Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Year: 1960
Country: US
Language: English
Alfred Hitchcock is known as one of the greatest directors of all time. His films which include The 39 Steps, Shadow of a Doubt and The Birds are often favorites of critics and fans alike. Recently his late 50's masterpiece Vertigo was named the best film of all time by the British Film Institute's Sight and Sound magazine, Psycho is usually regarded as his second best film. I've seen Psycho numerous times and, while I admit it's not in my top three Hitchcock films (The 39 Steps, Vertigo and Notorious), it's definitely technical perfection.
Psycho is essentially about a woman named Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) who is fed up with the way life has treated her. She has to meet her lover Sam (John Gavin) in lunch breaks and they cannot get married because Sam has to give most of his money away in alimony. One Friday Marion is trusted to bank $40,000 by her employer, she takes advantage of that trust and runs away to start a new life. However she gets tired and pulls into the Bates motel which is managed by an odd fellow who seems to be controlled by his mother.
Hitchcock appears to be the real "psycho" of this picture, killing off the star of the film halfway into it. It's a brilliant twist, that seems to have much less impact the further we move from 1960, mainly because Janet Leigh is obviously not as big a star as she was back then. Frankly, I have always thought that while the film is historically and technically important it just isn't that entertaining for modern audiences. I loved the plot regarding Marion Crane stealing the money, but after she dies it just seems to become the average slasher flick (even though Bates doesn't kill anybody else) I will agree that the ending was an interesting surprise, but the drawn out explanation by the psychologist almost ruined it.
Even though the plot is not that entertaining, the acting certainly is. Anthony Perkins gives a spine chilling performance as the creepy Norman Bates. He is calm and calculating,caring for his mother but perhaps a little too much. The cinematography is exquisite, the camera is relentless and adds to great psychological tension. One could write a whole essay regarding how Hithcock's camera angles, especially in the shower scene, greatly contribute to the tone and plot of the film. His use of black and white photography not only creates a threatening mood but also helps make the film much less gory. Herrmann's score creates an incredibly suspenseful atmosphere, I am astounded by how it makes even the simplest of scenes into a nightmare.
In conclusion, Psycho is a historically important work of technical genius. It is everything a psychological thriller should be in terms of cinematography, lighting, score and acting. Unfortunately it suffers from an underwhelming plot during the second half of the film. If you are a film enthusiast then I would recommend this film, however if you are in the mood to be entertained by a film like this then I would recommend Henri Georges Clouzot's Diabolique. 3.5/5
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