Hitchcockian spots

Lane 2022-03-21 09:01:23

*quick "hysterical" push-pull shots*

When Lydia discovers Dan's body, Hitchcock doesn't give a "normal" close-up that we envision, but through two abrupt cuts, we face the terrifying eye socket unsuspecting.

His push-pull lens moves from the real world to the real world. The end point of the lens is the spot, the real object. There are two forms: one is the gaze of the other;

*famous god shot*

This bird's-eye view of the large long-range lens embodies a paradox: the unmoving push-pull lens. Generally speaking, God is objective and fair, and through such a lens we watch everything in the panic in the town. Suddenly, a few birds fly into the frame from behind the camera (and behind us), completing the subjectification: we are no longer the innocent and fair spectator, but the gaze of the subjective, intimidating bird.

*Why do birds attack? *

"Cosmological": The well-ordered universe is always deceitful. Self-evident terror can arise at any moment, traumatic reality can erupt at any moment. This is the sight glass of a God who is brutal, arbitrary, indifferent, and ready for disaster.

"Ecology": "Birds of the world, unite! Fight against this cruel human world! 》

"Family Theory": Birds are the embodiment of fundamental disputes in family relationships.

*bird is not a symbol*

The bird does not represent the maternal superego, or anything like a blocked sexual relationship and a possessive mother. It is the presence of the real, their mass appearances and traumatic attacks that obstruct and obscure the meaning of the film.

"The Birds" is the film that ultimately constitutes the Hitchcockian system: the bird is in Hitchcock, the embodiment of the bad object, a copy of the rule of motherhood. It is also the combination of the "evil object of magic" and the decree of motherhood that constitutes the core of the Hitchcockian vision. (Psycho)

So, when Lydia nods in recognition of Melanie, she ditches her superego role. The bird is no longer needed, the bird is no longer attacking, and the evil object is at peace without the support of the decree of the maternal superego.

View more about The Birds reviews

Extended Reading
  • Verda 2022-03-23 09:01:25

    Although it is essentially a heroic disaster film, but because it is Hitchcock's work, it has its own unique romantic, perverted, and mysterious. Attacking humans are seagulls and crows, one black and one white, team-work. The scene of the birds chasing the children is very classic. The environmental disaster story setting is set in the bay, and one can't help but think of Life is Strange. Under the framework of environmental protection, Hitchcock expressed his anxiety particularly accurately, and buried the dark line of the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. The dark-haired Suzanne Pleshette has a uniquely neutral and exotic style. The heroine Tippi Hedren is so beautiful that people can't take their eyes off it, every single shot! ! ! And I've never seen a living person look so good in pea green! After watching some behind-the-scenes gossip, sure enough, Hitchcock is not a good person. (film festival, giant screen)

  • Kristy 2021-10-26 03:30:58

    The maternal power in the absence of paternity is a symbol of the big bird. He vented his energy in the process of killing the former daughter-in-law and killing the present daughter-in-law, and finally reached a reconciliation under the status quo of reshaping the son's paternity. Acacia is a symbol of a healthy family for sons and daughters-in-law. Both sons and daughters are eager to introduce them into the family to change the status quo. But if the bird that represents the son leaves too early, the bird that represents the daughter-in-law will sooner or later become a tyrannical bird! 【9】

The Birds quotes

  • Lydia Brenner: [reacting to Melanie's bird-inflicted wounds] Yes, of course, bandages! It's terrible!

  • [first lines]

    Melanie Daniels: Hello there, Mrs. MacGruder.

    Mrs. MacGruder, pet store clerk: Oh, hello, Miss Daniels.

    Melanie Daniels: Have you ever seen so many gulls? What do you suppose it is?

    Mrs. MacGruder, pet store clerk: Well, there must be a storm at sea, that can drive them inland, you know. I was hoping you'd be a little late because he hadn't arrived yet.

    Melanie Daniels: Oh, but you'd said three o'clock...

    Mrs. MacGruder, pet store clerk: Oh I know, I know. I've been calling all morning. Oh, Miss Daniels you have no idea. They are so difficult to get, really they are. We have to get them from India, when they're just baby chicks, and then we have...

    Melanie Daniels: But this one won't be a chick, will he?

    Mrs. MacGruder, pet store clerk: Certainly not. Oh no, certainly not. This will be a full grown mynah bird, full grown.

    Melanie Daniels: And he'll talk?

    Mrs. MacGruder, pet store clerk: Well yes, of course he'll... well no, you'll have to teach him to talk. My. I guess maybe I'd better phone, they'd said three o'clock. Maybe it's the traffic. I'll call. Would you mind waiting?

    Melanie Daniels: Well, maybe you'd better deliver him. Let - let me give you my address.

    Mrs. MacGruder, pet store clerk: Oh, well, alright, but I'm sure they're on the way... Would you mind if I called?

    Melanie Daniels: No, alright, but...