“The Birds” is a stunning, old movie showing that tension and dramaturgy do not need special effects. It is a movie made for the big screen where every detail can be appreciated. Hitchcock orchestrates chaos and captures it in this movie. I gave it an 8.9 out of 10. Be aware that this review contains spoilers. I advise you to watch the film first.

I am convinced that Hitchcock creates tension by following a specific mechanism that captures the dramaturgy of chaos. I want to describe this process, its intensification throughout the movie, and how this creates suspense. Feel free to check out my (controversial) comment about the tension in cinema.

The Process of Chaos

First, the birds start by dominantly positioning themselves in the picture. They are in full frame. There is an atmosphere of luring danger and the intensity increases. Ironically, the birds line up in an orderly fashion to provoke and scare the residents. They challenge the existing system of order to provoke a signal to the flock: An annoyed, frustrated, or scared reaction from the residents signals all birds to simultaneously burst. These initiators of chas are, for example, the kids running away from school (even on command) and the breaking out of the fire in front of the bar. At this exact moment, the stable system of order transitions into an unpredictable one of chaos. When the birds burst, all hell breaks loose. The chaos is overwhelming: rooms get destroyed, clothing gets torn apart, it gets tremendously loud and people get injured. Funnily, the perfectly sitting hair of the protagonist’s girlfriend gets ruined over and over again.

As suddenly as it starts the chaos then vanishes again. There is complete disorder and the bird’s lust for chaos is temporarily satisfied. Finally, the process loops around and the birds recollect themselves in an orderly fashion. The composition of the quietly desolate scene as well as the birds throning on surrounding telephone polls and watching the accomplished destruction looks dystopian. Still, for the time being, the destroyed system seems to be (temporarily) stable again.

The Dramaturgy

The dramaturgy of chaos becomes more violent and the birds more aggressive as the movie progresses. In the beginning, few birds orchestrate small assaults. The police don’t see any threat and are in justified (but still quite amusing) disbelief. Also, the residents are divided. However, during a discussion at the local bar, the worst case of destruction breaks out. The existence of the chaos-lusting, ravaging birds is now undeniable.

Also, the birds’ provocations become more intense as the movie progresses. In the beginning, the birds start by croaking at the residents. Later, they flap their wings aggressively and show intent to attack. Eventually, they grab the residents and even bite their victims. The birds need increasingly bigger reactions from the residents they can use as a signal for the increasing flock of birds to burst.

The Ending

Most residents are driven away by the birds and the reign of chaos they bring. The protagonist and his family are one of the last remaining families that stayed. Birds surround their house: Most of them are calmly waiting for the signal to attack while the more aggressive ones are actively provoking one. Some have already entered an old room of the house and they try to break in through the windows. Finally, the family decides to also leave with increasing pressure and luring danger.

One last time, the protagonist has to find a way through the flock of birds to get to the garage outside. The birds are located everywhere, most of them are sitting on the ground. The dangerous walk through the unpredictable flock is accompanied by calm and sad music. The music is “crescendo”, which beautifully underlines the natural tension. All provocations must be avoided as the protagonist cannot give any reactions that could become the signal. He keeps his cool and successfully parks the car in front of the door so that the family can follow.

The woman’s short scream and the girl’s hesitation almost signal chaos to the overwhelming number of birds. Cynically, the girl takes a covered-up birdcage to the car, which luckily goes unnoticed by the birds. The tension in the movie finds its climax. Still, nothing happens and the family drives away into the horizon. The birds have conquered the last orderly human house and their reign of chaos is complete. Triumphantly, the birds croak a loud victory cry and flap their wings wildly as they fill out almost the entire last frame.