Female Sexuality In Pssycho And Psycho

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Both of the films started of following two blonde women who are unhappy with the lives that they live. Marion Crane wants to be with her love Sam but due to financial circumstances cannot do so. So Marion steals money in order to be together with Sam. Kate Miller on the other hand is married but is not satisfied with her marriage and her husband which leads her to cheat on her husband with a stranger she meat at a museum. This shows actions that the society generally frowns upon. In both cases the females are punished and in both cases female sexuality is explored. With Psycho it is shown in the beginning of the movie where Marion is half dressed while with Dressed to Kill female sexuality is pushed further through the dream sequence shower scene and Kate’s fantasies as well as the cheating. This shows the truth that lies beneath the surface of society; essentially Brain De Palma is showing the darkness that the society fears but in a more modern setting.
When looking at Brain De Palma’s version of the parlor scene Dr. Elliot is depicted as self-righteous but at the same time admitting so bluntly that he desires Kate, his patient, it takes away from self-righteousness. Norman does not bluntly admit his desire for Marion but instead chooses to be the peeping tom and spy on Marion as she gets ready for shower. Again De Palma choses to show sexual anxiety in a more blunt way than Hitchcock could show in Psycho. Also there is the character of Liz Blake who comparing to the character of Lila Crane is far more expressive with her sexuality and is a prostitute. Again De Palma is doing what Hitchcock could not have done at the time and shows openly female sexuality in Dressed to Kill.
Then there are also the characters of Sheriff A...

... middle of paper ...

...w the hosting of two personalities in Dr. Robert Elliot worked De Palma was able to show what the society really thought of psychiatrists and the police, and De Palma was able to undermine what would seem important to society which is order and stability. Through this scene and through other similarities and differences that De Palma has created in Dressed to Kill one could see the influence of Psycho. De Palma has perhaps borrowed and revised from Psycho but only to show the darkness that Psycho had by using less discretion, more female sexuality, more male sexual anxiety, and showing the instability and chaos that really exists in the society. So Hitchcock’s Psycho has really been a lasting influence and De Palma made sure to bring out the darkness and the chaos that the film holds through the similarities and differences seen between Psycho and Dressed to Kill.

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