Who Is Alfred Hitchcock's Film Psycho?

Hitchcock makes use of a number of techniques in Vertigo and brings them together to make a film that is considered to be one of his greatest masterpieces. Through the use of colour, lighting, camera movement, dialogue and characterisation, Hitchcock produces a film that fascinates and intrigues us.

Hitchcock often created film masterpieces, these films always have similar themes that Hitchcock himself was personally fascinated with. Two of these themes happen to be his most notable are the theme of voyeurism and the theme of sexuaily. Hitchcock has always created his films to reflect his own ideas of how he has perceived these ideas, these themes were almost seemly an obsession to him as they are so prevalent. Voyeurism is the one theme that people associate him with the most, as it is Hitchcock 's film techniques that bring it to life to the audience, Sexuaily, is something that Hitchcock almost always adds in his films because they bring the characters together and he draws on that aspect to fulfill a set

Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980), the “Master of Suspense”, was a English film director, who was well known for his use of suspense and psychological elements to shock and surprise his audience. Hitchcock was known for his use of recurring themes, motifs and plot devices, such as the use of birds, hand motifs, the audience as a voyeur, mothers, blonde women, and sexuality. He was also very technical in his editing, using filming techniques such as deep focus, point of view, close up and wide, tracking shots. Montage was also a technique he used frequently in his films. He believed that by using visuals, he could convey thoughts and emotions just as well as dialogue could.

Universal Studios presents the 1960 film “Psycho” by Alfred Hitchcock, adapted from the Robert Bloch novel by Joseph Stephano, and scored by Bernard Hermann. The film stars Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Janet Leigh, and a very creepy house. This film falling under the horror genre was based loosely on the novel of the same name which drew inspiration from real life serial killer Ed Gein, who has been the motivation for two other popular movies, “The Silence of the Lambs” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. The budget for “Psycho” ran under one million dollars and was the last film on Alfred Hitchcock’s contract with Universal. The film was shot entirely on set at Universal studios except for an early shot of Marion Crane’s (Janet Leigh) vehicle parked on the side of the road when she was too tired to continue driving, as well as the car dealership. Due to the budget constraints the films crew were made up of mostly people who were working on the, “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” television show. The film is about a man named Norman Bates, who runs a motel owned by his family. Norman is a victim of his ill mothers love. His mother becomes violent when Norman’s attention has been detracted from her needs. This film is a study of character, suspense, and storytelling; all reasons this film is considered an American classic. This film is unique due to several factors: its presentation, it contained two different point of views (with an interpreted third point of view), and it has some

Psycho is a 1960 American film directed by Alfred Hitchock. The screenplay of the movie written by Joseph Stefano was inspired by the novel of the same name by Robert Bloch on the year 1959. This film is categorized into the horror-thriller genre of film. The starring was Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, Vera Miles as Lila Crane and John Gravin as San Loomis.

The duration of the shot – which is essentially a twenty-second long take – is an aspect that only emphasises the suspense and tension intended by Hitchcock. However, if the shot was approximately six seconds – a common standard in films – then the anticipation and trepidation of the shot would thereby be lost. Furthermore, Hitchcock’s decision to prolong the shot prevented it from becoming obsolete amidst all the other shots of the film. This allowed Hitchcock to inaugurate the apprehensive and foreboding tone for the rest of the film, while simultaneously foreshadowing future perilous events. However, if the shot were extended for longer than twenty seconds, then it would therefore become tedious and mundane, disengaging viewers and detracting from the drama of the shot. Another focal aspect of the shot was the dark composition and lighting that complimented the duration to highlight Hitchcock’s intended ambiance of unease and suspicion. Be this as it may, if this shot were to have taken place during the day or with high-key lighting (which is when little contrast is created), then it’s predetermined perplexity and anxiety would vanish. In addition to this, if Hitchcock employed fill lighting and bright lighting then the shadows of the three men would evaporate. This would eliminate Hitchcock’s designed effect on the

Hitchcock explained the reason for filming a woman wearing only her under garments in the opening sequence of Psycho: "Audiences are changing....The straightforward kissing scene would be looked down at by the younger viewers....Nowadays you have to show them as they themselves behave" (Hitchcock 1). The director was keenly aware of how audiences responded to his films (Rebello 163) and sought to maintain their interest. He was among a handful of Hollywood filmmakers who deliberately sought out innovative composers (Nowell-Smith 258); for Psycho, Hitchcock hired Bernard Hermann who wrote a modern score which challenged the norm. The title itself, fifties and sixties slang for the violently psychotic, suggested the imminence of a new generation (Brill 200).

