When unexplained happenings and connections started to come into play that affected the actors after they ended production well, someone had to ask.

Power One

When news hit that our beloved Heath Ledger was taken before his time, we were all perturbed. It was so surprising to so many people. How can these people lead such secretive lives when their working lives are so out in the open?

It was terrible to think that Ledger had some sort of disorder or conflict that led him to this point.

As time went on, information started to rear its ugly head. It was said in the news that Heath had gotten so enthralled in his role as the "Dark Knight", that he brought his work home with him. He was unable to sleep, eat, or even think coherently. Ultimately the stress of the situation led to his death. So we believe!

Power Two

Do you remember a movie by the name of "American Psycho"?

Christian Bale just happens to have been the leading role. He was a high power businessman that ruled the industry by day and murdered innocent women by night. He was said to bully the other lead actors out of playing the role because he said he was born to play it. He was sick of others saying Leonardo Dicaprio was a bigger star so he wouldn't get the part.

"I kept saying I was going to play the lead and people wondered if I was losing my mind. It reached the point where the film studio said about me, 'don't mention his name again.'

Christian Bale's acting merits ultimately led to his role in "Batman Begins" in 2005. I loved this movie. It wasn't filmed with an over exaggeration on weapons and gadgets but, the skills of the character.

However, when the second installment of the Batman movies wrapped, Christian was left with a bad taste in his mouth. There was so much attention on the recent demise of Heath Ledger that it took away some of the spotlight for him.

However, the spotlight was not skewed for long. While the movie was destroying box office records, Bale was in London, where his mother and sister reportedly leveled assault allegations against Bale.

Christian spent 4 hours in jail but, he was not charged; at least not yet.

And so the darkness surrounding "The Dark Knight" continued.

Power Three

In the 2005 installment of Batman Begins, Morgan Freeman had actually fashioned the Batman suit in this movie. It was one of his most secret inventions at the Wayne Corporation.

He was a voice of reason and a mentor to Christian while he was on the set.

Every opinion of Morgan Freemen that I have ever had has been an optimistic one. I've never heard of any antics on set or negative press associated with him.

However, after the filming of "The Dark Knight", the Academy Award winner was seriously injured in a car crash.
Freeman was traveling East on Highway 32 when his car skidded off the road and flipped several times.
Freeman was catapulted from the vehicle and then airlifted to a hospital in Memphis where he is still in serious condition.
Undisclosed accidents on the set

There were also unusual circumstances that had occurred during the filming.

A technician on the film died when the truck he was in reportedly struck a tree following a test run. It was also said that one of the actresses was set on fire as well.

I am sure there is one missing that would prove the aspect of Power of 3 but, the press has not released any information.

Another example of the Power of Three

Just the other day, I noticed that my Triond account had an odd amount of funds in it within a few hours. I was excited and skeptical at the same time.

On the same day, I lost my keys on campus and spent 2 hours looking for them. Did I mention my skirt was tucked into my red bikini underwear at the same time?

Not only did I have a humiliating day but, Triond took the money back which is what I expected.

If you put the humorousness aside about my story, you would realize that there were 3 dreadful things that happened to me that day.

This goes to show you that the Power of 3 is alive and affecting others all over the world.

 

The story takes place during the Civil War and mostly revolves around a Quaker family whose Quaker ideas form many of the leitmotifs in the story. The family is supposed to be against violence and war. They are also against music. These are old Quaker ideas. However, when they surface in the story, these ideas are not always presented as ideal.

One of the features of the movie which makes it more appealing is the music soundtrack. Some of the words in the theme song are Quaker style, such as “Thee I love, more than the mulberries on the hill…”

The leading lady in the movie, Eliza Birdwell, is played by Dorothy McGuire. This character is supposed to be a perfect example of the Quaker minister in Indiana. However, some of shortcomings show up in the movie, especially when she takes a broom after one of the Southern soldiers who wants to kill the family goose. This is not a Quaker ideal, beating a man who wants to steal your family's goose.

The goose, itself, is a comedy element in the movie when the son of Eliza is often being chased by the bird.

