On this day in movie history – The Birds (1963 movie & book):

The Birds

directed by Alfred Hitchcock,

written by Evan Hunter,

based on the short story by Daphne du Maurier,

was released in the United States on March 28, 1963.

Cast:

Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Tippi Hedren, Veronica Cartwright, Ethel Griffies, Charles McGraw, Ruth McDevitt, Lonny Chapman, Joe Mantell, Doodles Weaver, Malcolm Atterbury, John McGovern, Karl Swenson, Richard Deacon, Elizabeth Wilson, Bill Quinn, Doreen Lang, Morgan Brittany, Darlene Conley, Valerie Ferdin, Betsy Hale, Alfred Hitchcock, Dal McKennon, Mike Monteleone, Bob Morgan, Renn Reed, Arnold Roberts, Jeannie Russell, Bill Scully, Rory Stevens, Tomm Wells, Mitch Zanich.

Recommended reading:

The Birds and Other Stories

By Daphne du Maurier.

Filmed as The Birds (1963), directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Published by Time Warner Books.

First published 1952.

Paperback.

ASIN: 1844080870

ISBN-10: 9781844080878

ISBN-13: 978-1844080878

Description:

'How long he fought with them in the darkness he could not tell, but at last the beating of the wings about him lessened and then withdrew . . . '

A classic of alienation and horror, 'The Birds' was immortalised by Hitchcock in his celebrated film. The five other chilling stories in this collection echo a sense of dislocation and mock man's sense of dominance over the natural world.

The mountain paradise of 'Monte Verità' promises immortality, but at a terrible price; a neglected wife haunts her husband in the form of an apple tree; a professional photographer steps out from behind the camera and into his subject's life; a date with a cinema usherette leads to a walk in the cemetery; and a jealous father finds a remedy when three's a crowd . . .