Milwaukee Journal (17/Mar/1994) - Weak sequel to 'The Birds' never takes off
Details
- article: Weak sequel to 'The Birds' never takes off
- author(s): Max J. Alvarez
- newspaper: Milwaukee Journal (17/Mar/1994)
- keywords: Alfred Hitchcock, Bernard Herrmann, Bodega Bay, California, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessica Tandy, Rod Taylor, The Birds (1963), The Birds II: Land's End (1994), Tippi Hedren
Article
Weak sequel to 'The Birds' never takes off
"THE BIRDS" was the very first Alfred Hitchcock movie I ever watched, and I was foolhardy enough to see it at age 7 where its impact seemed to be 100 times as great. Even though Hitch's 1963 thriller was a big commercial hit in theaters and on TV, Hitchcock scholars never took much of a shine to it.
Admittedly, Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren weren't in the same class as Cary Grant and Grace Kelly; and some of the special effects of the birds terrorizing the citizens of Bodega Bay, Calif., left much to be desired. Nevertheless, it was virtually impossible to view the tense horror show without, at one point or another, grabbing both armrests of your chair.
Those who have disparaged "The Birds" in the past might at last begin to appreciate its considerable merits after they see "The Birds II: Land's End," a tacky, slapdash sequel premiering Saturday 3/19 at 8 p.m. on the Showtime cable network. The fact that this new production is directed by "Allen Smithee" the infamous Directors Guild pseudonym used for filmmakers (in this case Rick Rosenthal) who don't want their real names credited is enough of a warning for viewers to steer clear.
"Birds II" has no relation to the 1963 film except to feature Tippi Hedren in a small, pointless role (as owner of a local general store) and to make a quick reference to the original Bodega Bay bird attacks. Otherwise, the story involves a yuppie family's summer retreat to Gull Island where the increasing violence of the region's polluted bird population begins to get out of hand. In between dull scenes with Brad Johnson, wife Chelsea Field and their two young daughters, a few locals get their eyes pecked out and the winged flock targets the family's beachfront house for nightly attacks.
What made the Hitchcock movie work so well was the unrelenting level of tension leading up to the grisly bird outbursts. There was no musical score, only a chilling, blood-curdling electronic symphony of chirping sounds designed by master composer Bernard Herrmann. Hitch knew where to position the camera to maximize fear and danger and how to torture us with anticipation.
Nothing in the new film comes close to achieving the level of effectiveness of such scenes as dozens of blackbirds perched on a backyard play set, waiting to swoop down upon fleeing schoolchildren, or Jessica Tandy discovering a neighbor's bird-pecked corpse. And who can easily forget Hedren's harrowing attic confrontation with the birds in the final reel?
In contrast, "Birds II" has a cheesy thriller score and uses stock footage of seagulls to create an illusion of a bird-infested environment. The winged extras flutter in front of the badly placed cameras without the well-choreographed menace of their '60s counterparts, and though this version has a smattering of blood and gore, it never successfully conveys a genuine feeling of terror.
Fortunately, there is an upshot to all this. Immediately following "The Birds II: Land's End," Showtime will air Hitchcock's original at 9:30 p.m. Hopefully, a return to Bodega Bay with Rod and Tippi will erase any unpleasant memories of the hack work by "Mr. Smithee" and company.