Other well-known actors in the movie include Gary Cooper as the Quaker father, Jess Birdwell, and Anthony Perkins of Psycho fame who plays a son of the Birdwell family.

Interesting highlights in the movie, in the author's opinion, include when one of the family hides a musical instrument from the rest of the family. As model Quakers, they do not think music is appropriate for Christians. However, when another Quaker is visiting their farm and someone is playing with the instrument, they think it is music from Heaven.

The basic idea in the movie is the challenge of old ideas of a strong family in the Quaker sect. It makes for good viewing of a safe nature.

Bringing Up Baby

Classic comedies such as this one remind us of how little class and humor are contained in the majority of recent comedy. Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn are perfectly and hilariously matched as an odd couple forced to endure a series of misadventures. Did I mention that the movie is about a leopard?

The Shawshank Redemption 

A story of courage and, obviously, redemption, this is a movie that no one should miss. Steven King proves his ability to understand the human condition with this excellent and moving film boasting an unforgettable performance by Morgan Freeman.

Psycho (1960) 

Alfred Hitchcock's defining work of genius takes suspense to a whole new level. Boasting some of the best performances captured on film, and surely some of the best cinematography, Psycho seems even fresher than most modern fare. While the film is mainly remembered for the shower scene, one of the most effective moments actually comes at the end of the film.

The Silence of the Lambs

Chilling in its own right, this film blurs the line between horror, mystery, and drama to create its own cinematic niche. Jodie Foster gives the best performance of her career, and Anthony Hopkins' performance is nothing short of legendary. For those that think this is about a cannibal, Silence of the Lambs is actually based on the life of Ed Gein. Hannibal is shown for less than twenty minutes in this film.

Jesus Camp

This movie is terrifying. For those that think Christian fundamentalism is not a serious problem in America, wait until they catch this documentary about a camp that trains children in the ways of Evangelical Fundamentalism. One can't help but pity the children raised in this nonsensical, dangerously militant, and separatist mindset.

9 to 5 

Sometimes excellent films become forgotten with time for no apparent reason. This is certainly the case with 9 to 5, one of the best comedies to grace the cinema screen. Both hilarious farce and feminist manifesto, anyone with a sense of humor can find something here to enjoy. A musical Broadway show of this film is set to begin shortly with music written by Dolly Parton.

Cloverfield 

Filmmakers take heed: this is how it's done! Filmed from the victim's camera, Cloverfield outdoes absolutely all of the competition for sheer believability and tension. The best monster movie of all time, hands down. (Not counting films such as "Jaws" that involve natural predators.) For those convinced that monster movies are for the tasteless and the young, take some time out to give this one a shot.

The Omen (1976)

Possibly one of the scariest movies of all time. The score is unsettling and jarring, and this is one of the first films to show a graphic decapitation on-screen. From the opening segment involving the suddenly suicidal nanny, it becomes obvious that this film is thoroughly unafraid to engage religious taboo to scare the hell out of audiences.

Hairspray (2007)

Finally, a musical that doesn't involve death, heartbreak, and murder. This is a wonderfully entertaining film with an excellent message about prejudice thrown in for good measure. Don't get me wrong, films such as Chicago and Rent are not to be dismissed, but this one is pure fun in an age that seems to have forgotten the concept. Hairspray is also safe for all but young children.

Knocked Up 

The best example of modern comedy, Knocked Up takes a serious topic and somehow manages to credibly and respectfully address it in an unflinchingly R-rated way. With dead-on performances by everyone, a rarity in cinema, viewers feel a genuine emotional connection to the characters. Knocked Up is a hilarious comedy with a heart, something that doesn't come around very often.

A mesmerizing and stunning film, Psycho was released in nineteen-sixty in black and white, because Hitchcock believed the film would be too graphic for color. Film censors were stunned with the movie's depiction of sexual content, nudity, and violence in a way previously considered taboo. Psycho is one of the few films from its era to have retained an R rating to this day. This testifies to the film's unflinching portrayal of its disturbing subject matter.

