Review of Topaz (1969) by Jennifer A — 29 May 2008

[b]The Birds (1963) - 8.2/10.

[/b]Director - Alfred Hitchcock.

Starring - Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Veronica Cartwright, Ethel Griffies.

Wealthy and spolied society girl Melanie (Tippi Hedren) meets a handsome and successful lawyer Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a San Francisco pet shop. Vying for Mitch's attention, Melanie purchases a pair of love birds and travels to Bodega Bay, where Mitch resides on weekends, to give them to him. She stays with schoolteacher Annie (Suzanne Pleshette) and ex-girlfriend of Mitch. As she gets closer to Mitch, his mother (Jessica Tandy) disapproves, but Mitch's young sister Cathy (Veronica Cartwright) adores Melanie and asks her to stay over for a birthday party. With a dozen or so children at the Brenner home for the party, a mysterious bird attack occurs. The first of many to come, these birds will jeopardize the safety and lives of everyone in Bodega Bay.

[i].

The Birds [/i]is actually the first Hitchcock film I ever remember watching, but it's been a long while so I finally got around to rewatching it. This is probably Hitchcock's last signficant work and marked the end of an incredible ten year run of amazing films.

The film itslef is highly enertaining although maybe a notch below Hitchcock's greatest films. The suspense builds slowly as we are introduced to the characters and the ocean town of Bodega Bay. The residents don't understand what is going on, nor do the viewers. No explanation is given, nor is any explanation needed. It's spooky stuff! Hitchcock uses quite a bit of inventive camera work and for the time, special effects. A few of the special effects, such as the scene where the birds are attacking the running schoolchildern, may look dated today, but it was creative back in the day. Besides, a lot of the "groundbreaking" CGI stuff today looks rather cheesy and fake too. Anyway it's all about suspense, and this film has suspense aplenty! It also features one of my favorite Hitchcock shots; the hauntingly beautiful final scene. [i]The Birds [/i]may not be A-Rate Hitchcock, but even 2nd tier Hitchcock is usually better than most stuff we see today.

[b]Topaz (1969) - 3.9/10[/b].

Director - Alfred Hitchcock.

Starring - Frederick Stafford, John Forsythe, Karin Dor, Danny Robin, John Vernon.

Topaz is a political/spy thriller set during the Cuban missile crisis.

By far the worst Hitchcock experience I've ever had. It's bland and conventional, lacking the twists, turns and suspense Hitchcock fans are accustomed to. One has to wonder if Hitchcock was ready for the turbulent sixties as cinema and society at large changed dramatically during the Vietnam era. The once great innovator seems to have regressed with this forgettable effort.