Kim Huynh
Psycho
The first half hour of the film really focuses on the fear and entrapment that Marion is feeling in her life. She is upset and desperate and takes the $40,000 but is now on the run to escape her crimes. The camera is consistently close to her face so show the emotions she is feeling. While she is driving away from town, while the cop was questioning her, and the whole time she is driving. Viewers can clearly see that she is living in fear of being caught. When she arrives at the Bates motel there is a clear contrast of lighting. The house is casted in a dark shadow and the only light visible is from the lights in the motel and the neon sign. When she is in the parlor there is also a distinction between the light that is casted on her and the shadows that Norman and the stuffed birds are casted in. There are also angles that Norman was shot in that emphasized his peculiarity such as when the camera shot from the ground up and caught his face in the shadows. I believe these shots clues audiences into the fact that this Norman character is not as kind and shy as he seems to be and to not think so poorly of Marion whom later chooses to return the money the next day.
Psycho
The first half hour of the film really focuses on the fear and entrapment that Marion is feeling in her life. She is upset and desperate and takes the $40,000 but is now on the run to escape her crimes. The camera is consistently close to her face so show the emotions she is feeling. While she is driving away from town, while the cop was questioning her, and the whole time she is driving. Viewers can clearly see that she is living in fear of being caught. When she arrives at the Bates motel there is a clear contrast of lighting. The house is casted in a dark shadow and the only light visible is from the lights in the motel and the neon sign. When she is in the parlor there is also a distinction between the light that is casted on her and the shadows that Norman and the stuffed birds are casted in. There are also angles that Norman was shot in that emphasized his peculiarity such as when the camera shot from the ground up and caught his face in the shadows. I believe these shots clues audiences into the fact that this Norman character is not as kind and shy as he seems to be and to not think so poorly of Marion whom later chooses to return the money the next day.
The
shower scene also plays a lot with lighting as well as the whole room is lit, then the
shot slowly brings in a dark ominous shadow that overtakes the whole scene and
the gruesome murder then takes place. This scene also is very interesting
because it showed a gruesome and brutal murder in so many random shots but was
still able to put in the audience in terror. The camera cuts from a calm and smooth scene
of her in the bath, then as Norman (Mother Bates) slowly creeps in and
audiences can no longer see a full picture but rather a shot of eyes, a knife,
her stomach, etc. After the killer leaves the scene the camera slows down once
again then it ends on a close up the victim’s lifeless face. This whole
sequence not only created suspense and confusion but ended it on a really
creepy shot to top it all off.
Hitchcock
uses focusing techniques to emphasize different characters and scenes in the
film. He uses the camera for more than just the camera but as device to allow
audiences to feel as if they are there in the room with Marion as the camera
pans the room and focuses in and out on her face and her expressions, on the money, and
on the layout of the room. The film depended on a large amount of music to
create an eerie setting and to bring suspense to viewers. The music is played
in sequence with the grisly murder scenes and the audiences are now in anticipation
for something frightening to happen when the music is cued.
“Psycho”
is a great film that was able to bring fear and suspense to viewers without
having to use gore and crazy special effects like many films must do these
days. It uses simple film making tools such as lighting, framing, and music to
set the scene. Hitchcock made this a masterpiece by sticking to the simple
things and making something incredible out of it by setting a clear and
distinct mood throughout the whole film.
The shot clues and angle of the shots do help to reveal the true identity of Norman to the audience in a subtle way that allows the audience to be suspicious but not have an overwhelming sense of Norman being the killer. One specific example of this is when Detective Armogast is showing Norman the picture of Marion Crane and the camera uses the angle of below Norman’s face to look up at him and be able to see his eyes. This allows the audience to feel as if they are getting a sense of what Norman is really like and what he is thinking; and as if his eyes are portals to his soul. There is also a focus on Norman’s eyes and the direction in which he is always looking which makes him seem also very suspicious. The focus on the characters’ eyes is also seen with Marion. This allows the audience to see past the disguise the characters put on for the other characters in the movie. In this way, the audience feels like they know something the other characters do not know. The close ups on each suspected character’s face in the film shows the audience that the character is consumed with thoughts on their wrong-doings at that time. All the audience can see is Marion in the car with nothing else around her and the police car in the rear-view mirror. Her thoughts are all consumed by the fact that she just stole the money and what her possible consequences will be.
ReplyDeleteThe contrast between light and dark does make the castle looking house seem foreboding and the deserted motel seem more eerie. However, the focus of the stuffed birds does not seem to be as much on the shadows they cast, but on the fact that taxidermy is one of Norman Bates’s hobbies. It is foreshadowing the future murder of Marion by Norman.
---Caroline Downer
I agree with you both about the camera shots and different angles in the film and how it contributed to the movie and Hitchcock's overall theme. However, I would like to talk about a different aspect of the film that we see throughout. That is the aspect of the film is the caracters ability to mirror one another or other people. There are many examples of this in the film, such as Marion Crane pretending to be a woman named Marie Samuels. We see a lot of similarities between Marion and her fake persona, Marie. Marion steals 40,000 dollars and runs away to be with her secret lover, Sam. However, when she ends up at a motel, she meets a man named Norman Bates, who physically looks like a skinner version of Sam. Then, we see her attempt to convince Norman to run away from his problems (his mother) just as she tried to convince Sam, her secret lover, to run away with her from his debt. Even after Marion is murdered, her character lives on through the mirroring of her sister, Lila being the continued vehicle of her persona. Not only do they clearly look similar, during the scene that Sam and Lila are searching the room that Marion slept it, Lila sees herself reflected between two mirrors. This continues the idea of mixed identities and character’s mirroring themselves and one another.
ReplyDeleteThe most obvious example of mirroring that we see his Norman Bates pretending to be his deranged mother. In this case, we literally see Norman “become” his mother. He goes as far as to dress as a woman, buy a wig, and even pretends to have conversations with his mother, contributing to the voices of both of them. We learn at the end of the movie from the psychiatrist that Norman isn’t exactly “pretending” the be his mother, but in fact he actually shares a body with her and his two selves within are completely separate from each other.
I think these examples of “mirroring” are Hitchcock’s message to us that people can live on through other people and leave an impact on the world even after they have died.
-Maggie Schuh
Alfred Hitchcock does indeed play with light to add to the suspense and anxiety of the film. He often cast shadows to create an eerie mood. As soon as Marion arrived at the motel in the middle of nowhere, darkness surrounds her, setting the tone for the rest of the film. The house perched up on the hill is shrouded in darkness to add to the mystery of its contents. The story of the house, Norman’s mother, and his whole living situation is left uncertain. By using low-key lighting, Hitchcock creates a very creepy, unsettling atmosphere with noticeable contrasts between light and dark. An example of this is when Norman is hidden in shadows, sitting in his parlor surrounded by his stuffed birds. This shadowy, unsettling atmosphere adds another creepiness factor to his character.
ReplyDeleteBy contrasting light versus dark, Hitchcock enhances and conceals identities. He implements shadows to hide the face of the killer and highlights Marion’s face struck with horror. In every attack, the murderer is a silhouette of darkness. The shower murder scene is the best example of this shadowing. Marion is clearly lit, illuminating her terror, while Norman is unidentifiable with shadows covering his face. As he approaches her in the shower, the water gets in the way of discovering his identity, leaving the killer unknown. By hiding the killer’s identity, the viewers are left even more nervous and scared as the suspense keeps building. The use of light helps to add mystery and leave the viewers anxious and uncertain.
--Haley Gray