Psycho analysis essay

‘Psycho’ 

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock



Starring:


Anthony Perkins-Norman Bates

Janet Leigh-Marion Crane

John Gavin-Sam Loomis

Martin Balsam-Milton Arbogast



The film starts with an establishing shot over the city in black and white, a caption telling us the location that being "Phoenix, Arizona", followed by "Friday, December the Eleventh" and finally "Two forty-three P.M." This is the equilibrium of the film, placing the audience in where all the events will transpire. However, what the previous text before this eludes the audience to think that normal everyday life is taking place. The city is shown in broad daylight, with nothing unordinary to be seen. This sense of familiarity makes the audience feel like they’re in a relatable area, and that we can identify with the characters that we’ll soon come to meet.


Behind the caption of text is an oversight of Phoenix, Arizona; we see variety of buildings and skyscrapers. The camera begins to track forwards to one of the skyscrapers, the audience now know because of this track shot that the story will begin within this window as it also focuses on this window as well, it tracks forward and enters into the bedroom. When we see into the room we are presented with a couple both on the bed, Marion Crane and her partner, Sam Loomis (John Gavin). From meeting these two characters we know that these characters that we’ll be identifying with. From this point the film centres its self entirely on Marion, until that is when she gets brutally murdered. Hitchcock establishes that Marion and Sam are having an affair, but do not want any outsiders knowing. We learn that both characters do have their own individual thoughts, Marion wanting to be with Sam entirely and Sam wanting to pay off his debts, from learning their motives we become emotionally invested in these two characters, and the director's initial intention for the audience to support and root for them, and hope they have their happy ever after ending.


As Marion and Sam make a plan to get married, the audience becomes more intrigued by their story, and the Hitchcock inserts a narration device for which he was popular of using the ‘red herring’: at this point of the film has been shown and told as if it were a romantic film, with the enigma questions being raised "Will they end up together?” “Will they fail to be together?” making the audience wanting to know more. We cut to see Marion at work, talking to her colleague and her boss entering with a client. This signifies the normal everyday life for Marion, suggesting that something is about to happen and that’ll change the course of film. When Marion is handed $40,000 by the client and asked to put it in the safe, Marion realises that she can solve all of her and Sam’s problems and takes the opportunity to take the money, but the audience don’t get notified of Marion’s intentions until we see her packing to leave. Although this is effectively stealing and is a crime because of we've stayed with Marion up until the point she died we can't help but identify with Marion.

Through the film we’re stuck with a restricted narration of the film as we never learn more than the characters do, we get to identify more with our characters, an example of this that Hitchcock has used is the POV shot we get when Marion is leaving Phoenix in her car, we see out of the window screen as she is. When Marion is driving through the rain, we struggle to see ahead, Marion is shown having the same difficulty when showing a close up of her face in the car, because of our lack of vision we are disorientated, this forces the audience to identify with Marion’s perspective. The frequent use of ECU and CU on Marion and we don’t get this at all with the other characters, forcing us to identify with Marion. Due to all of these close ups we always look into Marion’s eyes, the eyes are always associated as the window to our souls and Hitchcock takes advantage of this and expresses Marion’s emotions throughout the film, and again always invading her personal space and always feel more intimate with Marion. The ECU are also used to show all of Marion’s emotions through her facial expressions as well, as we’re so close to Marion’s face we don’t and can’t get distracted from her background or objects that surround around her.


At the Bates Motel, we see that Marion comes to turns with what she’s done and want to return the $40,000 she stole after speaking with Norman Bates, the owner of the Bates hotel. Hitchcock uses the red herring again, even after already using this technique at this part of the film, the audience thought that this was still a romance story but with acts of crime to fulfil the happy ending that we predict. Now seeing that she’s changed her mind to return the money reflects that she is actually good and wants to do what’s right, this makes us identify with her even more as we now see the good-natured and respectable character that she is.

It is at this point that the film when the shock twist happens and our identification with Marion is destroyed. Marion decides to take a shower, so that she can wash away all of her sins and feel pure again. The audience are positioned in MCU of Marion in the shower, not revealing her entirely, but again shown her face so that we get to see her gestures and facial expressions. She seems to be enjoying her time in the shower, from this it looks like something from an average normal day. Hitchcock subsequently employs shock tactics in showing a silhouette of a person approach the shower curtain, slowly and drawn out to build suspense and tension. While Marion doesn't know of the presence that has entered the bathroom, this is intended to shock the audience again draws up enigma codes surrounding the main question "Who is that?” For the first time in the film we’re not focused on Marion, but instead with this mystery character with who we nothing about hinting to that we will soon identify with this mysterious question. As the shower curtain is torn back we’re shown a silhouetted figure who then begins to stab Marion, we then get shown a series of jump cuts, focusing on each and every individual stab in to Marion. During this horrific and graphic scene, which is now considered one of the most iconic scenes within film history, even to this day! Once we see the aftermath of the silhouetted figures murder and escapes, we’re shown Marion's dead body, as it pours blood down the plughole. We then go to an ECU of Marion’ eye as it shows no emotion and looks lifeless, just like her body remains.

Marion's death comes as a shock as we've spent so long identifying with this character just to see her die goes against normal film conventions, and then forces the audience to then identify with another character after her death, this being Norman Bates. Automatically assuming that it was his mother that killed Marion, Norman then puts in a ridiculous amount time and effort to cover her tracks and to make sure that her crime will never be found out. From throwing the car into the nearby swamp we start to identify with Norman through his gestures and facial expressions as we don’t receive any dialogue for about ten minutes, so as the audience we get positioned in an awkward situation as he’s doing the right thing in protecting his mother, but from her illegal actions that making it wrong. Especially after the murder of Arbogast, the story and narration eventually blossoms and furthermore explains the title being "psycho" As we learn that Norman is actually psychotic and is actually his mother.


The use of black-and-white in this film perhaps is another visual metaphor, showing that everyone has their good side, associating with the colour white as white is always represents pure and good and that everyone also has a much darker side than revealed to the public as black is always associated with darkness and evil. This is shown this through Norman Bates. Although Norman is the actual villain and murder of the film, the murders were done by the other side of his mind his mother, whom he believes is another person and not a figure of his imaginary. This split personality is reflected within the choice of making the film in black-and-white. As the colours are opposites too each other this is represented again with the different types of personalities that Norman shows through this film. One being a small motel owner who doesn't seem too concerned in the lack of business and loves his mother. But the other persona is his mother, and follows the opposite of what Norman is in being psychotic, crazed and doesn't appreciate the other persona Norman. With the two contrasting colours represents that both of Normans persona's are always conflicting.