Rebecca (1940)

"A self-conscious bride is tormented by the memory of her husband's dead first wife."

Although I'm the first to admit that I'm not much of a Hitchcock expert, this Oscar winning gothic thriller seems ideal (at least atmospherically) for my second recommendation in the run up to Hallowe'en.

There's not much I can tell you which you can't find out for yourself by Googling or reading Wikipedia, as it all seems fairly typical of an Alfred Hitchcock wartime film noir to me. "Rebecca" was Hitchcock's first American movie and his second adaptation of a book by Cornish author Daphne du Maurier.

Apparently, David Selznick wasn't happy with losing control as producer to the whims of Alfred Hitchcock and reshot several scenes, but I have no clue what they were or even if it matters that much. The movie ran way over budget for all kinds of reasons, and I don't think anyone involved was completely happy with it either during or after production.

Much like any other movie of the time, "Rebecca" is all very dated with mostly awful overacting and line delivery, and effects such as rear projection during the driving scenes are glaringly obvious. There's even what appears to be roadkill in the background of the second day out in Monte Carlo (actually California) with Maxim and the future Mrs de Winter.

"There will only be 8 planets left... after I destroy Uranus."

With several changes to the original novel by Daphne du Maurier, the standout amd most memorable character becomes the sinister housekeeper Mrs Danvers (as played by Judith Anderson) rather than the romantic leads. Danvers is quite the looker, hardly ever blinks, and has the worst kind of fangirl crush on the dead former mistress of the house. Weirdly, we never get to see the titular Rebecca de Winter in flashbacks, and have to learn nearly everything about her from the rose-tinted memories of her obsessed servant. But just like the novel, the new Mrs de Winter doesn't even get a first name.

The only big problem with "Rebecca" is that it's hard to care about any of the characters other than Laurence Olivier's cuckolded Maxim, and to some extent, George Sanders as the opportunistic adulterer Max Favell. A very young Joan Fontaine is simply far too mousey, awkward, and scared of her own shadow as she comes to terms with her new position among the upper classes to be a sympathetic character for modern audiences who have never encountered domestic service themselves. Except for period TV dramas such as "Upstairs Downsatirs" and "Downton Abbey", I'm glad to say that I've never had much to do with the antiquated British feudal system either.

What makes "Rebecca" worth watching for its two-hour duration is the set design for the interiors of Manderley, the atmosphere, and the anticipation of revelations with a twist. Getting there may not be worth the trouble for some people (including anyone who has seen or heard any of the remakes and clones), but as a precursor to "The Uninvited" (1944)—an equally dated ghost story which I've often recommended for Hallowe'en—it's certainly interesting to see how certain moral codes were only everso slightly more relaxed four years later.

Due yet another remake any time now, "Rebecca" is still worth checking out if you don't want to wait. A certain British newspaper gave away barebones DVDs of the movie several years ago (which you can now pick up for pennies on eBay), and of course, it's been uploaded all over the internet streaming sites (despite not being officially in the Public Domain as far as I know) for those who want to search for it.

As an old black and white movie, I don't know if there's any benefit in buying a blu-ray version, but I'm sure at least one exists. The existing DVDs have several grainy moments near the end which could be the result of an intentional effect shot through a piece of net (perhaps to simulate fog or smoke), but they are all good enough for most people.

The Birds (1963)

"A wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people there in increasing numbers and with increasing viciousness."

Do you have ornithophobia? Do feathery things terrify you? No? Me neither, but there are some poor souls out there who would absolutely wet themselves at the thought of ever watching "The Birds", and not in a sexy way.

I've still got a soft spot for "The Birds" after reading Daphne Du Maurier's novella in one of the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" collections at school. The written version is much more real than the film somehow, although in fairness, birds are usually quite harmless creatures, and you can't ever really imagine them turning against humans.

"The Birds" is almost as far-fetched as trees, grass, and other plants turning against people like in "The Happening" (2008), and I'm surprised that nobody picked up on M. Night Shyamalan's inspiration at the time. However, there's always a nagging doubt when it comes to nature or animals of any kind that they know something which we don't and will one day turn against us.

Alfred Hitchcock never explained why the birds attack, but everything seems to centre around Melanie (Tippi Hedren) and her relationship with Mitch (Rod Taylor). This has lead at least one reviewer to suggest that the birds are somehow telepathically controlled by Mitch's mother Lydia (Jessica Tandy) due to her anxiety about losing her son to another woman. I think that interpretation is clever, but it's reading far too much into subtle points within the film. The way "The Birds" is structured mirrors the romantic subplot, but there's no suggestion of telepathy in the original short story.

There are several things which stand out in "The Birds" including Tippi Hedren's beauty, an early appearance by Veronica Cartwright, and how amazingly well thousands of real birds (and nearly 400 trick shots) were used. It's a good thing that Alfred Hitchcock never listened to the advice about working with children or animals, especially as it is well documented that he disliked birds himself.

Unfortunately, "The Birds" is becoming quite dated now, and the stagey dialogue is often extremely cringeworthy. In fact, the only member of the cast who seems to be able to act without affectation is the late Rod Taylor. Tippi Hedren and Suzanne Pleshette are only slightly more tolerable than the horrible overacting from Jessica Tandy, although there are unintentional laughs to be had at everyone's expense for a modern audience.

The special effects are, sadly, also not that great anymore. Some bird attack scenes look as if they belong to a bad 3D version of the movie rather than being the groundbreaking Disney Studios work they actually were, and of course, any blood is bright red like paint.

Platinum Dunes were once going to remake "The Birds", but thankfully, they seem to have given up on that idea. What would have even been the point? There's already a sequel, "The Birds II: Land's End" (1994), which should be more than enough for anyone wanting to watch badly made crap instead of the original.

If you are looking for something other than yet another slasher to watch on the run up to Hallowe'en, you could do far worse than break out this or any other Hitchcocks you might own. It may be impossible for the virtue signallers to ignore the director's alleged obsession with Tippi Hedren behind the scenes, but "The Birds" still stands as one of Alfred Hitchcock's more entertaining movies.