#378- Psycho (1960)Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, John Gavin
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Plot Summary: Marion Crane plans to embark on her new life with her boyfriend Sam Loomis. Marion embezzles 40 thousand dollars from her workplace and leaves town. A terrible rainstorm leads her off the road looking for a motel to stay in when she comes across the Bates Motel and its proprietor, Norman Bates, who discusses many things with Marion including his relationship with his mother.
It's about time I've tackled an Alfred Hitchcock film. And since it is a month to celebrate horror films, Psycho is an appropriate choice for both. When it comes to what is often looked at as one of the most influential films of all time, there was some stuff about it that I absolutely loved, and even a few things that I found extremely grating. Nevertheless, by the end of my viewing experience I couldn't ignore that Psycho was going to be one of those films that I would be talking about for a very long time.
My favorite part in the film was watching Anthony Perkins portray Norman Bates. The best part about Bates was that he is really able to make the crowd empathize with him upon his introduction. When we hear of his problems concerning his mother, we really feel sorry for the guy. Throughout the rest of the scenes, Norman's behavior and tone is constantly changing back and forth and Norman finds himself always pulling himself back to the kind, yet awkward character that we were introduced to. It's moments like that that really make Bates stand out in the film...and that's all I can really say about him without spoiling MOST of the movie. One of the only problems I have with Psycho is the main protagonist Marion Crane, played by Janet Leigh. The biggest problem I have with Marion is in her actions of embezzling money from work to start her new life with her boyfriend, whom she's had to sneak around with during work breaks. There's scenes in which Leigh is having to sneak around trying to avoid being suspicious, but the problem I have with the scenes is that she is really not keeping a low profile, which makes one wonder how she wasn't caught or arrested sooner. Marion obviously plays an important part in the film, but I can't help but look at her and feel like she's a tad on the incompetent side.
Of course, I don't think I could talk about Psycho without talking about "the shower scene." Even if you haven't seen the movie, you know this scene inside and out because it is one of the most famous and well recognized scenes in film history. There are so many aspects about this scene that you could dissect and analyze for hours, from the shock value of when it takes place on film, to the innovative camera and lighting techniques, to those iconic violin strings. Even if the scene only lasts a few minutes, it left such an indelible imprint on viewers that people probably STILL look over their shoulder while taking a shower, over 40 years later.Despite the use of color technology being available, Alfred Hitchcock decided to film it in black and white, which really gives the film the look of a "classic" horror film from the Universal Monster era. I would never go as far as to say it's definitely his best work (there are a LOT of his films that could be up for debate on that subject), but I do know that Psycho is a film that strongly represents why Alfred Hitchcock was known as The Master of Suspense, as he directed possibly the greatest suspense thriller of all time, and certainly his most well-known film.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
This film is definitive Alfred Hitchcock, definitely one of his best. The horror genre and film in general owe a lot to this film and I would recommend Psycho for everyone and their mother to check out at least once.
Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review
Psycho and movie images are copyrighted by Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures
No comments:
Post a Comment