Psycho
We all go a little mad sometimes. And believe you me, I went mad for this movie. Psycho is assuredly a horror classic, and it is Alfred Hitchcock's greatest work. Today I'll tell you what's so great about Psycho as I see it.
Psycho tells the story of Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), a secretary who steals $40,000 from her employer to run away with her boyfriend. She ends up staying at The Bates Motel. There, she encounters a seemingly charismatic Norman Bates (a delicious performance by Anthony Perkins). The rest of the film follows the search for Marion and the money.
To get it out there right off the bat, you should see this movie without spoilers, if possible. Try to avoid any spoilers if you can. It makes the film even better than it already is. Sadly, I had already heard about some spoilers and it ruined one of the major twists of the movie. This doesn't reduce my opinion on the film, but I wish I could have seen it without knowing.
Now onto the review.
The first thing you'll probably notice when starting Psycho (after the music in the opening credits), is the black-and-white cinematography. This is just one of the genius creative decisions by Hitchcock. He could have done color, as in Rear Window (1954), but he decided to go with B&W, even though Psycho was made in 1960. The B&W not only makes everything gorgeous and heightens the suspense, but it also plays off a theme of the film, which is that not everything is morally black and white.
The opening scene sees Marion and her lover in a hotel room dropping expository dialogue like artillery shells in Apocalypse Now. Much to Hitchcock's credit, though, this scene doesn't feel like a typical exposition dump because it isn't all in the dialogue. The actors, especially Leigh, convey so much emotion and anxiety just through their body movements alone that Hitchcock didn't have to do much. And yet he still did. Watch the framing and the way the camera moves here. It is incredibly revelatory.
And this was just the opening scene. The entire film is filled with golden nuggets of scenes even better than this one. Psycho is like a Masterclass in filmmaking.
The cinematography, lighting, acting, and dialogue are pitch-perfect. And I haven't even gotten to the score yet.
Hitchcock places his camera in the best place possible for every scene. The way the camera angles change during simple scenes of dialogue convey so much on its own that bad dialogue would have gone unnoticed. But then Psycho would have been a good movie. It's not, it's more than great. It's a masterpiece.
Watching this movie for the first time, I was on the edge of my seat with every single line of dialogue. I was hooked to every word the actors spoke. There is an incredible amount of foreshadowing, as is typical for Hitchcock, in addition to a boatload of memorable lines. People always mean well, but they sometimes forget how quotable this movie is.
The dialogue is rich and littered with golden lines. I might even prefer some of the dialogue here over Tarantino's. And I love Tarantino.
Anthony Perkins' acting alone could carry this film. He is so uncanny and off-putting while at the same time being incredible sociable. It is difficult to capture to opposite emotions or feelings, but Perkins pulls it off. And his isn't the only great acting. Janet Leigh is so sympathetic, while Vera Miles is so utterly believable as Marion's worried sister, Lila.
You might have noticed I've saved the best for last. Hitchcock himself said that Bernard Herrmann's musical score for the film was so good that, "33% of the effect of Psycho was due to the music." In fact, he was so impressed that he doubled Herrmann's salary.
Hitchcock was not exaggerating. Psycho's sound is so atmospheric and perfect for the film that it really does build suspense all by itself. That piercing sound still gives me the chills. And it's not only those few notes everyone remembers from the shower scene. Even the soft, swaying parts of the theme are mysterious and slightly eerie. If anything, Hitchcock understated the value of the music. I'd place it at 50% of the film's effect is due to the score. It also elevates Psycho past some of Hitchcock's other masterpieces. In my opinion, he has four of them: Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho, and North by Northwest. The latter three all of Herrmann scores, but Rear Window does not. In that film, the lack of a score makes sense, but it still means that is Hitchcock's least moving of these four films. Herrmann's score also matches Psycho the best of the three, and it is the most iconic.
Before I saw Psycho, I kid you not, I had dreams about Norman Bates with those piercing notes. Everyone's heard them, regardless of whether or not they've seen the film.
Even if you're not a fan of horror movies, and let me tell you, I hate being scared, you must see this movie. It's one of those things you've got to do before you die. See it at least one time. Go mad just once.
Sometimes, just one time can be enough.
{★★★★}