something. So they do manipulate sounds of birds to create a score, I guess! :)
I follow you on all your thoughts about the birds on the playground now.
I was exactly at that site when I visited California, USA. It was my favorite part of my visit to California -- to see where "The Birds" was filmed, in Bodega Bay and Bodega. That schoolhouse building was still there when I visited and I stood on the steps, up the steps, by the front door, in the area where the bench was, looked at where the playground was - - the building at the time was an art gallery and it was closed when I arrived to town. It looked exactly the same to me. The building DOES have character and also adds to the scene, you're right!
I give you credit for watching "The Exorcist" at a very young age! That movie terrified me when I saw it in my teens.
You're welcome for all my sharing, Lago! Ha! I do go on at times! :)
(I feel like I'm monopolising your question) This is a beautiful if very tear-jerky animation of Peter And The Wolf. (When I was little I found I had a power over my older sister who was terrified of the French horns that represented the wolf. I shamelessly exploited this and would chase her round the room. It was a brief victory) The Duck ....
Benedict Arnold 