Ping
I saw a documentary on the great Hitchcock recently. Interestingly, he had every shot meticulously planned out in advance, to the point that the actual filming of the movie was, for him, anticlimactic.
I have always liked his earlier films better. I never really favored his turn toward the bizarre and the shocking which, perhaps started with Psycho.
Psycho seems so tame compared to films produced these days, but it sure was scary back in the day.
It’s been a while since I seen the movie, reading that made me want to watch it again.
The author mentioned “Manhunter” as the only other movie that is in the class of Psycho, I would add “Seven” to that list.
Naw, ex-wife's birthday is in March, and she's 49.
I don`t think it`s possible to overrate the impact of Psycho. Pauline Kael said the shower scene was like a violation—it went where no ther movie ever had in terms of shock because that kind of thing isn`t supposed to happen to the main character partway through. I`m glad that Bernard Herrmann gets his due. The music really makes the movie, creating an unnerving atmosphere, but the shower music is simply the greatest use of music in a dramatic scene, ever. The music is so unusual and shocking in the moment that it`s like an ambush on the viewer, like a repeating musical scream, and I think it makes the viewer think `What the hell is happening?` on a subconscious level. I can think of few movies that have been as influential as Psycho.
I read the book PSYCHO by Robert Bloch years ago.
It takes place between Tulsa, OK and Joplin MO.
Norman was very fat, like Michael Moore.
Still a darn good movie!
I saw an interview with Janet Leigh a number of years ago in which she talked about the shower scene. She said they did several takes, but Alfred Hitchcock felt he wasn’t getting a realistic enough reaction from her during the scene (he felt her screaming didn’t sound genuine enough.) He told her they would try it again. Unknown to her, however, this time he switched from the warm water that was being used in the shower to ice cold water. The screaming that Janet Leigh does in the scene is primarily due to her reaction to the ice cold water.
A prime example of government’s good intentions causing psychosis and mayhem in citizens lives.
Had the new highway never been built things would have been booming at the Bates Motel.
(yeah, I know it’s a stretch!)
Classic SNL with Tony Perkins:
Norman Bates: [ to camera ] Are you tired of slaving away in a dull, dead-end job? Fed up with meager paychecks that never stretch quite far enough? Sickened and disgusted by missing out on the good things of life? Hi, I’m Norman Bates for The Norman Bates School of Motel Management, here to explain how you can be your own boss while earning money in this rapidly-expanding field. Best of all, you learn at home, right in the privacy of your own shower. I’ll show you how to run anything from a tourist home to.. [ camera pans to scary-looking duck trophy on the wall, then back to Norman ] ..a multi-unit motor inn. You’ll recieve step-by-step instructions.. [ camera pans to scary-looking owl trophy on the wall, then back to Norman ] ..on how to make reservations and how to determine room rates, how to change the linen, and even little-known tricks of the trade, such as improving customer relations by giving guests a complimentary newspaper in the morning. [ holds up newspaper that reads “Los Angeles Times: SLASHER STRIKES AGAIN!” ]
Yes, a diploma in motel management can be your passport to prosperity, independence, and security, but are you motel material? Let’s find out with a simple quiz.
Question 1: A guest loses the key to her room. Would you
A) Give her a duplicate key
B) Let her in with your passkey
C) Hack her to death with a kitchen knife
Question 2: Which of the following is the most important in running a successful motel?
A) Cordial atmosphere
B) Courteous service
C) Hack ker to death with a kitchen knife
Question 3: How many.. [ holds newspaper over his mouth, and speaks in an old lady’s voice ] Important phone call, Norman. [ puts down newspaper, resumes regular voice ] What, Mother? [ puts newspaper over his mouth again ] Important phone call! [ puts newpaper down, and resumes normal voice ] Well, I’ve got to go, I have an important phone call! Just one of dozens I get every week as a fully-qualified motel manager. And if you would like to beome one, too, simply send your name and address to “The Norman Bates School of Motel Management, Old Highway, Fairvale, California..”
[ suddenly becomes nervous and shaky ]
There’s no obligation whatsoever.. and-and-and no salesman will call.. so-so y-y-y-y-you don’t have to b-b-bo-bother to lock your door, you know-you can-you can leave it off the latch. Or lock it! That’s fine, I don’t care! I don’t care if you lock it, ‘cause I have the keys! [ jiggles the keys nervously ] I have the keys right here! I have the key to Room 1, the key to Room 2, the key to Room 3.. [ hits bell, holds newspaper to mouth, and speaks in old lady’s voice again ] Norman! [ resumes normal voice ] Coming, Mother. [ throws newspaper down and runs out door ]
I thought he was only 48.
"HERE'S YOUR PAPER!!!! HERE'S YOUR PAPER....HAPPY NOW?"
I didn’t know that today was Obama’s birthday.
Is Michelle throwing him a party at the White House? s/
Psycho trivia: Hitchcock shot the movie in B&W to avoid the cliche of red blood running down the drain. There were over a hundred scene cuts in the shower scene. At no time in the shower stabbing scene did they show the knife actually touching or penetrating the skin.