15 Popular Movies Which Were Notoriously Difficult To Produce

15. The Birds (1963)

Alfred Hitchcock didn't hold back with his 1963 thriller as the director used real-life birds for many of the attack scenes. For the living beings, Hitchcock had certain methods of getting them to act out, such as feeding them whisky. It worked a bit too well sometimes - apparently, one bird took offence to actor Rod Taylor and would always attack him personally, even when the cameras weren’t rolling.

Absolutely nobody had it worse than Tippi Hedren. The actress has recounted many traumatic memories with the director, including allegations of sexual assault and being put through inhumane conditions.

The final attack scene in the bedroom took one whole week to film and scarred the actress, both physically and mentally. The climax involved various species of birds, from ravens to pigeons, being thrown at Hedren. She only agreed to this under the condition that the birds were all mechanical but was told at the last minute real ones were being used for the stunt. Tippi was left bruised, cut and finally had enough when a bird pecked too close to her eye. She was hospitalised and Hitchcock reluctantly let her rest for a week.