...Psycho 1 This essay will provide a semiotic and psychoanalytical analysis of the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho with the help of theories of Dr. Sigmund Freud, it will also be stressing some of the critical differences between men and women when it comes to power. The theme of this movie contains a young woman who steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and ends up on a peculiar journey of terror when she meets a troubled young motel manager who is controlled by his mother. Patrick McGilligan (2003) said that the Bates character was based on Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein, who may have had an incestuous relationship with his mother. (McGilligan, 2003. Page 579) One of the most important signifiers in the movie is money. Cash is the early desire that leads the main character, a banker named Marion Crane (portrayed by the actress Janet Leigh), toward a path that leads her to her own self ruin. What is indicated is the control that money and gluttony have over all humans, and how one has serious consequence for surrendering to its control. Looking at an exemplary structure made up of the want to marry her boyfriend, but not having the money needed to do so, Crane comes up with a solution that has presented itself. A very wealthy oil businessperson comes in and asks Crane to put $40,000 cash in the bank. (Berger, p. 24) When headed to the bank, Crane begins to imagine how the cash could help ease her stifled wants to leave a boring job and set her...
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...Ezekiel Mascuilli Comp 1 Dr. Poznar November 25, 2014 Psycho If the title hasn’t given a sense of mystery, then maybe an analysis could help shed light on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror film Psycho. The movie had many characteristics that could be defined as classic horror. From the beginning of the first conflict that arose Marion it’s possible that the use of variety gave a feeling of mystery. The movies elements include Alfred’s use of plot change. However it can be a better argument to say that Alfred Hitchcock’s use of setting change has helped give an emotion that could horrify viewers. In the beginning of the movie we take a view at Marion’s first conflict. The setting of the movie changes from Marion’s work, giving the viewer an in depth look at her surroundings, to a scene of illegal fleeing. The problem arose when Marion’s stress caused rational thoughts over stealing personal cliental money. Marion has committed an illegal act which caused her to adapt to her choices and change locations. Alfred has caused a break in the conflict by having Marion stop at a small hotel called the Bates Motel. The transition from locations has helped Hitchcock with his depict of a feeling of alertness. The setting of the Bates Mansion is given a style that depicts an old Victorian view. From the staircase to the cellar, Hitchcock still gave unsure feelings when it came to safety inside the Bates house. The interior has a look that doesn’t give off too much emphasis. The idea...
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...Alfred Hitchcock is widely considered to be the master of horror and suspense. With movies like Vertigo and The Birds in his arsenal, it is easy to see why he carries such a title. While Vertigo is considered to be one of the greatest movies ever made, his 1960 film Psycho is considered to be one of the most suspenseful movies in history. It is difficult to determine if Hitchcock would be known as the master of horror if it weren’t for his cinematography and the way he understood how to stylize moments. Psycho is known for one of the most horrifying scenes in movie history, the shower scene. This scene is so carefully laid out and bone-chilling for its time that it has withstood the test of time and is still terrifying to this day. As Marion Crane begins to wash herself in the shower of room one, Hitchcock does one thing better than anybody else, he leaves just about everything to the imagination. Where as recent films are prone to showing nudity and gore, Hitchcock shows neither. As Mrs. Bates draws back the shower curtain and the high pitched, intense music begins; the most famous scream in film history is heard. The scene gets really technical shortly after the stabbing begins. Because Hitchcock leaves much to the imagination, he never shows the knife cutting Marion. The audience understands that she is being stabbed, but it becomes a reality when the camera pans to her feet moving around in the tub and the blood running down the drain. At first the amount of blood...