Psycho deals heavily with the concept of mental illness and its representation and consequences in culture. Norman Bates is a seemingly normal hotel manager under the iron-eye of an overbearing "mother." He comes across as nearly pleasant to a fault in most circumstances, conversing in a needy and child-like manner with his single guest, Marion Crane. Marion responds politely to his demeanor as she is in need of a place to stay after having trouble with her car. However, the audience is alerted to the abnormality of the situation as Norman becomes defensive when confronted about his overbearing "mother" and by Norman's voyeuristic tendencies as he watches Marion undress in her room.

As the film progresses, we listen to Norman's "mother" demean him for becoming involved with a female, as he responds in his signature child-like manner. Norman's "mother" becomes convinced that this woman is not safe to leave alone with her son, so she decides to put a stop to their interaction. Whilst Marion is showering, the audience hears the now famous shrieking score. In possibly the most frantic scene ever filmed, the "mother" is revealed to be Norman. After swinging open the shower curtain, Norman, complete with wig and dagger, stabs Marion to death.

One could possibly spend an entire essay examining this single scene, but for the purposes of this paper, the explanation will only be a cursory one. The scene is filmed in a sequence of close-ups and quick cuts, mainly of Marion's face, arms, and legs. Through suggestion and convincing, diagetic sound effects, the audience is led to believe that they are literally watching Marion be stabbed to death. In reality, the knife is not once shown piercing the skin, and blood is nearly absent until Marion is shown laying dead with blood swirling down the drain. The scene ends with Marion staring lifelessly into the camera in a truly haunting scene.

Also of interest is the near-lack of nudity in the scene. By quickly cutting between face, arms, and legs, one is under the impression that they are seeing Marion nude. But this is only because of the quick cuts. If one were to watch the scene in half-time, it would become apparent that only one out-of-focus nude shot is even present.

After disposing of the body, investigation ensues. It is eventually revealed that Norman keeps his death mother in a chair in the basement, and treats her as if she were real. After an abusive and controlled childhood, Norman was unable to disconnect himself emotionally from his mother after her death, so he simply took on her role, splitting his personality into two distinct entities. It is of great note that the film's plot was inspired by Ed Gein, whose background and crimes were of a strikingly similar nature to those of Norman Bates.

Psycho works on multiple levels as a commentary on its period and an attempt to bring the concept of mental health to a higher level of discussion. While the film does not explicitly state its intentions, symptomatically this shocking portrayal of illness and death was going to open a dialog regarding mental health that could not be previously held in the public sphere.

After filming Psycho, it was reported that the use of the term "transvestite" was actually considered objectionable to the censor board, but Hitchcock refused to succumb to their wishes, as he had already duped them during the aforementioned shower scene by including extraneous footage for the censors to cut.

During the final scene, after the psychologist has met with the authorities and explained Norman's condition, the scene peers into Norman's padded cell. He is seen wearing a straight-jacket and muttering to himself. As the audience listens to the conversation, it becomes readily apparent that Norman is speaking in two distinct voices, those of him and his mother. He continues this disturbing conversation until he speaks a final line, then gazes into the camera with one of the most twisted and chilling expressions captured on film.

This scene serves to point out a crucial message conveyed symptomatically from the film, that those with Multiple Personality Disorder or Schizophrenia are somehow dangerous and demented. This is obviously a gross generalization, but Psycho treats this subject as if all individuals with said disorders are demented freaks of nature. As the culture in which this film premiered was generally unaware of psycho- and neurological disorders, this film was their first glimpse into the realm of mental illness, and it was a terrifying one.

The central character was depicted as a soulless killer, only able to be contained by a padded cell and straightjacket. The doctor, when describing the disorder, spent no time discussing the uniqueness of Norman's manifestation of his disorder, but seemed to give the impression that this behavior was typical of the mentally ill.

Also conveyed by this film is a higher level of gender equality than was typical of Hollywood. As the story plays out, it becomes a monster-movie of sorts, with Norman Bates as the seemingly unstoppable beast. But this is not a damsel-in-distress story, as a male investigator is stabbed to death in the same vicious manner as Marion. This set a new trend, not by exalting women, but rather by victimizing and questioning the control and authority of the patriarch.

