The Birds 1963
Melanie Daniels, a wealthy, beautiful, and spoiled young woman, meets handsome and intriguing lawyer Mitch Brenner at a pet shop in San Francisco. Despite getting upset at a small prank Mitch plays on her at the store, Melanie finds herself drawn to him. She decides to buy a pair of lovebirds that Mitch’s sister had been looking for as a birthday present and delivers them to Mitch’s home in the small coastal town of Bodega Bay. Initially, life in the town seems normal to Melanie, but soon the birds in and around the town start behaving strangely, attacking people for no apparent reason. The bird attacks escalate and become deadly, with farmers and a young woman falling victim to the vicious birds. Terrified and unsure of what to do, the townspeople take shelter in their homes and shops, feeling trapped. The townspeople start to believe that Melanie is cursed, blaming her for the events that started after her arrival in the town. Director Alfred Hitchcock was inspired by a newspaper article he read while on vacation in Northern California, which reported incidents of seabirds attacking coastal homes. This, combined with Daphne du Maurier’s story, laid the foundation for “The Birds.”
