Since we’re all old movie buffs, I wanted to treat the family to a classic on our trip through Sonoma County. So I planned a visit to the original house and church featured by director Alfred Hitchcock in The Birds.
I always say that Alfred Hitchcock’s ultimate dream was to give the rest of us nightmares. In that, the great Hollywood director succeeded greatly. The Birds is rated fourth among his fear and suspense movies. Can you guess the top five Hitchcock films? I’ll tell you at the end of this post.
Hitchcock scouted Sonoma County in 1961 to find a remote coastal location for The Birds. The original story was set in an English seashore village where murderous birds attacked the local villagers. Hitchcock liked Bodega Bay because of its hills, quiet fishing harbor and fog and financed the film with earnings from his television show.
The Birds featured mechanical birds, live and wild birds on strings, and film overlays of birds in flight. The fog did not always cooperate, so much of the film was tinted gray. The film took three years to complete before its release in 1963.
The 150-year-old Potter School, five miles south of Bodega Bay, was vacant at the time of the filming. Hitchcock’s crew repaired the exterior to be used for several scenes. St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, next door to the school, was also photographed by Ansel Adams. The property is now privately owned but open to visitors who respect the grounds.
You could almost see Tippi Hedren running at full speed in her pointy heels as hundreds of frenzied birds dive-bombed and attacked her and the school kids. The scenes of Tippi driving her Aston Martin into Bodega Bay were filmed on Bay Hill Road.
The shots we got from our vantage points were not as memorable as Hitchcock’s film, but they still tell a good story. And as we drove down the hill and made the 45-second drive through the small town of Bodega, it seemed as if the 1960s had never left. I only pray that “The Birds” are under control.
Oh, I promised you a list of Alfred Hitchcock’s top-rated films by IMDB. Number one is Psycho, followed by Vertigo, Rear Window, The Birds and Strangers on a Train.
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