Psycho is also unique in that it exposes the dangers of vulnerability in a way that equates vulnerability with victimization. As Marion changes her clothing, her vulnerable state arouses the desire of a homicidal maniac. Her decision to converse with Norman, allowing him a glimpse of her personal life, allows him to attach himself to her through her vulnerability. And in the most vulnerable act of all, she disrobes and separates herself from even the rest of the room by closing the curtain to take a shower.

As Hitchcock shows, her feeble attempt at juxtaposing vulnerability and privacy is compromised when Norman storms in and rips open the curtain, leaving her with only her vulnerability. At this moment, she is at her most vulnerable, and as Hitchcock would have his audience believe, most endangered state. With nothing but her vulnerability, she is murdered brutally in what is symptomatically a cautionary tale to the audience regarding their own vulnerability. In Hitchcock's world, safety is only achieved by the constant guarding of one's self against the often un-identifiable forces of malevolence.

In relationship to vulnerability, Psycho also has much to say on the concept of human relationships. One can see that Norman is a somewhat tragic example of the danger of vulnerability in the most vulnerable relationship of all, the one between mother and child. Norman is subjected for her abuse for years by leaving himself in a vulnerable state and accepting her abuse. This causes his extreme dependency that leads to his eventual illness and demise.

The mother can be seen as the true malevolent force of the movie, praying on Norman's vulnerability in such a way that she is allowed to live on through Norman and continue her reign over other innocent victims. So in effect, the mother is actually the true killer of Marion, at least in a metaphoric sense.

Lastly, this film is about the unknown and the fear that it inspires, not so much for the film's characters as for the audience. We can see this trend continue in films such as Alien, Jaws, Poltergeist, and a host of others. As was stated, this film was released in a time of relative ignorance on the part of the general public in relation to the subject of mental illness.

Rather than giving the audience a clear picture of mental illness from the start of the film, Hitchcock forces the audience to watch in suspense with no point of reference as character's are viciously murdered without explanation. And after the audience receives the final explanation, the last words are given to Norman Bates. So rather than allowing the audience to witness a full dialog on Norman's disorder, only a brief explanation is given, leading into the final scene of even more fear and confusion from this still misunderstood illness. As the film closes, Norman watches the audience, almost mocking their ignorance.

This is the genius of Hitchcock. He consistently finds unexplored topics, or those most filmmakers would not dare explore, and constructs fantastical yet grounded accounts of their horrifying effects of humanity. In the wake of such films, a dialog is opened, leading to new knowledge and awareness. Rarely before or since has a filmmaker put such a progressive step forward and left such a historic mark on the realm of cinema.

This list is by no means a complete accounting of all cinematic phallic symbols. If you feel I've missed something major, please leave a comment.

One more thing, just because a movie has a water fountain or a club doesn't necessarily mean it's intended to be phallic. Even Sigmund Freud recognized that “sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”

The storyline of this film involves a young woman who steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and ends up on a personal odyssey towards terror when she encounters a disturbed young hotel proprietor who is dominated by his mother. Patrick McGilligan (2003) wrote that the Bates character was based on Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein, who may have had an incestuous relationship with his mother. (McGilligan, 2003. Page 579)

One of the biggest signifiers in the film is cash. Money is the initial drive that leads the main character, banker Marion Crane (played by Janet Leigh), down a path towards her own destruction. What is signified is the power that money and greed have over people, and how you pay a price for succumbing to its powers.

Facing a paradigmatic structure composed of desiring to marry her boyfriend, but lacking the finances to do so, Crane stumbles upon a solution when a rich oil tycoon enters the office and asks Crane to deposit $40,000 cash in the bank. (Berger, p. 24) While driving to the bank, Crane dreams of how the money could help alleviate her repressed desire to escape a boring job and set her free to flee the state and go on a fairy tale romance.

The oil tycoon practically waves the cash in her face while flirting with her. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why she was able to absolve herself of any guilt - she was stealing from a rich, creepy guy. This would be a form of rationalization.

