Psycho (1960)- appreciation thread

[zorbonaut]

I was surprised that I was not able to find a thread focused on the brilliance of the film Psycho.

I hadn't seen this film in years and always placed it near the top of everything Hitchcock has directed but after last night, I'm of the thinking that this film is his Pièce de Résistance.

For years, I always put films such as Rear Window and Vertigo ahead of Psycho but after re-watching it last night, I think Psycho is a near perfect film.

Psycho along with The Birds are Hitchcock's most culturally significant films and very recognizable by the typical moviegoer. I think that this fact is why some people knock Psycho down a bit.

What impressed me upon re-watch is the technical expertise showcased in almost every shot of the film. It begins as we see a shot of downtown Phoenix and the camera pans up into a room with Gavin and Leigh in bed seamlessly. You can see director's such as David Fincher emulate this same technique in many of his films. In addition, Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh were so perfectly cast in their roles that you would be hard pressed to imagine any other actors in their place.

You could take a screenshot from almost any scene in the film and frame it up on a wall. Bernard Herrmann once again proved that he was the best in the business during his time and even Hitch once said, "33% of the effect of Psycho was due to the music."

Even though I was completely aware of what was going to happen, Hitchcock was still able to keep the suspense up upon multiple viewings.

Here is an except from a great review by Roger Ebert:

So Alfred Hitchcock told Francois Truffaut about "Psycho," adding that it "belongs to filmmakers, to you and me." Hitchcock deliberately wanted "Psycho" to look like a cheap exploitation film. He shot it not with his usual expensive feature crew (which had just finished "North by Northwest") but with the crew he used for his television show. He filmed in black and white. Long passages contained no dialogue. His budget, $800,000, was cheap even by 1960 standards; the Bates Motel and mansion were built on the back lot at Universal. In its visceral feel, "Psycho" has more in common with noir quickies like "Detour" than with elegant Hitchcock thrillers like "Rear Window" or "Vertigo."

Yet no other Hitchcock film had a greater impact. "I was directing the viewers," the director told Truffaut in their book-length interview. "You might say I was playing them, like an organ." It was the most shocking film its original audience members had ever seen. "Do not reveal the surprises!" the ads shouted, and no moviegoer could have anticipated the surprises Hitchcock had in store--the murder of Marion (Janet Leigh), the apparent heroine, only a third of the way into the film, and the secret of Norman's mother. "Psycho" was promoted like a William Castle exploitation thriller. "It is required that you see 'Psycho' from the very beginning!" Hitchcock decreed, explaining, "the late-comers would have been waiting to see Janet Leigh after she had disappeared from the screen action."

Full review below:

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gr...ie-psycho-1960

Let's discuss this amazing film!