Psycho - Collector's Edition

The story was based loosely on the story of Ed Gein, the whacko murderer of the 50s. Novelist Robert Bloch based his novel on Gein, who was turned into Norman Bates by Hitchcock and screenwriter Joseph Stefano. Psycho was a pretty small production, especially when compared to the grandeur of his two previous films, North By Northwest and Vertigo. To save on production costs, he used the crew from his TV show Alfred Hitchcock Presents. However, this "small production" turned out to be one of the most influential films in cinema history and a box office phenomenon. Psycho, as much as the TV show, made Alfred Hitchcock into a household name.

"See it from the beginning - or not at all!" read the lobby cards at the theaters. Indeed Hitchcock asked theaters not to admit viewers after the film had started. Probably because of the fact that Janet Leigh, the leading actress and advertised as such, was killed off within the first 50 minutes. An outrageous idea at the time. Who on earth would have their main character, played by a very well-known actress, killed in the first half of the movie? Only the master of suspense. Nearly as outrageous as this was having the killer be a man dressed as a woman, and have the victim be killed while naked in the shower. These ideas would be commonplace nowadays, but things were very different in 1960 upon Psycho's release. The film was also the first to show a toilet flushing on-screen.

The really interesting thing about Psycho is the little details. Subtleties that enhance the film and add a layer of depth to the experience. Things such as the symbolism that Hitchcock uses. The theme of birds, for example. Marion and Norman talk about birds. Norman is a taxidermist as a hobby and has stuffed birds in his office. There are pictures of birds outside the shower where Marion is killed. Indeed when Norman discovers the body, he knocks a picture of a bird off the wall. Hitchcock devotes a cutaway shot to this, showing the picture land on the floor. Bird, of course, being slang for woman, a "bird" has just been knocked off. Norman did not intend to knock off the picture, perhaps just as he didn't intend to knock off Marion. Mother did, however, intend such. The film's opening shot could be seen as a bird's-eye-view. Marion's last name is "Crane", a type of bird. Of course, Hitchcock devoted his next film to birds of a different sort. There is much symbolism apart from the bird element. The changing color of Marion's bra for example. Early in the film, Marion wears a white bra. Later, after stealing the money, she wears a black one. Also note at the very end of the film, the shot of Mother's skull superimposed over Norman's face. It's subtle things like this contribute to the overall effect of the film.

Sexual jealousy is a big part of the story. Norman Bates, who lives with half of his mind dominated by his deceased mother, is constantly in fear of Mother. He's purely a momma's boy. Mother, however, is jealous of any females that try to get close to Norman and promptly does away with them. "I won't have you bringing strange young girls in for supper! By candlelight, I suppose, in the cheap erotic fashion of young men with cheap erotic minds." Sexual repression again. Norman expresses his desire to defy Mother, and Marion is his opportunity.

It's a story with many complexities and many themes, which can be discovered with multiple viewings. . Suffice to say that Psycho is one of the very best films ever made and you should see it many times. Don't just see it, but experience it.

Rating: 5 - groundbreaking film with many dvd extras
Hitchcock's Psycho shocked filmgoers in many ways -- he had the sympathetic lead killed early in the movie, a gruesome (though nearly bloodless) murder scene, strong symbolism (look at all the 'bird' images in the film), a return to stark black & white filming accompanied by Bernard Herrmann's strings-only soundtrack, and sophisticated marketing. Hitch was always a bit ahead of his time, and this is one of his pictures that really makes that point.

This DVD edition looks and sounds great, and has many bonus features: the excellent one-and-a-half hour documentary, 'The Making of Psycho', which includes interviews with Hitchcock's daughter and leading lady Janet Leigh; a small but interesting set of production notes; information about the cast and filmmakers; theatrical and re-release trailers and newsreel footage of the film's release; the shower scene with and without music -- this was very interesting. There were also some bonus features that I couldn't get to run on my G4 Macintosh: production and behind-the-scenes photos; shower scene storyboards; lobby cards; posters and ads. The film can be heard in English or French, and subtitles are in English or Spanish.

This is a landmark film. It looks and sounds good. The bonus features are very good. Highly recommended.

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Psycho - Collector's Edition