Feb 21 2025 25 mins 187
If you have a fear of getting swooped by magpies, mobbed by seagulls or blinded by crows, perhaps Alfred Hitchcock is to blame.
His 1963 horror classic The Birds created a generation of ornithophobes, and played on our fears of death by feathered fiend.
But how accurate are his creepy corvids? Do birds of a feather flock together exclusively? Can a bird go all 'Here's Johnny' on a locked door? Do birds hold grudges?
Dr Ann Jones gets a bird's eye view of Hollywood's avian lies.
Featuring:
- David Stratton, Australian film critic
- Associate Professor Lucy Aplin, Research School of Biology at the Australian National University
- Dr Corrie Ackland, clinical psychologist, Sydney Phobia Clinic
- The Birds (1963), Universal Pictures
Further reading:
Production:
- Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer
- Rebecca McLaren, Producer
- Nat Tencic, Producer
- Isabella Tropiano, additional mastering
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the lands of the Wadawarrung, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung, Taungurung, and Kaurna people.
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