To me, one of the scenes that really stuck out is the Parlor Scene. It appears that Bates is innocently inviting Marion into his parlor to be polite, but he has altering motives that the audience isn't sure of yet. The lighting in this scene is interesting. The room is small and crowded and the only light source is coming from a small lamp on the table.
Marion is positioned sitting sort of behind the lamp so that it's light illuminates her face. It's interesting because the audience of course knows of her crime of embezzling money from her employer. But the light signifies that maybe there is still hope for redemption, and we know that she does intend to pay every cent of the money back.
Norman in this scene however does not have the same lighting appear on his face as Marion does. Instead, the lighting is split, shadowing one side of his face. Was this Hitchcock's way of foreshadowing Normans split personality? I believe so. You might also notice that Hitchcock filmed Norman from a very low position in comparison to the way Marion is shot, and Hitchcock moved the camera a lot as well to only obscure the right side of his face.
Another scene that really sticks out in Psycho is of course the very famous shower scene. Marion is innocently taking a shower as we see and she has no idea of the horror that is to come. All we see is a dark shadow forming from behind the shower curtain, slowly creeping in, and then all of a sudden the curtain is violently ripped open. But the horror is not in the blood and gore of Marion Crane being slaughtered, it's in the way the scenes are constantly going back and forth between the killer and Marion.
All we can hear is the terrifying score in the background along with the bloodcurdling scream of Marion Crane. We never actually see the knife going into Marion's skin, there is one brief clip where we see the knife touching her stomach about to go in but that is it. I believe that is the horror of the film, us not seeing that, because we are left wondering what is happening to her. We see the shadow of the knife constantly going back and forth, and then we see the blood starting to mix with the water in the shower and go down the the drain. Marion slowly creeps out, and the killer escapes the room.
In my opinion, this film has done great things for the horror film genre as we know it today. I do not believe that there are many other films that can give you the same eery feeling of anxiety, fear, and suspense that Psycho gives you. I like this film because unlike others, it's not all about building a high body count or showing teens being slaughtered, it's a very psychological thriller that will leave you guessing and keep you on your toes. Alfred Hitchcock is a genius.
--CS
--CS
I’m glad you included Hitchcock’s use of lighting in “Psycho.” The film is shot in black and white so color could not have been used to convey any messages but “Psycho” is reliant on the use of lighting. The darkness and lightness in the scenes between Marion and Norman are very distinct and definitely noteworthy. There is such a huge contrast in the amount of light that is shown on each character as you have mentioned. I also agree that it has correlation between the facts that audiences still believe that Marion is the “bad guy” as the lighting is subtly foreshadowing another antagonist in Norman Bates. I think it is interesting that you said Hitchcock used lighting to convey Norman’s split personality. That could very well be a possibility.
ReplyDeleteThe framing and camera angle also played a key element in the making of this film, as you stated. Not only was Norman Bates casted in shadows predominantly he was also shot in irregular and obscured angles while other characters were shot straight on, like you mentioned in the parlor scene. Hitchcock also uses framing and camera angles in the shower scene. The way that the camera zoomed in to highlight the scene without really showing any gore is rather impressive. He creates such a suspenseful tone and eerie mood just by choosing the correct items to frame in his shot. The way music and sound is used replaces the blood and gore that filmmakers use today. Hitchcock really impacted the film industry with this psychological thriller.