Psycho; Bethan Parmenter
Alfred Hitchcock’s movie Psycho was one that shocked
audiences everywhere and changed the meaning of Hollywood’s “horror” movies. This
movie pushes several limits of cinematography that had yet to pushed. From
revealing more skin than had been previously seen before, in the shower seen to
scenes in which a character was shown in her underwear this movie was
considered to be more on the racy side. As for the terror factor accompanying this
movie for the 1960’s this was the scariest, most terrifying movie to be put in
theatres. Compared to modern day slasher and murder movies it would not be considered
all that scary due to the fact that there are only a few instances in which
audiences are startled but the study of paranoia and fear and how it makes
people react is why Psycho is considered to be such an epic scary movie.
Another
thing that made this movie so famous is the twist and turns in the plot line;
viewers begin to consider Marion the heroine or main character until she is
murdered approximately 40 minutes into the movie leaving viewers to now wonder
who will be the focal point of this movie. While some parts now seem predictable
when this movie first came out it kept audiences firmly glued to the screens
wondering what was going to happen next.
ReplyDeletePsycho was definitely a break from the typical films of the time. This scandalous exposure of the female body was a new feature to filmmaking. While this scene may have seemed quite racy to viewers at the time, Hitchcock did a phenomenal job of showing just the right amount of skin. He made it obvious that she was being repeatedly stabbed while nude in the shower. But he did it without overexposing her body and without any excess gore. In fact, the knife never entered her skin but was merely shown touching her stomach. Hitchcock framed it so that the audience knew exactly what was happening without having to explicitly show it. He captured the brutality of the murder, but he did it with care. Instead of over sexualizing Marion, he merely showed small parts of her skin that seemed scandalous but were not excessively exposing her body.
Hitchcock was brilliant in capturing close-ups and cutting and piecing them together. This is showcased most beautifully in the shower murder scene. Each separate shot is like a piece of a puzzle and once you put them all together, you end up with a terrifying murder scene. He zooms in and gets close-ups of her face, her mouth, her stomach, the knife, the water, an outline of the killer. Flashing through all of these close-ups gives a broken, anxious mood, which only increases the suspense of the film. The many cuts seamlessly sewn together create one terrifying murder scene, shocking its viewers.
--Haley Gray
I agree with this post in the sense that Psycho definitely pushed a lot of the limits in cinematography for that time period. Camera angles, and murders aside I believe that Psycho also tested the boundaries for introducing the public to such a psychological thriller. While anyone can include blood and guts to create a gory factor, the real thrill and suspense of the movie is discovering the secret behind the true character of Norman Bates. Being a psychology major I was immediately attracted to the complex character that Norman Bates portrayed. One of the main issues that I believe Norman Bates portrayed was an Oedipus complex. When Norman Bates found his mother with another man aside from his father I believe that this love for his mother took over and the adrenaline from that encounter drove him to the psychological state he was in. He used the corrupt character of his mother to justify his need and want for killing others. In order to not blame himself for the deeds that he was doing he used his mother’s character to have someone else to put the blame on. Aside from the Oedipus complex I believe Norman Bates had, I also think that his ability to live what many would consider a “double life” also let us into the dark world of multiple personality disorder. Norman Bates clearly portrayed two different identities within himself. We saw this many times throughout the movie, especially when Norman first “discovers” that his mother killed Marion we hear the interaction between them, and how appalled Norman is that his mother has done this unthinkable act. This disassociation between himself and his mother is also seen once again in the scene where he carries her down the stairs to hide her in the cellar. I think that Alfred Hitchcock really tested the waters with this thriller, and even now to this day a real thriller is not about the gory, but rather the “normal” person in society that no one expects to do such things.
ReplyDeletePaola Ogadzhanova
I agree that “Psycho” pushed the limits of cinematography that really shocked and perplexed audiences in its time. The fact that more skin was shown in the film was also a huge break for Hitchcock that made him different. With so many rules that regulated the film industry in these years it was hard to create something that could cause any controversy. It was up to filmmakers to convey underlying messages and tones and it took the best of the best to do so. As you mentioned, Hitchcock also choose to do a horror film, which in the end could also be labeled as a psychological thriller. He used so many different filmmaking techniques such as lighting, camera angle, and music to make scenes scarier and to build suspense in the audience.
ReplyDeleteThe plot is also something that made this film as famous and revered as it is today in film history. I believe that there were many techniques that were used by Hitchcock to elude audiences to the ever-changing plot that was played out. The way that lighting was used in the scenes between Marion and Norman played a huge part in foreshadowing what was to come next. The job of the director is to take the story and find ways in cinematically bring it to life. Skilled directors that know how to use filming techniques to really heighten and complement the story bring the story itself to life on screen. There are many films produced that may have a great plot but when seen on screen it turns out to be as great as one may imagine. Hitchcock did an amazing job at setting the tone and mood for this eerie film.