The birds alfred hitchcock movie#

In this film, the glasses seem to represent the helpless position of humans at the hands of these birds, as the girl is made completely defenseless when her glasses smash and she can no longer see. A close up of the glasses gives a clear indication that Hitchcock wanted to draw attention to them. In this scene a friend of Cathy's, who wears glasses, is knocked to the ground and her glasses are smashed. One of the most memorable and chilling scenes in any Hitchcock film is the bird attack upon a defenseless and vulnerable group of young schoolchildren. That glasses must have some significance as a symbol or merely a motif across his body of work can be exemplified by their unique manifestation in The Birds.

The character wearing the specs may be a useful associate of the protagonist or an annoying obstruction.

The birds alfred hitchcock movie#

Glasses on a character in a Hitchcock movie may signify intelligence as easily as lack of glamour. The more likely reason is that this recurrence of such an obvious symbol is lacking in any obvious recurring meaning. One, the recurrence of spectacles is usually relegated to minor or at the most supporting characters. The reason for this 'oversight' is likely one of two things. Glasses are one of the more overlooked symbols that pop up in HitchcockвЂ™s films. Melanie must overcome Lydia's protectiveness to get close to Mitch, and in this case the bird attacks actually facilitate that by thrusting the two together in a difficult situation. While clearly not in the same league of menace as those mothers, Lydia Brenner is nevertheless presented as quite controlling of her son and a potential obstacle to the fulfillment of Mitch and Melanie's blossoming romance.

Interestingly, Marnie-the film that succeeds The Birds-also features a very strong maternal figure central to its plot. The film which immediately preceded it featured the mother of all dominant mothers: the mother of Norman Bates. The motif of the dominant mother-or mother-figure-was quite clearly on HitchcockвЂ™s mind during the period of his career in which he crafted The Birds.