PSYCHO

PSYCHO

Psycho  was made in 1960, its considered one of the best made films in the history of film . This is because due to its characteristics enhanced by the brilliant man himself Alfred Hitchcock,it has all quality's of suspense, and idea's that should be used to grabs the audience's attention. In psycho the audience was indecisive in weather this film was  $ 40,000 and the murder becomes a shock. This shock enhances the audience making them apprehensive for the rest of the production of the film, this includes the questions in anything can happen?? .... and anyone could be killed? ..... The Audience are made aware of the situation that there is a murder located somewhat in the house. Unfortunately they don't know when s/he will strike again but to be suspenseful they must know it could happen any minute, This in which the cliff hanger and his famous use of suspense come in play, Hitchcock stressed that as the apprehension increases there is less and less violence on the screen in which is why the idea  come into play to drag the action out to in which keeps the audience suspenseful till the end realising the results of the main character being a psycho.

PSYCHO AT 1996: IN WHAT WAYS DOES THIS FILM FOLLOW THE CONVENTIONS OF A THRILLER ?

Psycho creates a little bit of an untypical thriller as he uses a deranged mind, the threat from a mad man. Initially this idea is not made clear till the end in which suspense is played very carefully throughout the film keeping the audience attached to the story line. The main character "the mad man" acts as though he is the carer of him mum and the importance of her care is important to him , hence the reason he has not left and runs the hotel in order to be in close company her. He uses the idea that his mum is mental and is overpowering. In order for the woman staying at the house to not become suspicious he acts as though he goes against his mother as he cares for this woman. 

Unfortunately, this act of acting like a son that initially cares for the life of his mother in fact has an alternative. The man initially acts as himself the hotel manager and the mother in order for the people that are staying to be blissfully unaware whats actually happening.

His deranged mind causes him to act as two different people in two different personality traits. The killer is clever whilst keeping the audience in suspense that his mother is a killer they are unaware of the fact that he has killed his mother due to issues as a child.

 After his father died him and his mother had formed an attachment he felt like his love was unconditionally and protecting her was important to him so when she came to find another man resulting to him feeling like as a son he had been replaced. Killing the pair of them seemed the best idea, styling out both there deaths  to local towns people and police "she was buried " along side her lover and told strangers off the road his mum was ill in fact he was his mum and his idea were for more hideous ideas. Acting as though his mother was ill to stranger drew the audience to think that his mother was killing theses people as what they thought she was in his mind. The finding out that he in fact was his mother and dressed like her in order to perform these horrendous murders he kept her body preserved in cellar after digging her body out of the grave once the funeral was over 

SCENES OF THE MURDER:

Alfred Hitchcock stated that a thriller can not be a thriller without "fast pacing frequent action"

His scenes of murder included:

THE CAR:

THE SHOWER:

THE STAIRCASE :

All these individual murders included Hitchcock's ideas of fast pacing frequent action, the shower scene used the idea of who the murder was at the shower curtain and what was initially going to happen this piece uses suspense well thought out. This turns into a very suspenseful story line keeping the audience hooked to there imagination. The car scene whilst trying to act like a hotel manager he clears the hotel room and any trait of the former victim trying to put her as well as her stuff in the boot of his car in which he drives to a swamp and gets out leaving her, her items and his car drowning through the swamp. Furthermore, the stair case the police inspector looking for the indication of the victim due to her being on the run with stolen money he comes eye to eye with the killer himself being stabbed and pushed down the stairs likewise as before clears the traces of the body.

THE HERO: 

Initially once resulting into there findings of the plot all along the initial hero is both the sister and the boyfriend/lover of the first victim . They report to the police in which the police think they are mad in what there saying as he says the mother is dead so how is there a possible chance of you seeing her sitting in the window , they explain how the inspector has been there and he makes a phone call in which the hotel manager says the inspector has been and left . In order for them to find out whats happened to the inspector and potentially the victim they inspect themselves in finding there results there disgusted in the sick twisted plot. 

NORMAN BATES: AKA THE MOTHER
    Hitchcock said it is important to avoid cliché and repetition – particularly with regard to character – eg murderers can be charming and the heroes flawed
   In his films Hitchcock often placed evil in the most banal of settings.

“Devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively.”

In description to story-wise, Psycho is not extraordinary; its true brilliance lies in the construction of the film itself.Hitchcock has developed the film in such a way that it consistently flouts audience expectations.

There are two major surprises:

1.the shower scene murder

2. the final revelation about Mother. 