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...Tamara Emery November 15, 2012 Psycho Throughout his professional life Alfred Hitchcock did many different things in his films that were considered groundbreaking. One of the most notable is the movie Psycho. In 1960 nobody had ever seen this kind of horror film. Audiences sat on the corners of their seats waiting for the next scene worrying about the characters they were seeing as the plot unfolded. I had mixed opinions about the film Psycho. I thought starting out that the movie was very slow. Not a lot was happening in regards to moving the plot forward and I found it difficult to watch. Towards the beginning I actually fell asleep a few times. I also didn’t like that the first part of the movie really had nothing to do with the middle and end of the film. What I mean by this is when the movie opened the audience was following the life of Marion Crane. We learn her back story. Marion was a secretary who embezzled forty thousand dollars from her employer and then took off with the intention of running way to her lover Sam Loomis. Along the way it begins to rain and she gets tired and decides to stop at the Bates motel and meets, the owner, Norman Bates which seals her fate. After they spend some time talking over dinner they both retire to their separate rooms for the night and Marion decides to shower before bed. At this point Norman comes in and stabs her to death. What I found frustrating is that for almost an hour of the film we are following around this...
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...La scène de la douche dans Psychose d’Alfred Hitchcock La scène de la douche que je présente aujourd’hui est extraite du film « Psychose » ou « Psycho » en version originale et est considérée comme l’une des plus célèbres séquences du cinéma. Ce film, réalisé par Alfred Hitchcock en 1960, est certainement le film d’horreur qui a le plus influencé l’histoire du cinéma. En effet, le dénouement était aussi inattendu qu’effrayant. Alfred Hitchcock était un réalisateur anglais qui s’est installé aux Etats-Unis en 1940. Il fut le seul à croire en l’adaptation au cinéma du livre de Robert Bloch et pour cela il prit des risques : il choisit des acteurs inconnus à l’époque (Janet Leigh et Anthony Perkins), il tourna en noir et blanc (alors que le premier film en couleur datait de 1922), avec un petit budget, il fit disparaitre l’héroïne dès le premier tiers du film, mais surtout il osa tourner un film violent avec un meurtre sanglant. Le film, qui dure 1h49, commence sur une scène entre deux amants dans une chambre. La femme, Marion est en sous-vêtements, ce qui présentait encore un risque à l’époque car les règles de censure étaient très strictes. Marion n’est pas heureuse, elle souhaiterait vivre son amour au grand jour, si seulement ils avaient de l’argent… Puis Marion, qui est secrétaire, se voit confier la tâche d’aller déposer une grosse somme d’argent à la banque pour son patron. Elle rentre chez elle, fait ses valises, et quitte la ville en voiture avec l’argent. Après deux...
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...These instructions prevented anyone from entering the theater once the movie began, and the audience could not reveal any details about the film. This included the terrifying surprises that the film had in store (Younker). Hitchcock’s goal was to have his film grab the audiences’ attention, and place them in the abnormal psycho world. Even after 52 years, Psycho is still talked about and viewed today due to its incredible job with the motion pictures in every scene. As Ebert says, “What makes Psycho immortal, when so many films are already half-forgotten as we leave the theater, is that it connects directly with our fears.” Hitchcock’s build of suspense in his pictures most definitely sets the fear for everyone, which leads to the intolerable pitch of exhilaration throughout the film due to the surprising images that one comes...
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...Movie Critique Major plot of the movie The major plot of the movie American Psycho is about a twenty-seven year old man named Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale). Patrick comes from a wealthy Wall Street family. Patrick who works in his father’s firm. Even though Patrick doesn’t need to work he chooses to so he can fit in and be “normal”. Patrick and his colleagues are all sitting around a table and when the bill comes they all say how cheap the bill is, and they all drop their platinum cards. After, dinner they head to a bar where they go to snort cocaine. The next morning, you see Patrick’s nicely decorated apartment where he goes into detail about his daily routine. Patrick believes in taking good care in himself by eating healthy, having excellent hygiene, and exercising regularly. Patrick goes into work and tells his secretary Jean (Chloe Sevigny) to tell all callers he’s not there and begins to watch Jeopardy after saying that she is...
