Psycho (1960)

 

Almost everyone should know the surprises that await a viewer of Psycho. It’s a true cinematic masterpiece, and it features one of the most discussed and analyzed sequences in all of film, the shower scene in which the central character we’ve been following for almost 45 minutes, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), gets stabbed to death. That scene is a very abrupt shift in narrative focus, yet it works brilliantly. Certainly, the shock value of a film like Psycho is not the same today as it would have been in 1960, and we’ve seen far more graphic moments in films in recent years, but the power of the scene (and, truly, of the entire movie) resonates thanks to the strong differences between the two halves. The first hour emphasize Marion’s desire for a relationship with her boyfriend Sam (handsome but stiff John Gavin) and her theft of $40,000 from work so that they can finally marry. We follow her as she tries to reach him with the stolen funds, and there are several moments of suspense even in the first half. A cop awakens her after she naps by the side of the road, she trades her car with a salesman who becomes very wary of her intentions, and she stops at the Bates Motel to rest while a rainstorm passes. After a conversation with Norman Bates (the twitchy, brilliant Anthony Perkins, sadly typecast forever after being so good in this role), she decides to take back the money and fix the problems she’s created. Then there’s the shower scene. The second half of the film is a thriller as we see Norman’s “mother” take over his personality, killing the private investigator, Arbogast (Martin Balsam), who is sent to track Marion down. Sam and Marion’s sister Lila (Vera Miles) also try to discern what happened to Marion at the Bates Motel, and the climactic moments provide a great deal of tension and some good jump scares. If the film ended with the discovery of Norman’s mother’s corpse, I would probably love it even more, but unfortunately, Simon Oakland’s psychiatrist shows up to “explain” Norman and his behavior. The coda might have been considered necessary to give closure to some audience members at the time of its release, but the final scene with Norman’s “mother” telling us what’s going on is much more lucid and useful—and horrifying. The film features some memorable dialogue: “We all go a little mad sometimes” and “A boy’s best friend is his mother” and “A son is a poor substitute for a lover.” There are classic lines, not least because they, upon retrospect, they undercut some of the suspense with some levity. The film also features some of the most recognizable, astonishing music by Bernard Hermann, especially during the shower scene. It’s rather surprising that Alfred Hitchcock was nominated for Best Director, his last of five nominations, but the film was overlooked in favor of somewhat “safer” choices for Best Picture. And, more surprisingly, it wasn’t one of the five nominees for Best Film Editing. Who studies Sons and Lovers or The Sundowners in film studies classes these days? How many such classes have featured Psycho? Who dissects the editing in The Alamo or Inherit the Wind? How many times has the shower scene been shown as an example of brilliant editing? Sometimes the Academy is not the best predictor of the lasting impact of a particular film.

Oscar Nominations: Best Director (Alfred Hitchcock), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Janet Leigh), Best Black-and-White Cinematography, and Best Black-and-White Art Direction-Set Decoration