While driving to see her boyfriend, she grows tired and pulls over to the side of the road and falls asleep. She is awakened by a police officer who suspects that the woman might be in some sort of trouble. Crane's hurried manner and defensive attitude only increase the officer's suspicions. The officer is an example of Freud's theory of ego. He is very cool, emotionless, and almost mechanical in his demeanor. No doubt a logical thinker who relies on police intuition and paying close attention to the environment and noticing subtle cues about Cranes behavior. This contrasts with Crane, who represents the id - basing her decisions on emotions such as desire, greed, lust and love. She is unaware of how her defensiveness makes her look more guilty.

The police officer eventually lets Marion go. Eventually, she grows tired and decides to stay at a motel. The motel is run by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) who turns out to be a serial killer. Bates is a deeply disturbed young man who has a strong Oedipus complex in regards to his mother. It is so strong, in fact, that he had murdered his mother in a jealous rage after he found out that she had found a male lover. Unable to mentally handle the loss of his mother and his own guilt, he keeps her corpse, dresses it, and cares for it by using his taxidermy skills. His mind fragments and splits into two personalities. He adopts the persona and dress of his mother.

While dressed as his mother, he murders Crane while she is taking a shower in one of the Bates' motel cabins in one of the most talked about scenes in cinematic history. (House of Horrors, para 4). Prior to the murder, the audience's attention is drawn to the money, safely wrapped in a newspaper on the nightstand. Hitchock allows the audience to bask in the guilty pleasure of sharing in the sense of comfort that Crane may have felt believing that the money was all hers. The second guilty pleasure, one that Hitchcock was probably teasing the audience with since the beginning of the movie, was seeing Crane naked, basking in the warmth and sanctity of the restroom - painted white as if to offset the uncleanly business that goes on in restrooms. The comfort of the phallic, anal and genital stages of Freudian theory contribute to the sanctity of the setting, as a bathroom is a safe haven for these Freudian stages to manifest. Crane, as well as the audience, pays for their enjoyment of the shower as the curtains are ripped open and she is stabbed to death. This is accompanied by a piercing, terrifying score. (House of Horrors, para 3)

Bates had taken a liking to Crane after having dinner with her the night before. However, his alter ego of his mother is not happy about the prospect of an attractive young woman disrupting the love affair between mother and son. He even holds conversations with himself thinking he's speaking to his mother.

Therefore Bates, dressed as his mother, represents the jealous side of the mother persona - she needed to eliminate the threat posed by an attractive young woman who could steal her son away. The mother side of Bates' mind could represent the superego - the domineering personality of a mother whose son is beholden to her. At the same time, there is an element of id in the mother persona if you are to assume that she killed Crane out of jealousy towards a young attractive woman who might steal her son. Bates ends up trapped in ambivalence, taking a liking to the girl with the mother side hating her for being a threat to their relationship. It serves to negate guilt over the murder. (Berger, Arthur. P. 90)

Following the murder, Norman Bates returns to the crime scene as the innocent son who cleans up the evidence simply because he is being a dutiful son doing what he has to do to protect his mother. This serves two psychological purposes for Bates fragmented persona - alleviating the big green eyed monster of his jealousy towards his mother and her lover by making his mother the jealous one, and absolving himself of guilt related to the murder at the same time. This love hate relationship is another example of ambivalence - hatred for the murder, but covering up the scene of the crime out of love, as well as projecting the jealousy to his mother to alleviate his own.

Ironically, as reality starts to catch up to Norman Bates and his demented game, a private investigator, as well as Crane's family assumes that Bates was involved in Crane's disappearance to get to her cash.

Money had nothing to do with Norman Bates' motivation. In fact, Bates didn't seem to have any use for money whatsoever. Hardly anyone ever stayed at his motel.

Crane, on the other hand, could have avoided her death if she would have just deposited the money in the bank in the first place. In this case the use of money in this film is a conventional symbol. The money signifies the root of all evil and paying the ultimate price for succumbing to its power.

