Psycho - 1960 - Alfred Hitchcock
Q#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?
A: 1) Norman Bates, who runs the motel, in the back, he has a lot of stuffed birds. This greatly foreshadows that he kept his mothers corpse and it was him talking for his mother.
2) In the motel rooms, there were framed pictures of stuffed birds. This also further shows Norman's fascination for taxidermy.
3) Marion's last name is Crane, a species of bird.
4) The movie is also set in Phoenix. A phoenix is a legendary and majestic bird.
5) Norman also makes many references to birds in his dialogue. He said, to Marion, that "She eats like a bird".
Q#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.
A: In the later scenes of the movie where the detective is back at the motel, he wants to investigate Norman's house. When he walks in, he slowly starts walking up the stairs and he is almost at the top. Then a second or two later, we see the door to the bedroom, which is where the detective was going, open ever so slightly. 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.
Q#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?
A: Psycho is a typical horror movie. There is many types of suspense in this movie. Also the fact that it is in black and white because, you can't really distinguish from when it's night or day, so most of the time you assume the movie is at night. Besides, the movie being at night is alot scarier. Also, the music is very suspenseful. The music is creepy and is REALLY loud. Especially when someone is getting killed, the music gets very abnormally loud.
Q#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.
A: 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. We then see Norman leave. Going back a little, when Marion and Norman are having the conversation, Norman says something about trapped birds, how they can only claw at the air and never break free. What he said really makes you think and comes into play later on. 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. Now going back to the thing about trapped birds. it's almost exactly what happened to Marion. She was being attacked and there was nothing she could do, only scream and then die. Also after seeing Norman peeping on Marion and seeing her go into the shower, the camera goes back to Marion and it leaves you thinking... maybe Norman is the killer? It really leaves you wondering who the killer is. This scene, in my opinion, was pretty suspenseful.
A: 1) Norman Bates, who runs the motel, in the back, he has a lot of stuffed birds. This greatly foreshadows that he kept his mothers corpse and it was him talking for his mother.
2) In the motel rooms, there were framed pictures of stuffed birds. This also further shows Norman's fascination for taxidermy.
3) Marion's last name is Crane, a species of bird.
4) The movie is also set in Phoenix. A phoenix is a legendary and majestic bird.
5) Norman also makes many references to birds in his dialogue. He said, to Marion, that "She eats like a bird".
Q#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.
A: In the later scenes of the movie where the detective is back at the motel, he wants to investigate Norman's house. When he walks in, he slowly starts walking up the stairs and he is almost at the top. Then a second or two later, we see the door to the bedroom, which is where the detective was going, open ever so slightly. 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.
Q#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?
A: Psycho is a typical horror movie. There is many types of suspense in this movie. Also the fact that it is in black and white because, you can't really distinguish from when it's night or day, so most of the time you assume the movie is at night. Besides, the movie being at night is alot scarier. Also, the music is very suspenseful. The music is creepy and is REALLY loud. Especially when someone is getting killed, the music gets very abnormally loud.
Q#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.
A: 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. We then see Norman leave. Going back a little, when Marion and Norman are having the conversation, Norman says something about trapped birds, how they can only claw at the air and never break free. What he said really makes you think and comes into play later on. 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. Now going back to the thing about trapped birds. it's almost exactly what happened to Marion. She was being attacked and there was nothing she could do, only scream and then die. Also after seeing Norman peeping on Marion and seeing her go into the shower, the camera goes back to Marion and it leaves you thinking... maybe Norman is the killer? It really leaves you wondering who the killer is. This scene, in my opinion, was pretty suspenseful.