comcast free movie: the birds

Curtis and I stayed up late yesterday night to watch "The Birds." Despite a long-lasting fascination with Alfred Hitchcock that resulted from a "Psycho" feature at Universal Studios Florida I beheld when I was between the seventh and eight grades (after an accidental and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see turtles nest on the beach, my parents tracked down a video store and rented "Psycho" so I could watch it), I had never seen "The Birds." Nor have I seen "North by Northwest" but it's on my Netflix list.

It's been reproduced in color, which I'm sure took a little away from Hitchcock's intent and the film's originality. There are a few scenes, especially near the end, where I knew it would look better in black and white. But being the color lover that I am, I enjoyed the reworking. The cinematography is amazing: stills of saturated blues and poppy greens had me wishing I could pause the television, print out images and hang them on my walls. One standing out in my mind is that of a car speeding across the screen, from right to left, splicing the green grass and California sky, leaving a trail of angrily-rising white dust. It made me feel alive.

And that Tippi Hedren is a classic looker. I learned that she's also mother to Melanie Griffith.