MCA DiscoVision - The Birds

Catalog Number 11-007

Format Standard Play CAV

Running Time 119 minutes

Mono
Pressing Location	DiscoVision Carson
Label Color	Blue
Retail Price	$15.95
Year Issued	1979

Side	Frames	Running Time
1	35,516	24min 10sec
2	33,515	23min 17sec
3	40,321	28min 00sec
4	31,617	21min 57sec
5	31,522	21min 53sec
	172,491	119min 47sec
Dead Side	Various

Ratings
Video Transfer
Audio Transfer
Replication

Packaging
Large Open-Top
Open-Top
Side-Open Sticker
Printed

Pressing Notes

The video transfer of The Birds is like nothing I've ever seen before. Most of the special effects are obvious rear projections, which gives the entire film a "fake" feeling. That aside, the transfer is very sharp and clear. It has terrific color, most of the time. There are periods of over-saturation on all colors which destroys the image. scenes which fade together often take on a whole new color tone during the fades. Not having seen any other presentation of this film, I can only speculate this is not how Hitchcock intended it to look.

On the audio front, there are obvious volume shifts within scenes and between sides. When listening to the film through a Dolby Pro-Logic Surround processor, the audio should stay clearly centered, as all properly mastered mono films should. I found it odd that during the bird attack sequences the surround channels came alive. Normally with DiscoVision pressings, this can be attributed to carrier shift and high-frequency bleed, but the surround channels remained quiet for all parts of the film, except the attacks. I don't believe it to be intentional, and since it covers many sides, I don't believe it to be defective discs. It is interesting - and spooky.

DiscoVision technicians saw fit to use the red bumpers when mastering The Birds. The last appearance of this odd Hitchcock thriller was in the October 1980 update.