{"id":5177,"date":"2008-01-26T10:07:58","date_gmt":"2008-01-26T17:07:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5177"},"modified":"2023-02-07T14:59:20","modified_gmt":"2023-02-07T21:59:20","slug":"psycho-1960","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5177","title":{"rendered":"Psycho (1960)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;She just goes a little mad sometimes &#8212; we <em>all<\/em> go a little mad sometimes.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Psycho-Poster-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Psycho-Poster-1-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-67591\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Psycho-Poster-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Psycho-Poster-1-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Psycho-Poster-1-180x270.jpg 180w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Psycho-Poster-1.jpg 347w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA secretary (Janet Leigh) on the lam with $40,000 of her boss&#8217;s money stops at a motel on her way to see her fiance (John Gavin), and becomes acquainted with the motel&#8217;s shy, twitchy owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). When she&#8217;s brutally murdered in the shower by Norman&#8217;s elderly mother, Leigh&#8217;s fiance, sister (Vera Miles), and a private detective (Martin Balsam) all show up at the Bates Motel to investigate her mysterious disappearance.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Amateur Sleuths<\/li>\n<li>Anthony Perkins Films<\/li>\n<li>Evil Mothers<\/li>\n<li>Fugitives<\/li>\n<li>Grown Children<\/li>\n<li>Horror<\/li>\n<li>Janet Leigh Films<\/li>\n<li>John McIntire Films<\/li>\n<li>Martin Balsam Films<\/li>\n<li>Mysterious Disappearance<\/li>\n<li>Search<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary labels this classic Hitchcockian thriller a &#8220;manipulative sex and horror masterpiece&#8221;, calling it &#8220;far and away the most frightening film ever made&#8221; &#8212; but he notes with a sad caveat that today&#8217;s audiences &#8220;usually aren&#8217;t scared at all.&#8221; Indeed, certain elements of <em>Psycho<\/em> have been so often mimicked and\/or over-analyzed that it&#8217;s difficult to truly appreciate the impact the film must have had upon 1960 viewers, who were unfamiliar with either the film&#8217;s blatant McGuffins (Leigh doesn&#8217;t remain the protagonist for long) <em>or<\/em> the shocking identity twist at the end. Regardless, today&#8217;s film fanatics can still watch and appreciate the masterful techniques used by Hitchcock, who consistently foils our expectations and keep us on the edge of our seats &#8212; and not <em>just<\/em> during the infamous &#8220;shower scene&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>Anthony Perkins &#8212; who, for better or for worse, remained inextricably linked to his &#8220;Norman Bates&#8221; identity throughout the remainder of his life &#8212; gives the most impressive, carefully nuanced performance in the film. He was intentionally cast against type (in the original novel, Norman is middle-aged, pudgy, and balding) to heighten the sexual tension felt between Norman and Marion (Leigh), and to make him more sympathetic to viewers &#8212; an essential move, given that Marion&#8217;s unexpected death leaves us suddenly having to &#8220;relate&#8221; to Norman instead. Leigh and Vera Miles are well-cast as the similar-looking Crane sisters (one tragically doomed, the other tenaciously persistent), while Martin Balsam makes an effective private eye. Perhaps the most audacious &#8220;character&#8221; in the film, however, is Bernard Herrmann&#8217;s screeching, all-strings score &#8212; it&#8217;s nearly impossible to separate this infamous music from the film as a whole. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> The blatant sexual undertones Hitchcock and screenwriter Joseph Stefano incorporate throughout the film are truly ahead of their time: from the very first scene &#8212; in which busty, unmarried Janet Leigh lies post-coitally on a motel bed in a form-fitting bra and slip &#8212; to the nude &#8220;shower scene&#8221;, to Norman&#8217;s obvious sexual perversions, we&#8217;re both titillated and disturbed. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-perkins.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-perkins.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5183\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Janet Leigh as Marion Crane<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-leigh.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-leigh.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5184\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Vera Miles as Marion&#8217;s concerned sister, Lylah<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-miles.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-miles.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5185\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Martin Balsam as a no-nonsense private eye<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-balsam.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-balsam.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5179\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The infamous, oft-studied &#8220;shower scene&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-shower.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-shower.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5186\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Many truly frightening thrills and chills<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-frightening.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-frightening.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5181\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>John Russell&#8217;s b&#038;w cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5180\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Saul Bass&#8217;s opening titles<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-titles.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/psycho-titles.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5182\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Joseph Stefano&#8217;s clever, literate adaptation of Robert Bloch&#8217;s novel<\/li>\n<li>Bernard Herrmann&#8217;s instantly recognizable, all-strings score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nDefinitely &#8212; this one should be at the top of any film fanatic&#8217;s must-see list. Discussed at length in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=5986\">Peary&#8217;s <em>Cult Movies 3<\/em> (1988)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<li>Oscar Winner or Nominee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0054215\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.nytimes.com\/www.nytimes.com\/library\/film\/061760hitch-psycho-review.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reelviews.net\/movies\/p\/psycho.html\">James Berardinelli&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/great-movie-psycho-1960\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tvguide.com\/movies\/psycho\/review\/115099\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/cgi-bin\/article.cgi?f=\/c\/a\/1998\/12\/05\/DD85768.DTL\">SF Gate Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/psyc.html\">Greatest Films Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/24944\/psycho#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/reviews\/71535\/psycho.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/6GXp0amzkFM\">Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;She just goes a little mad sometimes &#8212; we all go a little mad sometimes.&#8221; Synopsis: A secretary (Janet Leigh) on the lam with $40,000 of her boss&#8217;s money stops at a motel on her way to see her fiance (John Gavin), and becomes acquainted with the motel&#8217;s shy, twitchy owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). When she&#8217;s brutally murdered in the shower by Norman&#8217;s elderly mother, Leigh&#8217;s fiance, sister (Vera Miles), and a private detective (Martin Balsam) all show up&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5177\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5177"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89810,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5177\/revisions\/89810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}