As for Bates, a perverted form of justice seemed to crystallize in his twisted mind. As he sat in a holding cell at the end of the movie the persona of the mother had taken over, consigned to the fact that her son would go away for murder for a crime that she had committed. This is an example of Bates' psychological defense mechanism of reaction formation, to escape having to accept the reality of being caught and going away for life. (Berger, Arthur. P.90)

The conclusions about critical differences are that women can have a great deal of power over men. According to Anderson, men seem to hold the cards professionally and financially, as evidenced by the oil tycoon and the male employers at the real estate office while women hold low wage jobs with a lot of stress (P. 81). However, the power of an attractive young woman can cause a man, who prides himself on being able to control his emotions, to do things he normally wouldn't do. This played a part with the oil tycoon giving Crane the cash - he wanted to flash money at her in an attempt to eventually gain sexual favors. Normally, he probably wouldn't be so irresponsible with his money. Also, the power of sexual attraction came into play with Crane at the hotel. Bates attraction towards her caused his alter ego to snap with jealousy stemming from the power of sexual attraction. Also, Hitchcock used her attractiveness to entice the viewers into an erotic scene and then make them pay for their sin by enduring the stabbing scene. Beautiful women have enormous power, more power than a man - no matter how rich or attractive he may be. More so than money, sexual attraction towards women was the main signifier in the movie and served as the root cause of the main character's dissent into complete and utter madness.

1. The Ring- If you're into subtitles go for the original Japanese version, “Ringu”; or watch the American remake starring Naomi Watts, or if you're really into it, watch both. The Japanese version goes into more depth in terms of story, but the American version offers more explanation, so it is easier to understand what's happening. Either way this story about a reporter tracing the origins of a mysterious videotape after learning that all viewers die seven days after seeing it, turns into a race against time with some truly chilling images. Before you die, see The Ring.
2. The Sixth Sense- Okay, so most of us have seen it, but if you haven't, please do so right now. If no one's given away the ending, you're even luckier. Even if you've seen this film about a psychiatrist (Bruce Willis) treating a little boy who believes he see ghosts, it's worth a second viewing so that you can truly appreciate the way that director/screenwriter M. Night Shamaylan turns the screws of suspense, tighter and tighter until the story reaches it perfect, shocking conclusion. The brilliance here is all in the screenplay.
3. The Others- Even before creepy stuff starts happening this movie is creepy. It opens upon a woman (Nicole Kidman) trying to take care of her two children, while waiting for her husband to return from World War II. Oh wait, did I forget to mention that they live in a big, creepy, English mansion, the children are deathly allergic to sunlight, and all the servants have mysteriously left one morning with no notice? And that just the beginning of this good old-fashioned chiller, that makes use of disorienting fog, perpetual darkness, and above all, a heightened sense of anticipation.
4. Poltergeist- The special effects are somewhat dated, but this movie is just so much fun that you hardly care. It has all the good scary movie staples: a haunted house, a creepy little girl, and lots of supernatural happenings. The Free lings are a relatively normal suburban middle-class family, until odd events start happening around their daughter, Carol Ann. When Carol Ann disappears, and her voice can only be heard through the television set, the Free lings call in a team of ghost hunters to get her back. The movie has some great scenes (my favorite is the long hallway), some great lines (they're heeere), a few jolts, and a sense of humor.
5. Psycho- The original and still the greatest, no one did it like Hitchcock did. Avoid Gus Van Sant's remake (or copy) at all costs and see this 1960 masterpiece. Sure, everyone knows about the shower scene by now, but there are still numerous other reasons to watch (or re watch) this movie. My personal favorite is our first glimpse of Norman Bates' mother. Also take pleasure from the creepy house on a hill, and the screeching violin music. No matter how many times you've seen it, a return to the Bates' Motel is always fun.

]]> Tue, 17 Apr 2007 05:01:20 PST http://www.cinemaroll.com/Horror/Psycho.29524 Plot:

I thought the plot was interesting. I haven’t seen too many horror movies from that time that had the twist that this movie had. I hadn’t heard much about the movie when I first saw it so I didn’t expect the twists. I thought that it had a fast pace to it. The killings in Psycho looked tame and fake, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the movie.

