In class, we have been watching and reviewing Alfred Hitchcock's thriller 'Psycho'. We did this so that when it came to planning and making our own thrillers, we would already know the conventions of a thriller film. Psycho was made in 1960, starring Janet Leigh as main character 'Marion Crane' who is the 'femme fatale' of the film. The film is made in black and white to add emphasis to a 'nightmarish' situation and also as a tribute to the 1940's noir thrillers. The soundtrack to 'Psycho' adds to the 'nightmarish' situation because it's so dominant that more suspense is created. The establishing shot in Psycho is a craned, panning shot of the city and the place is anchored in (Phoenix, Arizona) which is quite generic in a thriller film. The shot then goes onto a zoom into the hotel bedroom window which connotes voyeurism.
The first scene shows Marion Crane, the femme-fatale, in a hotel room with a man. Both characters are half dressed, which implies to the audience that they have just had sex. Marion Crane also makes it clear that the relationship is secret, perhaps an affair, as she mentions that they can only meet up at lunchtime. This automatically labels Marion as a 'whore' as it is also clear that she is not the one with a partner. However, the male is shown to be the one with all the power and control in the relationship. It seems as though he has Marion wrapped completely around his little finger, which is made clear in this scene, as he has got her paying for the hotel room and wanting him to herself, meaning that he can obviously get exactly what he wants from her because she'll keep coming back for more. The hotel that they have met up in is extremely cheap looking and unglamorous which is, again, quite generic in thriller films. The next scene that we studied was the one after Marion has stolen the money and she is packing her stuff in her apartment. I automatically noticed that Marion is wearing black underwear whereas in the opening sequence, she was wearing white underwear. The fact that she's in black underwear indicates her moral descent, she has been tempted by the money because she thinks that money will buy her happiness and happiness in her eyes is her lover. The soundtrack in this scene tells us that something bad is going to happen.
There is a close-up as she talks to the police officer meaning we can see her expressions to what the police officer is saying. As the police officer walks away, the only sound is diagetic. As she drives off, however, the soundtrack comes in, which could be representing Marion’s heartbeat as she drives away from the police officer. When driving away from the police officer, you can see Marion constantly looking over her shoulder and in the mirror, to see if the policeman is still behind her. When Marion turns up at the car dealership and goes into the toilets, you can see the back of Marion’s head, and her reflection in the mirror (over-the-shoulder shot) which enabled us to come up with the idea that the 'good Marion' has been left behind and that's who the reflection in the mirror is.
The next scene shows Marion going back to driving the car, with a voiceover which is non-diagetic. The voiceover could represent her guilty conscience; however, it could also represent an actual conversation that is taking place off-scene, back at Marion's place of work. There is use of noir lighting in this scene, which shows how Marion’s world is darkening minute by minute. The noir lighting again adds to the suspense and 'nightmarish' situation that Marion has got herself into.
The final scene we studied in class was the famous shower scene.
As we see Marion’s car pulling up at 'Bates motel', we see a typically generic 'horror house' in the dark shadows, with not a lot of lighting both outside and inside. Also, it is raining heavily, adding an eerie touch to the scene. Even though there has been no dialogue in this scene as of yet, and we have only seen the outside, we can still see straight away that the motel fits in with the generics of a thriller film. This is because the location is grotty and extremely unglamorous. The first thing inside the motel is Marion signing in. It is clear that she has changed her name, making it feel like the good Marion has been well and truly left behind. There is no dialogue when they're inside the motel, just sound and action which keeps us gripped and makes us feels the suspense. The first thing I noticed about Norman Bates' motel was the stuffed birds on the walls and shelves, which are constantly somewhere in the picture. This is symbolic, showing mortality and paralysis of freedom which also reflects Marion’s plight. In this scene, I also realised that Marion's surname (Crane) is extremely significant to the scene as well, as a crane is a bird. The stuffed birds in the motel anticipate her fate. There is a particular part of the scene which stood out to me, and this is when Norman Bates bends over and the audience can just see him and the shadows of the wings on his back. This shows his paralysis of freedom from his mother as he thinks that there is 'no better woman for a man than his mother'. The fact that Norman Bates says to Marion "You eat like a bird" goes back to her significance to this particular scene, and it also shows the irony in what he's said as well. He also says that "birds are passive" which again goes back to Marion and the fact that she's passive.
The low angle shots of Norman Bates as he's sitting with Marion, make him look superior compared to Marion, where high angle shots are used for her to make her look more naive. The conversations between Marion and Norman all revolve around love and death which shows the significance of these two subjects to both characters in the scene. When talking about Norman Bates' mum, Marion mentions a 'mad house' which gets Norman extremely worked up. The fact that he took such offence to this could suggest that he has been in one himself.
As Marion goes into her room, the camera goes towards a hole in the wall, which suggests that Norman is watching her. This also shows connotations of voyeurism, from both the audience and Norman. There is an extreme close-up of Norman Bates peeping through the hole in the wall at Marion. This not only shows his voyeuristic nature, but also gives a sense of claustrophobia. The soundtrack then comes in straight away, giving a sinister feel and making us aware that something bad is about to happen. This is then when the shower sequence begins.
As Marion's getting into the shower, the camera follows her, using a close-up of her legs so that we can't see what's happening. As Marion is in the shower, we are made aware of her vulnerability here. The shower is a place where anyone is at they're most vulnerable as it's so slippy and dangerous that anything can happen. This makes us more aware that something will happen. The sequence also gives a sense of claustrophobia, because it's a confined space and the shower curtain is her only barrier from everyday life. As Marion is being stabbed, only close-ups are used, adding suspense and fear, as the audience can't see the attacker. The shot then goes to the blood going down the plughole, and a spin is then used, turning the plughole into Marion's eye and the camera then follows up to the money, leaving the audience wondering who killed her and what's going to happen to the money now. There is a view of the house, still in the dark shadows, and there is only the sound of Norman Bates and his mother talking. As Norman Bates, goes back into the motel, a picture of the birds’ falls down, which suggests that Marion is definitely dead. As he wraps her up in the shower curtain, we see that the shower curtain is transparent like Marion Crane, she has been seen through throughout the whole film.
I would definitely want to see the rest of this film and for the amount that I have seen; I give it 10 out of 10.
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