Alfred
Hitchcockís film of the Daphne du Maurier short
story (originally set in Cornwall) uses lots of process
shots but, as usual, he plays fair with the geography.
Fluttery socialite Melanie Daniels (Tippi
Hedren) is first seen in San
Franciscoís Union Square,
heading to the pet shop – where Hitch
puts in his cameo with a pair of fluffy dogs. Notice
the crafty edit here, covered by the news-stand flashing
by the camera, from the real San
Francisco to the pet shop, which was a set at
Universal studios in Hollywood.
Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor)
drives north up the California
coast to Bodega Bay,
centre of the bird attacks. Bodega
Bay, once a small fishing village on the
coast 50 miles north of San
Francisco, really is a centre for bird migration,
and the air can be disconcertingly thick with squawking
and chattering. Itís a great place for birdwatching,
and even amateurs can check out the different species
on a chart at the tourist office.
The
Tides Wharf & Restaurant, in which the assorted
locals shelter from the bird attacks, has expanded into
an unrecognisable hotel complex. The big surprise is
that there is no town. No post office, no gas station,
little more than a cluster of holiday accommodation.
The aerial view of Bodega Bay
is largely a painting. In fact, many of the Bodega Bay
scenes, including the post office itself, were shot
on a set back at the Universal lot, where Hitchcock
felt more in control of the elements.
A few miles inland is the quaint village of Bodega,
where you can see the schoolhouse of Annie Hayworth (Suzanne
Pleshette), at 17110 Bodega
Lane, which, in the movie, appears to be
just up the hill from the bay. The house was originally
a schoolhouse, a local community centre and for a while
a guest house. Itís now a private residence.