In the construction of the film the aim of the viewers who see the film for the first time without knowing about either of these unexpected surprises  will experience the full impact of what Hitchcock intended. To create in which case, allows the audience to create something in there imagination which necessary was not shown in the film this includes mainly of the prospects of the shower seen. To the audience the greatest shock for the uninitiated is the early exit of Janet Leigh ( the shower scene). This is doubly unexpected because, to this point, the screenplay had tricked us into accepting Marion as the main character. Hitchcock uses her death to the point of view shifting to Norman Bates in which case has the intention to confuse the minds of the audience. This allows the effect of the other action carried out though out the film to have a more suspenseful meaning to it , as if the film was more predictable it would be a typical cliche. In order to keep this crucial aspect of the film secret when Psycho opened in 1960, there were no advance screenings and no one was admitted to a showing after the feature had started. 

SUSPENSE:

There are a frequent variety of suspense carried efficiently though out the film allowing each individual piece of action to have its own personal effect. Hitchcock carried this out effectively in the car scene , the shower scene and the staircase scene. He enhances the suspense in the action very well , as each piece has its own trait to effect. The car scene he notices how the effect of getting the car to that swamp and disposing of any clues of Janet was important , the suspense of the music was used to see if he was gonna get caught or not when delivering the body into the lake. The stair case scene has it effect when the detective becomes weary of were Janet has disappeared to with the money. The suspense is dramatically entranced when the detective makes slow movement up the staircase and come's in contact with the delusional son, as shown in the shower scene his stabbed to death on the top of the staircase. More so, the shower scene his famous master piece by itself without the rest of the film were Janet leigh early entrance of being stabbed to death in the shower. The suspense of the "MOTHER" killing her, the stabbing and screeches of the backing music was used very well. 

"MC GUFFIN"

Hitchcock , believed that the McGuffin was an important trait to film as he believed that it was the initial reason to the cause of the action , as such the plot device. The McGuffin usually comes in the first part of the film and sometimes with initial reason can return as the main purpose in the end. In his thrillers the audience don't really care about the McGuffin as the action of the plot has become main interest mainly after the death of Janet Leigh. In the case of this thriller the McGuffin is Marion (Janet) stealing the money.

"PSYCHO"

Hitchcock said thrillers allow the audience "to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like"
Fortunately, Hitchcock accomplished this in psycho as he allowed the audience to initially see the prospects of being mentally ill, as well as experiencing what its like to be in that situation.
"Psycho is a brilliant excursion into fear that pushes of our primal buttons"

NARRATIVE THEORIES

What narrative theories are used within Psycho?

Roland Barthes:
 All texts are 'complex' bundles of meaning
enigma codes (problems introduced) - usually in 'disruption ' stage
open - not resolved at the end
closed texts - resolved at the end

Hitchcock uses the idea of enigma codes through his film , its not specified its used as the basis of the film.
Levi Strauss- Binary Opposition-
Narratives can be organised through binary opposition - two things opposed - often dominant vs subordinate - eg male/female , Hero/ villian
Hitchcock uses the idea of the male and female in the shower scene as the villain is the "dominant" man the male.

THE SHOWER SCENE

Whenever anyone speaks about Psycho, the first image that comes to mind are those of Janet Leigh being hacked to death in the shower . The scene is so famous that even people who have not seen the film are aware of it. More so, before the film was released the preview showing, people were angered and shocked by what they "saw" on the scream. Nothing like this had been seen in film before an people stated that they had seen her being hacked to death in shower . Hitchcock was initially trying to give of this image , although all they saw during the action of the film was Janet Leigh, a Knife and blood nothing was shown. The clever idea was because Hitchcock believed that what was happening to Janet Leigh was down to the minds of the audience.

The shower scene alone stands as one of the greatest single examples of execution and editing in history of cinema


 "GENIUS"

 the brilliance of the scene initially lies in the editing, the frame-by-frame analysis reveals that Hitchcock left a lot to the audience's imagination.
THE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN "PSYCHO"

The Male Gaze: 

women are viewed as objects of make erotic desire - in film and audience
men active/ women passive
women do not have agency - they do not move the plot forward.

The audience is forced to identify with the male gaze
cinema reflects patriarchal society

Hitchcock represents that women are passive as when Janet Leigh is opposed to the hotel. The Psycho has a peeping hole in which he watches her un dress. As the beginning Janet's Lover who is married sees her as something to sleep with but she thinks different.