The Birds II: Land's End

*The Birds II: Land's End*
The Birds II: Land's End
	VHS cover
Genre	Horror
Based on	"The Birds"; by Daphne du Maurier
Written by	Ken and Jim Wheat; Robert Eisele;
Directed by	Rick Rosenthal; (as Alan Smithee)
Starring	Brad Johnson; Chelsea Field; James Naughton; Jan Rubes; Tippi Hedren;
Music by	Ron Ramin
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	David A. Rosemont
Producer	Ted Kurdyla
Cinematography	Bruce Surtees
Editor	Maryann Brandon
Running time	87 minutes
Production companies	MCA Television Entertainment; Rosemont Productions International;
Original release
Network	Showtime
Release	March 14, 1994
Related
	The Birds

The Birds II: Land's End is a 1994 American made-for-television horror film directed by Rick Rosenthal, credited to Alan Smithee. The film is a standalone sequel to the 1963 film The Birds, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The Birds II: Land's End stars Brad Johnson, Chelsea Field, and James Naughton. Tippi Hedren, who starred in The Birds, appears in a minor role different from the one she played in the original film. The original music score was composed by Ron Ramin. It premiered on Showtime on March 14, 1994.

Plot

Ted and Mary Hocken move to a remote, windswept, tiny East Coast island with their two young daughters. The Hockens are determined to forget losing their son and spend a quiet, uneventful summer, with Ted hoping to complete an important biology thesis.

An immense flock of birds begins massing around the small town of Gull Island. A marine biologist is the target of a mysterious, grisly attack. Before long, the sky is darkened by a hideous onslaught of screeching birds. An old timer recalls a similar, horrific outbreak three decades ago in Bodega Bay, California.

Cast

Brad Johnson as Ted Hocken
Chelsea Field as Mary Hocken
James Naughton as Frank Irvin
Jan Rubes as Karl
Tippi Hedren as Helen
Stephanie Milford as Jill
Megan Gallacher as Joanna
Richard K. Olsen as Doc Rayburn

Reception

The television film received negative reviews. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly slated the production, especially criticizing the writing and acting: "The actors in Birds II have little to do except widen their eyes in terror, and even that seems a daunting stretch for Johnson". He also commented on the fact that it was an Alan Smithee film, the pseudonym used when a director wants to disown the final film.^[1]

Tippi Hedren's Response

Tippi Hedren, who starred as Melanie Daniels in the original film, returned in a supporting role as a different character named Helen. Hedren was disappointed that she did not have a larger part: "I wish that it was more than a cameo. I think they made a mistake by not doing that. But it has helped me to feed my lions and tigers".^[2] When asked about what could have been Hitchcock's opinion, she answered: "I'd hate to think what he would say!"^[3] In a 2002 interview, Hedren described the film as "a horrible experience".^[4]

Home Video

The Birds II: Land's End was released on VHS and LaserDisc in the United States in 1994 by MCA/Universal Home Video and reissued on VHS in 1997 via GoodTimes Home Video. Because the film was so hated, it never received a DVD release.

In August 2022, Vinegar Syndrome released a 2K restoration of the film scanned from the 35mm interpositive on Blu-ray. The Vinegar Syndrome release also contained all new special features, including an audio commentary track with film historians Amanda Reyes and Sam Pancake, a one hour making-of documentary and interviews with composer Ron Ramin and production assistant Craig Edwards. The release was limited to 6,000 copies.^[5]

In Popular Culture

The Birds II: Land's End was parodied as The Crows in the CBC sitcom, Schitt's Creek.

References

^ Tucker, Ken."The Birds II: Land's End (film review)". Entertainment Weekly. March 18, 1994. Published in issue #214. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
^ Green, Ann (March 13, 1994). "Retro : A Flock of Terror, Part II". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
^ Smith, Liz (March 17, 1994). "'Nobody's Fool', the life of Danny Kaye". Newsday - Long Island. New York.
^ Chiller Theater Magazine. 2002. 59.
^ "Vinegar Syndrome Announces August Releases". blu-ray.com. August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.

External links

[1] Tucker, Ken."The Birds II: Land's End (film review)". Entertainment Weekly. March 18, 1994. Published in issue #214. Retrieved April 28, 2021.

[2] Green, Ann (March 13, 1994). "Retro : A Flock of Terror, Part II". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 11, 2016.

[3] Smith, Liz (March 17, 1994). "'Nobody's Fool', the life of Danny Kaye". Newsday - Long Island. New York.

[4] Chiller Theater Magazine. 2002. 59.

[5] "Vinegar Syndrome Announces August Releases". blu-ray.com. August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.

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