Film Analysis of Psycho
PSYCHO is a unique film because it is a black and white film in the
age of colour. Secondly it showed the first naked body on screen. Also
it showed the first ever toilet flush. It is a dark disturbing tale as
we do not know who the murderer is and what motive they have to murder
Marion and inspector Aborgast. It took only three weeks to make and
only cost $850,000 to make. It may not compare with modern day S.F.X
film but it is a worthy film when you consider the cinematography
used. Some great cinematography techniques used in the film are; the
rapid jump cuts in the shower scene, and extreme close-ups in moments
when action is taking place. The two scenes we will be analyzing and
interpreting in detail are;
*The shower scene
*Aborgasts' death
Prior to the shower scene the audience has seen Norman the motel
manager reading Marion’s signature, smiling he walks into the motels
lounge. Whilst in there he lifts a framed picture off the wall, this
reveals a small peephole, this provide a perfect view into Marion’s
bathroom, whilst she is getting undressed and preparing for a shower.
He then replaces the picture and with a stern expression he strides up
to his ‘mysterious’ looking house. This gives the audience the
impression that he is up to something devious or criminal.
The mise en scene of the bathroom is important for the setting of the
scene because every item in the bathroom was clean and sparkling
white. The sparkling white colour scheme represents cleanliness,
purity and innocence. The bathroom is very similar to most bathrooms.
This decision was...
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...ached themselves to Aborgast, they want him
to stay alive and out of any potential danger. Also once Marion has
been murdered, the audience want the murderer to be caught and sent to
prison, Aborgast should be the person that convicts the murderer,
instead just when he believes he could get information from the mother
he is murdered.
In contrast to this we see very little of the killer. All we see is a
black figure in the shape of a woman running at Aborgast. We only see
this much of the murderer because it creates more mystery about the
identity of the murderer.
In conclusion when analyzing I have tried to show how Alfred Hitchcock
created a movie classic, with a small budget he still uses great
cinematography techniques which have turned a worthy novel written by
Robert Bloch, into a classic ‘chiller’ movie.
...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.
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bank. Marion went home there was a close up shot on the money then on
them focus on the money, as it is a large amount and is cash it helps
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the eye. As we find out later in the film, Norman is his mother so
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