Plot devices:

Alfred Hitchcock used plot devices to get the movie going. First, Marion’s boyfriend, Sam, can’t marry her because he needs money. You would think that wouldn’t be important, but it actually was. Marion’s boss gets a new client who pays her boss $40,000 in cash for a new house. She ends up being the one who takes the money to the bank.

The money ends up being a MacGuffin. This is a movie term for a plot device that seems important and then it’s not anymore. The money is a MacGuffin because it’s the reason why she’s on the run. She wouldn’t have left town if she didn’t have the money to steal. The money is dropped when she is killed. The money is hardly mentioned anymore.

The other plot device was the weather. It became rainy while Marion was on the rainy while Marion was on the run. She couldn’t see the road anymore and that’s how she ended up at the Bates Motel. If it wasn’t raining, she wouldn’t have had a reason to stop at the motel. Since I’m on the subject of plot devices, I may as well move on to the contrivances in the movie.

Plot contrivances:

The writer makes Marion a victim when she should have been considered a villain. She steals money from her boss’s client, but she is let off the hook later on in the movie. She also lies to the police officer who goes to her because she slept in her car overnight. She was acting suspiciously yet she is not considered wrong. She spends some of the money she stole on a car and the motel. When she was at the car dealer, she gave the dealer a hard time. All he wanted to do was make sure she was making the right decision by getting the car so fast, but she still gave him a hard time. Marion was also a little rude to Norman at the motel when he was talking to her. He was telling her about his mother, but she told him to have her put away. Did the writers want us to feel sorry for her because Janet Leigh is playing her? Just because she ends up being a victim, that doesn’t make what she did right.

*Spoiler Alert* Another plot contrivance was how Norman was written up as the bad guy because of Marion’s death. I know she ends up dying at his motel, but since she’s a thief, why should we really care? He is the one that is constantly being harassed, but he is written up the like the bad guy since he’s not normal. He was minding his own business before the other characters showed up at the motel.

Acting:

Anthony Perkins did an excellent job with his character. He can switch from normal to crazy in no time. Anthony also made Norman a likeable character and that couldn’t have been easy. I think Anthony made the role his own. It’s hard to see anyone else playing this role. This movie was remade in 1998 with Vince Vaughn in this role. He did not play the role the same way in my opinion. No one can play Norman Bates the way Anthony Perkins did.

Janet Leigh did a pretty decent job as Marion. She’s not in it very long, but she does leave a lasting impression.

Vera Miles played Lila in Psycho. Vera Miles’s acting didn’t really impress me. I didn’t get the impression that she really cared that her sister was missing. Lila also didn’t seem like she liked Sam either and he’s supposed to be her sister’s boyfriend. Maybe if she wasn’t frowning throughout the movie, it would have been easier to tell if she were worried about Marion.

John Gavin played Sam. His acting wasn’t anything to write home about. I thought he was wooden in his role. I read that Alfred Hitchcock had a problem with his acting too. I wonder why he left him in the movie.

Martin Balsam played Arbogast. He was an investigator in the movie. I thought he did a good job in his role. He’s not in the movie very long though.

I thought Simon Oakland, the psychiatrist, was over the top. He was really yelling when he was explaining what was happening. He was acting as if he was on a stage instead of in a movie.

The Shower scene

This is the big scene where Marion gets it. It’s one of the most memorable deaths in horror movie history. The shower scene is dated by today’s standards, but it’s still memorable. When the movie was new, it probably scared a lot of people out of taking showers. Horror movies don’t have death scenes like that anymore.

Here are some things I learned from watching Psycho:

Don’t go to an empty motel. You may find a psycho killer there.

Don’t steal from your boss. You may not get caught, but you may get killed.

Don’t act suspicious when you trade in your car. If you don’t want anyone to think that you’re a criminal, don’t act suspicious.

When you want to investigate something, don’t go alone. This may cost you your life. When Arbogast went back to the motel to check things out, he went by himself. I think you know what ended up happening to him.

If you don’t want anyone to sneak into your house, you should consider locking your door. Norman left the door to his house open. This allowed people to walk in very easily.

]]> Mon, 16 Oct 2006 07:56:47 PST