Psycho
The Queen Vic
Posts: 5,775
Forum Member
✭
I have just re-watched Psycho after studying it indepth during my Media Studies course, and it really is a true work of genius.
Anthony Hopkins gives such a chilling and memorable performance in this film, and the image of the mother at the end haunts me still.
Anyone else a fan?
Anthony Hopkins gives such a chilling and memorable performance in this film, and the image of the mother at the end haunts me still.
Anyone else a fan?
0
Comments
I never tire of watching it, to me its perfect in every way.
The Psycho Mansion is my favourite iconic image - stunning!
*Big Hitch fan reporting in*
I'm intrigued what you learned studying the film.
I mentioned in another thread once about a book I've got which studies 5 classic Hitch films and the author claims Psycho is about the consumption of food and then the waste product at te other end (pooh). It's bizarre but a great read.
I'll try and find the book and post the exact title and author.
WHAT ??
So what did you study then ?
Show off a bit of your expertise.
What was the reason he shot it in B/W ?
Why did Hitch not get on with John Gavin ?
Why were the censors unhappy with the shower scene ?
Had to watch Psycho several times. Each time I would discover some other delight previously overlooked. Other Hitch wonders included: The Birds, Marnie, Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, Vertigo, Rope, Suspicion, The Wrong Man, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Shadow of a Doubt.
Others I have enjoyed: The Lady Vanishes, The 39 Steps, Rebecca, Lifeboat.
Dunno the other answers though :o:o
The censors said they saw a definite breast and nipple in the shower scene ( which is true ) and told hitch to recut the scene and present it for re-examination.
Hitch waited a week and presented the exactly the same scene as the censors had seen the first time, and the censors nodded sagely and were satisfied that no nipple was present..
Well, you obviously know the answers so I can't think of why you're testing me... it was an A-Level course and we looked at horror through the ages, as part of a Media Studies course. We looked at Psycho, the subsequent remake, the US version of The Ring, the Japanese version of The Ring and also slasher movies such as Halloween. I studied the content of the film, and the performance/direction. I didn't study why the cast members didn't get on.
You obviously think you know it all, so why not enlighten us with your knowledge and wisdom? I'm just a fan of the film, therefore started an appreciation thread about it. Don't see why I have to justify everything I say because you seem to think you're a 'superior' film fan.
Calm down dear, I was just sharing Psycho anecdotes with fellow afficionados.
We all know what you were doing, dear.
Typo at the top, of course it was Anthony Perkins!
He made it on the cheap with the crew from his tv series, not a standard film crew. Or was that the clever marketing ploy ?
The policeman with the shades - Mort Mills - later guest starred in Bewitched.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mort_Mills
Good old Hitch, what a guy.
Did you not see the colour version re-made with Vince Vaughan directed by Gus Van Saint, copying Hitchcock's version frame for frame?
B & W can be more atmospheric (Schindler's List) for certain films, and Hitchcock showed that.
But the real reason was cost.
It is not just a slasher film, it is much deeper. There are the subject of taboos covered in there and issues of guilt.
People think that it is all about the 'shower scene', but there are many more scenes :-
I also want to see 'Hitchcock' too.
I absolutely love Psycho and the bluray of it is fantastic. As to Hitchcock, it's enjoyable enough as a lightly painted biopic of old Hitch and Hopkins and Helen Mirren play well off one another. Hopkins, while looking the part without prosthetics etc, didn't quite capture the slower deeper drawl of Hitch and lapsed into Hannibal Lecter speak with his occasional quick delivery. Propping up the cast were Scarlett Johanson and Jessica Biel (keep an eye out Karate Kid Ralph Macchio as Joseph Stefano, the screen writer).
I really enjoyed this - mainly as an insight into the making of Psycho. Rang pretty true with the Making of doc, on the bluray. Occasional flashes of humour (Hitch witnessing the audience reaction to the shower scene was funny) and so were his monologues to camera and audience. Didn't really appreciate how crucial a player his wife Alma was, and what she had to put up with in supporting Hitchcock's career.
Anyway, if you've an interest in knowing more about The Master of Suspense or are a fan of Psycho, this is a nice, comfortable old school watch. 7/10.