Psycho Movie Analysis
Psycho is a great and complex psychological thriller film from the 1960 by Alfred Hitchcock. It is known as the supreme of all modern horror suspense films, and ushered in a new kind of horror that the audiences had never seen or experienced before. It is not very well known, but this was Hitchcock's first real horror film, and he got labeled as a horror film director ever since. The film is centered on the encounter between a secretary who embezzles money from her employer and ends up at a secluded motel. She becomes the victim of Norman Bates, the motel's disturbed owner-manager, and its aftermath (Filmsite Movie Review Psycho). Although the film received mixed reviews initially, but the outstanding box office collections prompted the critics to reconsider the film and the prompted reconsideration led it to garner overwhelming critical acclaim and went on to win four Academy Award nominations. Hitchcock got the Best Director and Janet Leigh, the Best Supporting Actress.
Psycho was a low budget film in black and white and shot on a shoestring budget. When the people first saw the trailer they did not know what to make of it as it showed a woman being stabbed and a background of loud horrifying shrieks. Hitchcock conveys an intense theme in Psycho, and the movie starts with a view of the city with shots that are random. Hitchcock's use of randomly applied scenes of the city and room remind the audience that their lives too could be part of the plot that was about to unfold. Hitchcock succeeds in holding the initial curiosity of the audience by showing Marion's helplessness and increasing audience's sympathy for her. With Marion's character, Hitchcock introduces the idea of split personality with Marion's behavior. The confrontation between Norman and Marion is one of psychosis vs. neurosis (A Thematic Analysis Of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho).
Hitchcock has been always considered the master of suspense and he has certainly done his best to make a film every bit sensational. For example, he has shot the film in black & white in place of color. Inserted of going for sweeping shots of characters, we find the majority of the story shot in the front of the car and a handful of cramped rooms. And, on top of that, to keep the audience guessing, the main character gets brutally murdered in the first half of the story, rather than trying to escape a tense situation. The fact that Psycho actually showed a toilet in the bathroom (Tatara) for the first time seemed oddly appropriate during those times.
When the main character of the film steals $40,000 from her boss, and hides up in a remote motel, planning to start her life over again, the audience naturally assume that she'll eventually unite with her adulterous lover. However, there are other plans for her by Hitchcock. Norman, the owner and manager of the motel suffers from a rather strange mother fixation.
Hitchcock seems to have tapped in on America's growing taste for crime stories, and this is what made Psycho a certifiable jackpot. He ended up making millions from the low budget film. When you speak of Psycho, you think or talk about the famous shower scene. Hitchcock remained on the set when the scene was being shot. Over the years, there have been many debates as to who has been behind the dazzling series of shock cuts in the film. The shower scene is a staggering cinematic achievement and its magnetic power still hold over the audiences’ even decades later.
The music of Psycho is another groundbreaking achievement. Bernard Herrmann's score for Psycho and his efforts may not have landed him an Oscar nomination, but those identifiable shrieks of horror and despair can never be forgotten. When editing Psycho, Hitchcock was convinced that he was holding a very special film on his hands.
Psycho has been praised again and again for the cinematic artwork and has been acclaimed as one of Hitchcock's best films. It set a benchmark for a new level of violence and sexuality in American films. Clearly, Psycho is one of the most prized possessions the film community. Psycho was based and inspired by the Robert Bloch novel (Lightcap). Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock is considered to have brought psychological monster into mainstream cinema, thus creating a new kind of thrill. It made people afraid of everyday people that they encounter throughout their lives every day. The audience gets their first taste of voyeurism (Jan 60)when they see Norman Bates peeping through a peephole in his office and looking at Marion Crane undressing. The action leaves the audience wondering as to why Norman is doing this and what does he have in his mind. Little do they know at this point that he is psychologically disturbed and has other plans for her. Moreover, Norman is shown to be a very likable individual and with polite manners. There could be different interpretations of Norman’s killing of women. It could be because he wanted only one feminine figure in his life, his mother. He thinks that he is in love with his mother realistically.
The villain in the psychological mystery here is not hated or disliked by the audience members. In fact, in the first part, they may feel sympathy for him. They turn their backs on him once it is shown that he is a killer. The horror film not only deals with horror, but also the subject of the human psyche. The superiority of psycho lies not in its apparent genre or structure, but in those minute details.
Works cited
"A Thematic Analysis Of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho." Novelguide. Novelguide, 2014. Web. <http://www.novelguide.com/reportessay/literature/novels/thematic-analysis-alfred-hitchcocks-psycho>.
"Filmsite Movie Review Psycho (1960)." Filmsite.org. Filmsite, 2014. Web. <http://www.filmsite.org/psyc.html>.Jan Holmberg. "A Long Hard Look at 'Psycho'." Film International.1 (2003): 60. Print.Lightcap, Torey L. "Lightcap on Nickens, 'Psycho: Behind the Scenes of the Classic Thriller'" Networks.h-net.org. H-PCAACA, 1 Jan. 1995. Web. <https://networks.h- net.org/node/13784/reviews/13809/lightcap-nickens-psycho-behind-scenes-classic-thriller>.
Tatara, Paul. "PSYCHO (1960)." Tcm.com. TCM Film Article, 2014. Web. <http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/104826|0/Psycho.html>.
