Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Released: August 10, 1960
My Rating:
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Psycho is a good, memorable film. I don't love it, but I do like it; it's a good piece of cinema and is notable for many things. First of all, the black-and-white cinematography is good, and it really contributes to the tone and mood of the film. There are several great camera shots and sequences. The music is good too, and it also contributes to the tone of the film, probably even more so than the cinematography. Finally, and probably most importantly, the film is noteworthy for its storytelling. Alfred Hitchcock broke several Hollywood cinema traditions of the time, and created a film that contains elements that can be easily recycled, yet at the same time is very unique, and is a good mystery horror thriller.
The story starts off with Marion Craine, an office worker in Phoenix who desperately wants to be with her lover. When her employer entrusts Marion to bank $40,000, Marion leaves town, steals the money, and goes on the lam. Along the way, she encounters a used car salesman and a policeman, who notice her somewhat nervous behavior, which she is not good at hiding. Eventually, tired of her long drive and caught in a storm, she exits the main highway and pulls into the out-of-the-way Bates Motel to spend the night. The motel is run by a young man called Norman Bates, who seems to be dominated by his twisted mother. Events of the night change the course of the film afterwards starting, with an excellent and unforgettable sequence in which Marion is murdered in her shower, and her journey, therefore, comes to an end. Soon after, others come to the motel searching for Marion, including Loomis, private investigator Arbogast, and Marion's sister. They make shocking discoveries.
The story isn't all that great, but what makes it good and involving is the way it develops and unfolds. There are a lot of aspects of the movie that are not so special, and ones that have been used again and again over the years. There are some things about the movie that seem cliché, and possibly a bit cheesy. However, despite all this, after all these years, Psycho still has a uniqueness that is memorable and ultimately not copied to this day. Like I said, it's not the most extraordinary story, but it's structured in a great way. It tampers with some traditional narrative elements. It starts out seemingly normal in terms of narrative. Then, we are shocked at the movie's midpoint as Marion, our protagonist for the first half of the movie, is killed, and the course of the film is drastically changed, and what follows is a series of (like I said before) shocking discoveries and twists. The audience's expectations keep being flouted, especially in the second half of the film, especially in two major ones, the second of which I won't spoil for those who haven't seen the film. It doensn't have great story or character complexity, but yes, it's strong.
The stark black-and-white cinematography used in the film is very good, and even further contributes the the tone of the film. Also, by far one of the most important aspects of the film is the music. Bernard Herrmann composed an excellent score for the film. The film works fine with its narrative alone, but the music really brings it all to life and supports everything. The music consisted of all string instruments, and the music is consistently dissonant and tense. The music, like everything else about the film, can be easily recycled in movies, but, like I said before, Psycho still has a level of uniqueness that really can't be matched.
Overall, it's an important landmark in the history of cinema, and it's still a good film, even to this day - not at a four-star level, but still very good. I found it to be a very good movie experience. If you haven't seen it, I recommend you do.
Cast and Credits:
Norman Bates: Anthony Perkins
Marion Crane: Janet Leigh
Lila Crane: Vera Miles
John Gavin: Sam Loomis
Det. Milton Arbogast: Martin Balsam
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Black and White
Approx. 109 minutes
