Narrative and Narration in The Birds(Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)

Emma Mortimer

To explain the difference, narrative is the way that certain events unfold and are slowly

revealed to help the audience understand any ‘back stories’ or events between scenes that

we as the audience do not know of to begin with.

“a chain of events linked by cause and effect and occurring in time and space” (Bordwell

and Thompson)

“what happens in the story…the object or end result of some mechanism or process –

narration” (Edward Branigan, 1992)

Narration is limited to the ‘film time’. It is the process of how the film may show or hide

narrative information. It is the actual presentation of the story and arrangement and the

way in which the story gives out the message. When watching a film, we see and hear the

narration.

“concerned with how an event is presented, how it happens, rather than

what is presented or what happens

“addresses issues of procedure: how are we acquiring knowledge

about what is happening in the story?” ( Edward Branigan 1992)

The film ‘The Birds’ was released in 1963 and is a suspense/horror film, directed by the

great Alfred Hitchcock. It is about about Bodega Bay in California, which is suddenly

attacked by the birds, with no explanation. Because of this, as an audience we want to

watch and found out the reasons why these events occur.

Throughout Hitchcocks’ films, the narrative is very slow to let us know; which is a part of

the enjoyment and mystery in Hitchcocks’ films, and in a way is a convention of the genre.

During Hitchcocks’ films, he uses many themes; birds being one frequent theme, not just

the obvious use in ‘Birds’, but also in ‘psycho’, ‘Vertigo’ ‘Sabotage’ and ‘To catch a thief’.

Hitchcock prefers to use suspense instead of the element of suprise in his films. Using

suprise simple tries to scare the viewer, whereas with using suspense, as hitchcock does,

uses the unfolding narrative to his advantage. He tells and shows us things which we

know, and the characters don’t, or they know and we don’t. Tension is then artfully built up

around these ‘things’, until the suspense is built up so much and we and the characters

find out the truth. Hitchcock was fond of showing this point with a short

aphorism;distinction or definition. Staircases are another theme which is present in ‘Birds’,

as well as other films, which assists towards the narrative. At one point, the camera slowly

follows ‘Melanie’ up the stairs, slowly to what she does not know awaits her is the loft full of

birds ready to attack her.

People and relationships are a ongoing theme in Hitchcocks films, especially Birds in

particular. Mitch’s relationships are in a way the centre of the narrative. We want to know

how these people are linked to him, and what their past is. The mother, in this film and as

a theme in other Hitchcock work, is represented as very domineering and intrusive, and

having an important play in the build up of narrative/story. Hitchcock also has a striking

preference for woman who have blonde hair; showing that the audience would have more

suspicion with a woman who is a brunette. These woman, like in The birds, are notably

perfect looking and striking. All these flowing themes are a part of the important build up to

the slow revealing of the narrative. Relating this, more to the film, we as audience

members are attracted to Melonie, and are slightly suspicious of Annie Heyworth, not just

because of her brown hair, but because of the way she acts, especially to the fact that

Melonie is developing a relationship with Mitch. This is when you begin to think that Annie

and Mitch have had a past, which again builds and adds to the narrative and thickens the

tension.

There are different types of narration; restricted and unrestricted .Unrestricted is when

there are several characters and we hold more knowledge than the characters. Restricted

narration is when one characters information is only known by the audience. In ‘The birds’

In my opinion, to determine between the two is difficult, as we as the audience do not have

enough information on any of the characters, although we have more about Mitch and his

family life and relationships, rather than Melonie, even though she seems to be more of a

main character.

A ‘Macguffin’ is always seen in Hitchcocks films. This is a piece of information or an

object which may be of vital importance to characters but of no interest to the audience or

director. This may motivate the character and thus propels the story but otherwise isnt

important. In ‘The Birds’ , the cage of love birds could be classed as this, or the letter that

was with the bird cage. As a viewer, when I first watched the film, I presumed that this

object would have more important towards the plot, although considering the title of the

film, may be foreshadowing other events. When Melonie travels a large distance to give

these birds to Mitch, in secret, I wondered why she was being so secretive about her

actions, and thought may mean there is hidden information that I am unaware of, but the

characters are; a surprise effect in the hierarchies of knowledge.

