9 Classic Movie Scenes That Were Awful To Film
6. The Attacks - The Birds
He may be the most famous director of all time, but to many of his actors, Alfred Hitchcock was nothing short of a menace. This was especially true for Tippi Hedren, whose convincing performance as a woman gripped by unstoppable terror was fueled no doubt by her relationship with the prickly auteur.
Hedren plays Melanie Daniels, and her character’s motivation is clear: she’s being attacked by bloodthirsty birds, and wishes to continue living. At one point, she hides in a phone booth, which is then attacked by the avian menace. When the booth’s glass shatters, Hedren received cuts to the face.
Hitchcock also mislead his leading lady as to whether the birds used in filming were real (they were; Hedren was advised they were not), leading to further terror. The rumours of the time suggested that this was due to Hedren having turned down her director’s romantic advances, which, if true, escalates the matter from carelessness to criminal harassment.
Tippi Hedren was neither the first nor last performer who had a difficult time under Hitchcock, but her experience depicts the director in a particularly sinister light. The man was undoubtedly a master of his craft, but most likely not a particularly nice bloke.