Psycho - 1960 - Alfred Hitchcock
1. Throughout his life Hitchcock had a morbid fascination with birds. He was terrified at the thought that they were always present, watching from above, waiting to swoop down and attack. This preoccupation is obvious in The Birds (1963), but many of his films include hidden references to birds; Psycho is no exception. Try to find as many references--direct and indirect--as you can. What do they do for the film?: 1) Norman Bates, has a lot of stuffed birds. This foreshadows that he kept his mothers dead body and it was him acting as her. 2) In every room their are framed pictures of birds.
2. Hitchcock began his career as a director of silent films, and he retained the ability to make his points visually without depending too much on dialogue. Again in Psycho nearly all the important action occurs without words. Discuss one or two scenes in which valuable information is presented wordlessly, simply by camera movement and selection of visual detail.:During the part when the detective sneaks up to the house he's he slowly starts walking up the stairs and he is almost at the top the door to the bedroom opens a little bit where he was going to investigate the camera then pans up and the killer, Norman, kills the detective. Just by simply seeing the door open just a little bit is a pretty good indicator that something bad could happen.
3. Think of this film as an example of the genre of Horror films. In what ways is Psycho a typical Horror film? In what ways is it not typical?:I think Psyco is a typical horror movie is very suspensful also, the music is very suspenseful. The music is creepy and is loud. Especially when someone is getting killed, the music gets very really loud.
4. During his working life, Hitchcock was commonly known as the "Master of Suspense." Do you find Psycho suspenseful? Why? How does Hitchcock draw you into the story, cause you to identify with the characters and the dangers and terrors that they experience? How does he play with your expectations? Choose a scene to analyze in terms of suspense.: In the scene where Marion gets in the shower, I think, is quite suspenseful It may be a bit of a short scene, but in the beginning of it, it definitely leads to some suspense. First we see Norman escort Marion to her cabin and show her where everything is and such. Back to the scene, we see Marion getting ready to take a shower. We then see Norman in his office and he takes down a painting or picture and there is a little peep hole. He starts looking through the hole and sees Marion close the door and get in the shower. At this point the camera focuses back to Marion. She is then attacked, stabbed mainly, repeatedly until she is dead.
2. Hitchcock began his career as a director of silent films, and he retained the ability to make his points visually without depending too much on dialogue. Again in Psycho nearly all the important action occurs without words. Discuss one or two scenes in which valuable information is presented wordlessly, simply by camera movement and selection of visual detail.:During the part when the detective sneaks up to the house he's he slowly starts walking up the stairs and he is almost at the top the door to the bedroom opens a little bit where he was going to investigate the camera then pans up and the killer, Norman, kills the detective. Just by simply seeing the door open just a little bit is a pretty good indicator that something bad could happen.
3. Think of this film as an example of the genre of Horror films. In what ways is Psycho a typical Horror film? In what ways is it not typical?:I think Psyco is a typical horror movie is very suspensful also, the music is very suspenseful. The music is creepy and is loud. Especially when someone is getting killed, the music gets very really loud.
4. During his working life, Hitchcock was commonly known as the "Master of Suspense." Do you find Psycho suspenseful? Why? How does Hitchcock draw you into the story, cause you to identify with the characters and the dangers and terrors that they experience? How does he play with your expectations? Choose a scene to analyze in terms of suspense.: In the scene where Marion gets in the shower, I think, is quite suspenseful It may be a bit of a short scene, but in the beginning of it, it definitely leads to some suspense. First we see Norman escort Marion to her cabin and show her where everything is and such. Back to the scene, we see Marion getting ready to take a shower. We then see Norman in his office and he takes down a painting or picture and there is a little peep hole. He starts looking through the hole and sees Marion close the door and get in the shower. At this point the camera focuses back to Marion. She is then attacked, stabbed mainly, repeatedly until she is dead.