The plot of Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 "The Birds," taken from a Daphne Du Maurier (who wrote the novel "Rebecca") short story, seems ludicrous. Birds attacking a small town, actually killing people. But in the competent hands of the master of suspense, the movie is frighteningly, well, suspenseful. Evan Hunter (who also writes under the name Ed McBain) wrote the screenplay, and while not all of the characters are well enough developed for the viewer to understand …showed first 75 words of 1050 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1050 total…thrown in (such as the end of "Psycho," where the psychologist's monologue, which didn't diminish the film, was still unnecessary). One could argue that if you watch a movie about homicidal birds, you have to suspend your disbelief, but such people have doubtlessly never seen "The Birds," which has such convincing performances and meticulous direction lending to an atmosphere that never makes it seem odd that such small, harmless looking creatures could unleash such terror.