Alfred Hitchcock also used cinematography in a uniquely stylizing way. Hitchcock not only uses the camera to create dramatic irony, but he also uses the camera to lie to the audience and create anxious suspense. For example, in his film Psycho, when Marion is in the shower Hitchcock frames the scenes very tightly. Marion is in a confined and very personal space. This makes her incredibly vulnerable. Then Hitchcock heightens the suspense by creating dramatic irony with the reveal of a shadowy figure closing in on Marion, unbeknownst to her. This creates a lot of anxiety for the audience, knowing the protagonist is vulnerable and in danger with no way of altering the inevitable. Hitchcock then manipulates the audience by “revealing” a brief silhouette of an old lady as our shower killer. Hitchcock uses this “reveal” to lie to the audience, he makes the audience think they have more inside knowledge confirming their already growing suspicions, when in reality the audience is misled entirely and the murderer was Norman all along. The way Hitchcock uses the camera to reveal both inside information and misleading information truly keeps the viewer engaged and not knowing what to believe until the truth is finally revealed. By using this unique technique of controlling the audience by only showing what he wants you to see, Hitchcock masterfully defies expectations and creates suspense.

Throughout cinema, there has always been space in our hearts for the gore and intrigue that come from horror films. Though they come with different plots, there remains “the monster”, the character that brings along disgust, horror, suspense, and even sympathy. In Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), our monster is Norman Bates, the boy next door. This was one of the first times in American cinema that the killer was brought home, paving the way for the future of horror movies. According to Robin Wood in “An Introduction to the America Horror Film” (183-208), Bates follows the formula of the Monster being a human psychotic. This is conveyed through his normal façade portrayed with his introduction, the audience’s ambivalence, the use of

When Hitchcock wishes to exemplify a particular trait within his character, or reveal the personality of a character, he does so with classy elegance. Such emphasis is laid onto few, yet vital shots, which can reveal a whole lot of information in a few shots. Instead of using a wide range of methods to convey the same information, why not simplify it, and convey the entire array of emotions in a single, unique visual. For example; to exemplify the personality traits of a lady, any other director of the time would have probably used a wide array of shots to convey the same information. However Hitchcock says a whole lot, without saying much.

One of the reasons that this film made the top ten films of all time

Alfred Hitchcock’s attention to detail in his films is one of the many things that makes him one of the most recognized film auteurs of all time. He was very particular what about he wanted seen on screen and how he wanted to get those shots. From camera movements to the things found in the mise-en-scène, Hitchcock was very precise about every little thing that is seen in his on screen worlds. He would strategically place objects throughout the mise-en-scène and have characters wear certain clothing. By doing this, Hitchcock is able to let the audience know things about the characters and the plot without it having to be said on camera. Hitchcock once said that “If it's a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on” (Tiffin). That’s why there’s no surprise that when Hitchcock finally made his first color film, he began to use color as another way of communicating with his audience.

One of his most famous works that I chose to analyze was the shower scene from Psycho. In this film, a real-estate agent named Marion Cane steals $40,000 from her employer and manages to skip town and ends up at the secluded Bates Motel run by Norman Bates and his mother. Norman Bates has a split personality and becomes attacked to Marion when his “mother” personality overcomes her and makes him murder Marion while she showers. In this scene, Hitchcock utilizes the moving point of view camera shot. The camera follows Marion into the shower as she gets undress.

After a series of loanouts for majors between Suspicion (1941) and The Paradine Case (1947), Hitchcock finally gained independence with Rope (1948) ending his contact with Selznick in 1947. Hitchcock in collaboration with Sidney Bernstein produced the first colour film under the company banner Transatlantic Pictures, an appropriate name since they planned to make movies both in England and United States. For distribution they reached consensus with Warner Bros and two films came out of the partnership-Rope (1948) and Under Capricon (1949). Rope (1948), turned out to be one of the boldest technical experiments of Hithcock’s career. All the action was shot on a single set over the course of an evening and preserved the unity as in the original

asks if she is OK. I think most people would if you saw this woman