Relating to audience expectations, the hierarchy of knowledge is divided into 3; mystery,

surprise and suspense. Mystery, being when the characters and audience know only some

of what is about to occur, surprise being when the characters know more than the

audience and suspense being that the audience know more than the characters. In

relation to this particular film, suspense is the chosen point, as the audience have more of

an idea of what is about to happen than the characters, from piecing the puzzle together

from clues in the film.

Because, neither the characters or the audience obtain full knowledge of the ending

events, this is what makes the suspense more efficient and effective. The anticipation and

obscurity of the future creates even more interest and curiosity towards the film and its

narrative.

Narrative goes through clear stages of character motivation and transformation.

1.Equilibrium 2. Disruption 3.Restoration of equilibrium; although in The Birds the audience

is unsure whether the equilibrium is restored, because when The family leave Bodega Bay,

the birds are still outside, as if waiting still.

The meaning behind the film, is not centred around the fact that the birds attack. I

believe that it is more of a metaphorical meaning and the birds represent other stories and

conflicts in bedded in the film. A possible interpretation for the film is that the birds could

represent the tensions and need to protect ‘territory’. For example, Lydias maternal instinct

to protect her territory of Mitch and attacking any woman who tries to invade it.

It seems that Melonie has a perfect life and has everything she could want. Until she

meets Mitch, and nature seems to turn into her enemy; right from the second she tries to

obtain the bird from the cage in the shop to show Mitch, the bird escapes and flies off.

Mitch seems to have control of the situation and takes care of it, by catching the bird in his

hat and putting it back. This has relation to how he deals with the entire situation of the

birds at the end of the film. He seems to act up to the stereotypical heterosexual man,

rescuing the ‘damsels in distress’, being Melonie, Lydia and Cathy.

In the narrative, the birds could be actually showing/representing her fear of emotions or

relationship and her fear of getting close to Mitch. The birds could be a manifestation of

her struggles. The first gull attacks Melonie when she first realises that she was succesful

in manipulationg Mitch to follow me. The next gull attacks Annie Hayworths door when

Melonie agrees to go to Cathys birthday party. The more serious her emotions get, the

more angry the birds seem to get and the more they attack the people involved around

her.

The third attack is at Cathys birthday party and is the most violent attack. This occurs

after Melonie has a conversation about her anger of being abandoned as a child, proving

the fact that the more emotionally attached Melonie gets, the more violent the attacks get.

Each time the birds attack, her ‘cool exterior’ is broken down. Each attack wears it away

slowly, again building on the suspense, until Melonie is completely lost by the end of the

story and is no longer in control, as she was at the beginning of the narrative.

Hitchcock uses other ways to build up the narrative and the knowledge that the audience

and characters gain throughout. Some scenes, just create shock and not suspense, just

like when Melonie is attacked the first time by the gull in the boat, this was unexpected

from the audience and shocks. Some of the shocks hold suspense also; the school attack,

when Annie is dead, the farmers eyes being pecked out, the petrol station scene and the

attack on Melonie. We are shown the lead up to these events, although they still shock us

and suspense is created.

The camera usage is also important to the way the whole narrative and suspense is

digested. For example, when Melonie is sat outside the school, sitting on a bench, a

medium long shot is used and she is calm. After the long shot is used we see the

surroundings, and the constant flow of birds landing on the climbing frame. Hitchcock

builds suspense by doing this to show one bird at a time landing slowly on the climbing

frame. After a cut, we see more and more birds, until it is full and Melonie looks behind and

sees them. This develops the shock. High angle shots are used as she rushes into the

school. These shots make her seem more vulnerable. Low angle shots are used in

opposition, on the birds, to show who has the power in the situation.

Alfred Hitchcock is known as the ‘master of suspense’ and shows this throughout ‘The

Birds’. Building up our knowledge of the narrative slowly, feeding us snippets of

information, to get us asking questions and letting the audience be their own ‘detective’.

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Rihanna returned to “SNL” for the fourth time as musical guest this weekend. Wearing an oversized camouflage jacket, camouflage camisole, and Timberlands, the pop princess delivered the first televised performance of her hit single “Diamonds” using a green screen backdrop. As computer graphics of peace signs, palm trees, and planets flashed across the stage, RiRi belted out the epic tune.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNTWiFzdlaA