A Caution to the Birds

Monday was the kickoff to one of Manhattan's favorites: Movies in the Park. Every Monday night, crowds of thousands gather at Bryant Park (one of the most sensual, graceful open spaces in New York City) to picnic, people watch, and rest from work until the sun sets and an old movie is projected onto a giant screen. This weeks feature was Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. I'll admit that it's not my favorite Hitchcock film, but anything is fun to watch outside, in the middle of Manhattan, with an audience that large. Everyone laughed at the "scary" parts and went wildly crazy at the romantic parts of the movie. I found the entire experience rather amusing and entirely enjoyable. It was very similar to Screen on the Green in Washington, D.C. which is one of my favorite summer happenings at home.

I'm still trying to find some meaning in the film. Hitchcock seems to be making a statement about some kind of force that will destroy humanity and its future, with particular aversion towards children (why are they always being pecked at the most?)... Or perhaps some kind of clash between nature and culture or something. But then, there must be some kind of duality in the representation of the overly involved mother, right? Maybe I should stop trying to figure it out -- maybe Hitchcock only wanted to entertain, not inspire deep thought or reflection. Still, I'd be anxious to hear any theories. It's an odd flick.

-The Frames-