PSYCHO (1960)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

"We all go a little mad sometimes."

Today is December the Eleventh, Two Forty-Three P.M. The same date and time that Marion Crane’s life would change. 

By now, everyone and their grandmothers have seen Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece PSYCHO from 1960. But let’s say for those folks who haven’t seen the film (why?), I’ll keep the spoilers to a minimum. 

After the box office failure of Vertigo (now hailed as the greatest film of all-time, knocking Citizen Kane off the number one list) and his box office smash hit North by Northwest, Alfred Hitchcock would follow those up with a film based off the 1959 novel of the same title by Robert Bloch. Hitchcock would hire screenwriter Joseph Stefano. To save time and budget (about $800,000), Hitchcock hires his television crew from his Alfred Hitchcock Presents series and decides to film in black and white. Folks in the industry didn’t think it was going to work, but boy were they wrong. I could go all day about the trials and tribulations of the making of this film but let’s get to the point.

After Saul Bass’ opening credits and a loud, terrifying score by Bernard Herrmann, we fade into a sunny day in a city: Phoenix, Arizona - Friday, December the Eleventh, Two Forty-Three P.M. We enter a hotel window where we meet Marion Crane played by Janet Leigh, and her lover Sam Loomis played by John Gavin. They’re clearly in love and want to be together, but things are holding them back. 

Let's fast forward a little; Marion gets her hands on a cool $40,000 and is asked to take it to the bank, which was a lot at that time, hell, a lot now for many folks today. For Marion, desperation kicks in and she takes the money for herself and hits the road. This is where the film becomes traditional Hitchcock; an Icy blonde on the run with a envelope full of money, yet she's a sympathetic character.

What makes Psycho so great is how it’s almost like watching two different movies and I’ll get to that point in a little while. After a little run in with a police officer and doing little switcher-car-aroo (just made that up), Marion hits the road again but it begins to rain. She makes a turn into a motel with a neon lit sign that reads: BATES MOTEL and a gothic looking mansion. So let's see... a sorta-but not really a Femme Fatale? Stolen money? Rain? Neon sign? Motel? The perfect scenario for a Film Noir, right?

This is where we meet the man who runs the Bates Motel, Norman Bates, played amazingly by Anthony Perkins. This was a role that would pretty much haunt the rest of his career and not for the better. A pivotal scene between Marion Crane and Norman Bates in a parlor just shows Anthony Perkins should’ve gotten an Academy Award; vulnerable yet absolutely chilling. Janet Leigh received her only Academy Award nomination for Supporting Actress and a win for a Golden Globe, while a well deserve win, Anthony Perkins was robbed and typecast as he would later do three Psycho sequels in the 80's. I’ve only seen bits and pieces of each sequel but the first Psycho is a stand alone film.

We later get to the infamous shower scene; a scene that would change the direction of the film, in the best way possible. It’s still a Hitchcock film, but it moves the story to a slightly new direction that many folks at that time in 1960 were not expecting. 

Later in the film, we meet Marion Crane’s sister Lila Crane played by Vera Miles and a private detective, Milton Arbogast, played by Martin Balsam. We later get to another scene that involves a flight of stairs, which in my opinion is actually even better than the shower scene. Don't get me wrong, the shower scene is the scene of all scenes, but the stairs is pretty damn close. Now I might have skimmed over a few details here, but I did that for a reason as one should enjoy the film for the first time, but I've probably said too much. Wait… why the hell am I even telling you anything about the film when you should've already been watching the film by now!

 

I will say I was lucky enough to catch this film at a younger age, not knowing much of the story. I tried to piece together what I believe was going to happen and I could say I was pretty surprised by the end. Even if you already know what happens and have yet to see the film, one should still watch Psycho as it's an important piece of cinema. It would influence many films years later and started a sub genre that we all know today. 

38 years later, filmmaker Gus Van Sant would do a shot-for-shot remake, in color, but don't waste your time. I see what he was trying to do, but it was kind of a failure. Unless his intention was to fail and show Hollywood that you just can't remake a masterpiece… I mean why else would he do such a thing?

I’ve seen Psycho about twenty times and it still holds up. The black and white cinematography, every shot, every cut, the score, the performances, all comes together perfectly. This would be the film that proves that Alfred Hitchcock is the Master of Suspense, even though he had a slew of suspenseful films beforehand. 

I still debate which is my all-time favorite Alfred Hitchcock film or my all-time favorite film in general, Psycho or Rear Window? It’s a debate I’m not willing to fight for but let’s just say that Psycho always finds it’s way on my number one list.

And to top it all off, I leave you with this six and half minute trailer with Mr. Hitchcock himself.