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...John Niendorf 11/29/10 Hour 2nd Film Review Film Title: Psycho Genre: Suspense/ Horror Director: Alfred Hitchcock Actors/Actresses: Anthony Perkins, Jenet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin An office worker by the name Marion can’t stand the way life is turning out for. She is troubled by her lover Sam Loomis as he has to give up most of his money away in alimony. She is then trusted with $40,000 in cash by her employer as she has worked for the company for years. She seizes the opportunity to steal the money and start a new life and heads towards Sam’s California store. Tired after a long day of driving she decides to get off the main road and pulls into Bates motel. She is greeted by a quite and polite young man by the name of Norman Bates who is clearly dominated by his mother. She begins to worry her lover John Gavin and her sister Marion Crane. They go out to go look for her, which leads to one of the most suspenseful and unforgettable endings in movie history. I absolutely loved this film. It was certainly up there with all of the other films we have watched in this class. Definitely one of the best horror films I have seen. What really impressed me about this film was the fact that unlike most modern day horror films, which rely on blood, gore, and special effects this one, was able to get the job done without using any of those. Aside from a little blood during the shower scene, this film was able to create suspense and terror in the audience through...
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...Psych“O My Gosh” By: Kody Barnes Stylized moments can be seen throughout a multitude of the some of the greatest movies ever made. Alfred Hitchcock was a master of the stylized moments, especially in the film Psycho (1960). The scene that is most prominently remembered in many people’s minds is the murder scene. The scene where Marion Crane is murdered is just jammed with stylized moments, and deserves to be further analyzed because of the thought Hitchcock put into directing this scene so magnificently. The scene begins with the shower still running, and water washing away all of the blood off of Marion. The camera starts on Marion’s leg before following a stream of blood and water mixing together. The scene also cuts away all music at this point, and only includes the background sound of the water flowing from the shower. The choice to avoid using non-diegetic music may have been a sign of how important the loss of life in this scene actually is to the movie. The camera continues panning left until it reaches the drain of the shower, and the blood and water swirl around the drain trying to stay out of the reach of the drain like humans do a “swirl” to avoid the loss of life. As the water is swirling the camera zooms toward the drain. The zooming of the camera towards the blood swirling down the drain shows a deeper meaning behind the loss of life that Marion is currently experiencing. As the water pours down the drain, and the camera zooms closer it leads to...
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...Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock was released in 1960. An important relationship in this text is the unusual relationship between Norman and ‘Mother’. This relationship is unusual because although they are two separate entities and Mother is actually dead, there is a constant struggle for control of Norman’s mind and in the end, ‘Mother’ wins. This relationship helped me understand the main idea of madness through the parlour scene, the fruit cellar scene and the police station scene. The relationship between Norman and ‘Mother’ helped me identify and understand the idea of madness through symbolism, lighting and dialogue techniques in the parlour scene. This symbolism includes the stuffed owls, which seem ready to attack that are placed in the background in a low-angle mid shot of Norman. At another point in the scene, Norman leans forward into a close up. This shot helps support the idea that even though Mother is physically dead, she is alive and threatening to take over Norman’s mind. This can be seen through the lighting of Norman’s face, half-light, half dark, and the dialogue. “It's not like my mother is a maniac... We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?” These techniques have been cleverly assembled by Hitchcock to subtly hint at the idea of madness and help us to get to know Norman, but is not yet prepared to reveal the extent of Norman’s madness due to Psycho being a horror film. The complex relationship helps us understand Norman as a character and the idea...
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...Alfred Hitchcock directed many great movies; Psycho (1960) and the Birds (1963). As it shown in almost all of his movies, Alfred Hitchcock adds in a very prominents aspects of the dysfunctional of family in his work. Relationships with “mothers” are always problematic in Hitchcock movie. This is clear and most apparent in mothers and sons relationship. I believe this all derives from Hitchcock own odds relationship with his mother. He is also not a big fan of fathers relationship with sons, and this clear in his movies, for example, in both movies show that fathers dead before the movie and story start. Also, his relationship with birds is weird in both of these movies. This paper will discuss “Hitchcock’s dysfunctional family” in both The...
