Cutting Edges Film Review- Psycho(1960)

Psycho 1960 Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Sound, Camera shots and Narrative.

This Horror/Thriller is one of the most iconic films of Alfred Hitchcock's collection. The story unfolds after a woman goes missing last seen at the Bates Hotel, run by the mysterious duo Norman Bates(Anthony Perkins) and his controlling mother. Norman is shown as the most complex character in this nightmarish tale, yet he is first introduced as a somewhat innocent character victimised by his mother, but it is later revealed that he is psychotically unstable and that he becomes his dead mother by dressing in her clothes and changing personality. This is a perfect use of a plot twist, which changes the audience perception towards the character and keeps them intrigued by the narrative.

Image 2: Film still of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins)

The one scene which stands out in this film and has been masterfully created, is the shower scene. Hitchcock originally envisioned this scene as being silent, due to Bernard Herrmann who incorporated the iconic screeching violin sound which gives tension and energy to the scene. Once hearing this Hitchcock immediately changed his mind.

Image 3: Silhouette from shower murder scene

The shower scene has over 90 splices in it, and did not involve Anthony Perkins at all. Contrary to popular belief it wasn't due to a scheduling conflict Perkins had for the Broadway musical 'Greenville' but actually a deliberate decision on Alfred Hitchcock's part. On this subject Perkins states "Hitchcock was very worried that the dual role and nature of Norman Bates would be exposed if I were to appear in that scene. I think it was the recognizability of my silhouette, which is rather slim and broad in the shoulder. That worried him." 


In this classic scene it was considered a shock and brutal, due the killing of main character Marion Crane, stabbed to death after the first 47 minutes of the film. All this is fulfilled with quick paced editing and camera placement, also the visuals and sounds of the stabbing was created by chocolate syrup and the sound of a knife stabbing into a watermelon.

Although Psycho is praised for its visuals, the audio was key to the films success as well. With the use of echoes and silence to create suspense and danger to the classic screeching violins. One example where the use of a sound can shock the audience just as much as the gruesome visuals, is the scene where the detective Arbogast goes upstairs in the house and a knife wielding elderly woman runs out of a room. It is the repeated use of the violins which resemble a scream, and make the scene more intense. But it was in this film that Hitchcock experimented with minimizing the use of sound, which was later seen and incorporated in his film Birds (1963).




Image 1:http://imstillakid.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/psycho-1960-filmstrip.jpg
Image 2: Film still of Norman Bates: http://foldingseats.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/su139.jpg

IMBD Psycho shower scene trivia: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv

Image 3: Silhouette from shower murder scene:
http://cinemassacre.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/psycho1.jpg