Psycho is a suspense-horror film written by Joseph Stefano and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This film was loosely adapted from Robert Bloch’s 1959 suspense novel, Psycho. A majority of the movie was filmed in 1960 at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. Psycho is about Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), a secretary from Arizona who steals $40,000 from her employer’s client. She takes that money and drives off to California to meet her lover Sam Loomis (John Gavin) in order to start a new life. After a long drive, she pulls off the main highway and ends up taking refuge at an isolated motel owned and managed by a deranged Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). In Alfred Hitchcock’s film, Psycho, symbols, character and point of view are three literary aspects used in the film to manipulate the audience’s emotions and to build suspense in the film.
In Alfred Hitchcock’s film, Psycho, he uses the symbolism of eyes and birds to manipulate the audience’s emotion and to create suspense throughout the film. The mis-en- scene of the scene where Marion and Norman are talking while she eats dinner in his parlor demonstrates this statement farther. She is surrounded by two birds and a table in front of her to hint how she is now trapped by Bates’s mother and won’t be able to leave the motel. During the same scene, the birds that are placed in the room powerfully represent the two characters. An example is the owl that is mounted on the wall above Bates, while a small song bird and crow are near Crane. The owl symbolizes his mother’s watchful eyes and how she disoriented her son’s mind. The small songbird represents Crane’s vulnerability and helplessness compared to the large owl. The song bird like Crane is unaware that Norman’s mother, the owl, is out ...
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...en in the form of black and white. The movie was able to hold on to my gaze through all the suspense. I enjoyed the score composed by Bernard Herrmann in the film because it would hint at something that might happen and I felt myself tense up whenever the music came on. The characters were relatable and incidences that occurred in the film were realistic, which made the movie more comprehendible. I would warn people about how mind-boggling the film gets after the shower scene because everything afterwards becomes very fast paced. I feel the viewer would need time to think about the film and pausing is a must in order to fully understand what is going on. I would recommend this film to suspense lovers especially because Psycho is one of Hitchcock’s greatest works of art. I am glad I chose this movie to watch because the movie was well sorted out and very engaging.
Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho"-the movie the world recognised-was first premiered in the home town of New York on the 16th June 1960.The film follows the life and strife of a young beautiful woman Marion Crane, played by the Janet Leigh, who is on the run from the police after stealing $40.000, she manages to find refuge at the Bates motel where she makes her worst mistake possible. During and after the film production of "Psycho" Alfred Hitchcock had his aids buy as many copies as possible of the novel "Psycho"-written by Robert Bloch. Why? To conceal the ending form the public's eye so when the film was shown in cinemas the audience would'nt know the ending. When people found out the title of the movie Hitchcock said it was based on a greek love story "Psyche".
‘Psycho’ is a 1960’s thriller that has been voted as one of the top 15
Through the use of irony, mis en scene and recurring symbols, Hitchcock has reinforced the fundamental idea of duality throughout his film, Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960’s American psychological horror thriller, was one of the most awarded films of its time, proposing contrasting connections between characters, Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh, and cinematic/film techniques to develop this idea. Irony identifies contrasts between the dual personalities of Marion Crane and Norman Bates, often foreshadowing the future events of the film. Mis en scene is particularly influential to enforcing the idea of duality, evidently shown through the music and diegetic sounds used. The recurring symbols including the mirrors and specifically the birds, underpin a representation of the character’s dual personalities. Hitchcock’s use of devices reinforces the dual personalities of characters Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh.
Film Analysis of Psycho When ‘Psycho’ was first screened in New York on 16th June 1960, it was
Suspense is only one of Hitchcock’s many techniques and themes. His themes range from the obvious violence, to the depths of human interaction and sex. From Rear Window to Psycho, Hitchcock’s unique themes are present and evident. Rear Window starts with something we all do at times, which is nosing in and stalking on others business, and turns it into a mysterious investigation leaving the viewer second guessing their neighbors at home. Psycho on the other hand, drags
the time when the film was made) in a bank. Since she is unhappy with
bank. Marion went home there was a close up shot on the money then on
The film Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is a psychological thriller that was created in 1960. The main theme of this film revolves around psychological illnesses. The film focuses on the main character, Norman Bates, and his psychological problems which include a split personality, voyeurism, sadism, guilt and self-punishment, and anal fixation. Throughout the movie you can see Bates exhibit these traits at different points; however, some traits are not as clearly evident as others. This film takes an in-depth look at how someone who possesses a mental illness might behave or think.
In Alfred Hitchcock’s famous “slasher” movie, Psycho, the audience is introduced to Norman Bates. Like many ot...
Perhaps no other film changed so drastically Hollywood's perception of the horror film as did PSYCHO. More surprising is the fact that this still unnerving horror classic was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, a filmmaker who never relied upon shock values until this film. Here Hitchcock indulged in nudity, bloodbaths, necrophilia, transvestism, schizophrenia, and a host of other taboos and got away with it, simply because he was Hitchcock.
Cinematography of Hitchcocks Psycho Alfred Hitchcock is renown as a master cinematographer (and editor), notwithstanding his overall brilliance in the craft of film. His choice of black and white film for 1960 was regarded within the film industry as unconventional since color was perhaps at least five years the new standard. But this worked tremendously well. After all, despite the typical filmgoer’s dislike for black and white film, Psycho is popularly heralded among film buffs as his finest cinematic achievement; so much so, that the man, a big
In the article, “Psycho at Fifty: Pure Cinema or Invitation to an Orgy?” by John A. Bertolini, he describes how the images and scenes throughout the whole movie and its more arguable parts are what made the film stick with the imagination of Hitchcock’s audience. He goes on to give an explanation of how Hitchcock is as well one of few directors who is able to mix a little humor to go along with his vicious plot. Bertolini speculates that the audience was thrown off by savagery depicted in this film and more concerned with the emotions that were created by Hitchcock’s movie. He also outlines how much controversy the film created Psycho by stating how it, “reflected the changes at work in the larger society, especially the increasing insiste...
In the film Rear Window that was released in 1954 Alfred Hitchcock the director uses suspense through out the film to create a mystery. Hitchcock uses several techniques like symbolism, narratives, and voyeurism. Hitchcock main focus in the film was to create the entire film from a one-point vantage spot. The film depicts a vision in the audience head that is produced by visuals. How do gender roles. Having the film shown by the eyes of the protagonist Jefferies eyes the audience have a connection to the film and have one specific vocal point to focus through out the film.
The two films Psycho and The Birds, both directed by Alfred Hitchcock, share similar themes and elements. These recurring themes and elements are often prevalent in many of Hitchcock’s works. In Psycho and The Birds, Hitchcock uses thematic elements like the ideal blonde woman, “the motherly figure”, birds, and unusual factors that often leave the viewer thinking. Hitchcock’s works consist of melodramatic films, while also using pure cinema to help convey messages throughout the film.
The symbolism of the birds in Psycho is rather complex. The majority of birds in Norman’s parlor are owls. Owls are fairly sophisticated birds. They are said to be a symbol of wisdom throughout culture but in this case are they. I feel as though the owls, in a way, represent Norman. Owls seem nice, wise, caring in a way, instead they are predator. They hunt their prey and devour it. Norman doesn’t necessarily mean to kill those people but he does. These birds seem to control part of his life the same way his “mother” does.