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...AMERICAN PSYCHO Brett Easton Ellis Chapter: Killing Child at Zoo If you were asked to describe a trip to the Zoo it most likely would include phrases regarding exotic animals, great atmosphere, happy children and the chance to knife a kid in the throat. That is of course if you are Patrick Bateman. In the thirty-eighth chapter of American Psycho we are introduced to what will become a mothers worst nightmare. Patrick Bateman is filled with homicidal needs. “… my homicidal compulsion, which surfaces, disappears, surfaces, leaves again …” He is incapable of truly escaping this need for murder. He is a sadistic, lethal and complex person with the skill set needed to get away with murder. As we follow him through the Zoo of Central Park in New York City, we quickly learn what foul thoughts travel through Patrick’s devious mind. He sees joy but wants chaos. He sees laughter but wants despair. He throws coins into the seal habitat with the purpose of them choking to death for Gods sake. The man is without a doubt a psychopath! He gets a rush of excitement from the scene he can create and control. He wants the attention and he wants it now. As he’s standing in the darkness of the penguin habitat he spots a young boy with his mother. The mother asks the boy to throw away the wrapper of the last meal of the five-year-olds life – a candy bar. As the boy approaches the trash can in the dark corner of the room the merciless Patrick crouches behind it. Patrick quickly catches the attention...
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...In American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis, the main character Patrick Bateman plans both roles of antagonist and protagonist. Patrick Bateman and his Group of insanely wealthy Wall Street colleagues live a life of utter excess, purchasing nothing but the finest things, wearing the best clothes money can buy, eating only at luxurious restaurants, and looking down on those who don’t meet their standard. This along with many other aspects of the novel contribute to the theme of these characters being exaggerated stereotypes of the 1980s “yuppie” class. Ellis’s assessment of this stereotype contributed to satire in this novel. Ellis tries not to make an attempt at realism, but instead tries to increase the characters’ obsession with materiality...
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...The movie “Psycho” directed by Alfred Hitchcock is initially a horror/thriller film, but it can also be looked at from a religious standpoint. Psycho has religious themes such as the finality of death, coexistence of different religions, and the meaning of sacrifice. The movie “Psycho” plays with the idea of finality of death and shows how there can be exceptions. After Norman’s Father died Norman became half a person, his mother having filling in the other half, but when he killed his mother the tried to compensate for that missing half. Even though Norman’s mother was dead, she was still alive in his mind, and he spoke for her and acted for her. In this way the movie “Psycho” contradicts the finality of death because Norman’s mother isn’t...
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...American Psycho Essay The text is from the movie American Psycho, a movie released in 2000 based on the 1991 novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis. In the text we are hearing his inner monologue as he goes to confront the dry cleaners about the blood that was still on his sheets. The simple sentence ‘’still covered with flecks of someone’s blood’’ uses verbs to describe his clothes. He tells us that he’s covered in blood which strongly suggests that he’s been involved in or has committed a murder. This starts off telling us that he is a murderous psychopath. The fact that he say’s ‘someone’s blood’ suggests that he didn’t know who it was that he’s just killed and therefore we see that he can’t have had much of a motive which further shows the intensity of his mental state. The first person narrative voice which is used, ‘‘I look sharp but my stomach is doing flip-flops, my brain is churning’’, uses metaphors to emphasize his emotions and exaggerates how he feels rather than just saying ‘I feel unwell’. We can also link this to levels of formality because even though he’s talking to himself he would still have a certain way of addressing his own character. We see that he takes a more informal approach with the use of ‘my stomach is doing flip-flops’ because it is a less formal way of saying his stomach is turning. He uses phrases that he would use himself and not necessarily with other people because there won’t be many people, if anyone, that understands him better...
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