I hope you're prepared for another geektastic onslaught of Nerdgasmic dweeb love as the Blackdog Community’s very own tried and tested Beer guzzling Yorkshire schizoid is about to go Psycho.
Hitchcock’s Psycho is an indelible look into the oft overlooked transitional period between the 1950’s and 1960’s – most notably exemplified by Norman himself, but I’ll get back to that in a moment. By today’s standards the plot (what little of it there is) is likely to be seen as a bit light and flimsy, this is not an comment against the quality of the film, far from it. If anything it film proves that the plot is where a good story is grounded and the elements have to be finely crafted together in order to create a true cinematic masterpiece. And what a masterpiece it is.
Much like many other amazing films that have had Black Doggers remove their Rose Tinted specs in the past, Psycho was made on a tight budget and rather than depending on big name stars to make it marketable it depended on good storytelling, cohesive plot and some timeless performances. Not everyone works so well but I’d like to look at Anthony Perkins’ performance as Norman specifically.
If you try and imagine being an audience member in the 60’s at the time of release then Norman is probably easily identifiable as a genuinely lonely young man who is believable in his genuine concern for the well being of Marion at the first meeting in the reception of the Motel, yet he is clearly the victim of a mother’s over zealous parenting skills, love or whatever. But something is definitely NOT right
Obviously Norman’s character doesn’t come into play until an awful lot of exposition has taken place and nearly a good third of the film has passed, but much like another famous Anthony (one Mr. Hopkins) would later prove, you don’t have to be onscreen a lot to completely own the character and in turn own the film as a whole.
Yes, Norman comes across as a shy nerd over compensating for his lack of social experience with women other than his mother, and that relationship between Norman and his mother absolutely permeates the entire time that Norman is onscreen. The way he flips and becomes very sinister during his conversation with Marion is a wonderful red herring, the mummy’s boy defends his mother against slanderous comments, yet he nicely brings it back civility. A cool demonstration that Hitchcock let his actors pretty do as they pleased as long as they didn’t move the camera.
I think this film still works in so many ways, as a wonderful observation on the period, the loss of innocence as it were between then and now, Norman can easily come across to today’s audiences as an immediate threat - an overly polite and potentially dangerous figure, who, simply MUST be hiding something. Is this a chilling indictment on the impact Psycho has had on the general psyche of viewers over the years. If someone appears to be too good to be true then they likely are.
Psycho is argued to be one of the most important films in cinematic history although I don’t agree, I think it surpasses that. It has become a cultural phenomenon, a film none dare speak ill of, much like Citizen Kane and others, people often link with the word classic – Psycho is a film few dare say doesn’t work, I think it is a classic, with or without Rose Tinted Specs it’s fair to say that Psycho will remain firmly lodged in the minds of movie viewers for many many years to come.
Often copied, never surpassed. I love this film and although there are scarier films out there as of today, they all, in their own way owe some of their success to this remarkable film. Yes, there’s absolutely loads one can go into with regards to the many feats this film achieves, but I really enjoy Black Dog and can’t wait to hear what everyone else has to say. I’d like to give a shout out to my better half Petra, who made the viewing of Psycho possible, due to her owning the entire collection – If Black doggers haven’t already seen it, then I highly recommend “Rear Window” – another excellent Hitchcock flick.
Right I’m off – My Pipe’s going out and the whippet needs a walk. I may go see my inside man and try and get me an advance viewing of Inception, could be good...
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