What is Hollywood for the modern society? It has become an integral part of people’s lives, as we are keeping an eye on all the current updates in Hollywood. Though, let us look through the history, development and changes that shook the world.
Everything started in the 1940 when the use of studio system started to go down. The appearance of television and “a federal antitrust action that separated the production of films from their exhibition” led to decreasing of new released films. That became the reason directors commenced looking for new topics in order to amaze their spectators ("About The USA > Arts > Film"). It was the year 1960 when the stunning plot of “Psycho” appalled and at the same time wowed the public.
Young filmmakers tried to identify what was the high point people needed. Since then the flicks were more forthright and unusual. According to Grant, in February 1960, Hugh Hefner opened the first Playboy club in Chicago (xi), what brought to my mind the thought that people began to perceive an outright information. If to speak about “Psycho”, it was the film that had changed cinema for all eternity.
It is about the woman, Marion, that wanted to change her life once for all, and a man Norman who suffered from dual personality and tried to struggle his mother inside his head. Marion stole a big sum of money and ran away in search of new life. Unfortunately for her, the heavy rain started and she had to stop in the hotel when she met Norman. As we found out at the end of the film, Norman’s body was a shelter for 2 minds: his and his mother’s. A woman inside of his head was very green-eyed and did not allow her son to have any affairs with women. As a caring son, he tried to protect her from any displeasing situation. What was a shock, when we disclosed that Norman’s mother died! Who was that person, who killed Marion in the bathroom then? As it appeared, once Norman met an attractive woman, the jealous feelings of his mother arose and tried to get rid of her. He was even speaking and dressing like his mother. That was him who entered Marion’s bathroom and killed her. Woman’s sister was trying to find poor Marion, though with no luck. She asked Sam, Marion’s boyfriend, for help. Those two people revealed the scary Norman’s side and helped the police to arrest him. This was an unpredictable ending that people rated on merit and that was the beginning of the New Hollywood.
As for me, it was the first movie where the person who committed crime was actually a victim and I sincerely sympathized Marion. Her boyfriend was not in a position to take care of their future as he was divorced, had to pay maintenance and had some debts to be paid. Being desperate, she stole $40 000 and tried to escape from her misfortune. That was the beginning of her end. Previously we could observe the development of such genres as comedies, westerns, musicals. That was a commencement of psychological thriller widening as a preferred movie genre among people.
During different kinds of revolutions in several countries, under the influence of World War II the main message that films were trying to proclaim was prayers and desires of ordinary people to be heard. Some kind of slogan for the 60s I would suggest “Sink or Swim”, as “Bob Dylan warned listeners, that awash in this sea-change, “you better start swimming” or you’ll sink like a stone”. The events, that were happening then, spread violence (brutal killings of 8 students or shooting 40 people, as happened in late 60s) and that is what we can see in “Psycho” (Grant, 2).
Works cited:
"About The USA > Arts > Film". Usa.usembassy.de. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.
http://usa.usembassy.de/arts-film.htm
Grant, Barry K. American cinema of the 1960s: Themes and Variations. Rutgers University Press, 2008. Print
