In the world of cinema, there’s almost always a discussion regarding what scenes would be suitable for the grasping imagination of any audience, young or old. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film, Psycho, sparked a plug for the movie industry as it was the first movie of its kind to display such graphic scenes of sex and violence to a worldwide audience. In the article, “Psycho at Fifty: Pure Cinema or Invitation to an Orgy?” by John A. Bertolini, he describes how the images and scenes throughout the whole movie and its more arguable parts are what made the film stick with the imagination of Hitchcock’s audience. He goes on to give an explanation of how Hitchcock is as well one of few directors who is able to mix a little humor to go along with his vicious plot. Bertolini speculates that the audience was thrown off by savagery depicted in this film and more concerned with the emotions that were created by Hitchcock’s movie. He also outlines how much controversy the film created Psycho by stating how it, “reflected the changes at work in the larger society, especially the increasing insiste...
Analyse the Techniques Used by Hitchcock To Create and Maintain Suspense In his Film Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock manipulates the camera to draw the attention of the audience, in the 1960’s thriller, Psycho. The credits abruptly appear on the screen, as though the lines are stabbing at something. The words are white text against a plain black background. This symbolises the dark being the dominant colour, but still creates a visual binary opposition. The word ‘Psycho’ is contorted and indecipherable, having been displayed over more than one of the horizontal lines foreshadowing the confusion later on in the film. They accentuate that something extreme will happen and sub-consciously raise the viewer’s awareness of events that could proceed to happen.
Film Analysis of Psycho When ‘Psycho’ was first screened in New York on 16th June 1960, it was
The movie Psycho was created in 1960, and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This film has many meaningful moments behind it, which all lead up to a shocking yet interesting twist for an ending. Many clips corresponded well with Bill Nichols thoughts, and opinions on how “Every movie is a Documentary.” By comparing both the Nichols reading, and the film Psycho, it is easy to see that this film is a wish-fulfillment documentary. This film shows what could be a scary reality in many people’s lives. It gives us examples of what could be our deepest nightmares and dreads, influences an opinion over people who have multiple personalities, and even feeds some people’s interests.
Alfred Hitchcock is known for his masters of works in the film industry. The film he is most famous for is Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock`s Psycho was critically acclaimed not only in the horror genre but within the entire film scene. It encompasses several key themes, which are portrayed through cinematic devices such as camera movement and sound, sound, lighting and costume and set design. The subject of madness becomes increasingly evident as the film progresses, centering on the peculiar character that is Norman Bates.
It may seem tame now compared to modern day horror movie killers, but at the time it was a revelation. Also it was so different from classical narrative tradition, it was the forerunner of modern filmmaking style that is films as emotional events. So, now I hope you understand why Alfred Hitchcock's ''Psycho'' broke new ground. But not only did it break new ground, it changed the film world Forever.
Throughout history the way we live, the way we interact with other people and the way and reason we create art has been carefully structured by countless factors that we encounter every day of our lives. Many of these factors can be grouped together and categorised as 'Psychogeography', the term coined by French theorist Guy Debord in 1955. Debord's definition described the term as 'the study of specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organised or not, on the emotions & behaviour of individuals’(1), in his work he deeply considered the effects that physical structure in the environment has on the way humans interact with each other and the space they inhabit. Guy Debord was a part of an organization that encouraged and supported the ideas of like minded artists, theorists and intellectuals called the 'Situationist International' (SI), whose ideologies were of prioritising the study and discussion of real life; temporal subjects that concerned modern society. A principle cultivated by the SI that closely relates to psychogeography is the idea of dérive ("drift"). Debord illustrates the theory of dérive as an environmental distraction, 'In a dérive one or more persons during a certain period drop their usual motives for movement and action, their relations, their work and leisure activities, and let themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they find there'(2). Dérive alludes that when humans detect changes in elements of our geographical surroundings natural instinct causes us to change our paths. Debord also describes the act of dérive in a way that connotes the idea of invisible auras that surround individual locations, "The sudden change of ambiance in a street within the spa...
Hitchcock used the subjective view of the two characters to put the audience into the same position and mindset of these voyeurs. This was used to create an uneasiness through the spying of vulnerable people. The ability to be a voyeur for the audience turns on us toward the end of both films through the breaking of the fourth wall. In Rear Window, Thorwald looks straight into the camera when he Lisa unintentionally endangers Jeff when she was pointing oddly at the ring. The glare he gives causes the audience to feel the same threat that Jeff is now under. In Psycho, when Norman/ “mother” is at the police station covered by the blanket, they are sitting there with her telling how she is harmless and that it was all Norman. Leading to her to look up straight into the camera audience, forcing them to feel the chilling glare of a
In Alfred Hitchcock’s famous “slasher” movie, Psycho, the audience is introduced to Norman Bates. Like many ot...
While Alfred Hitchcock is most well known for causing his audiences to feel fear, there is more to his movies then that. The themes of inadequateness of the police, control of all details in his films, and long stretches of no dialogue are prevalent in several of his films. He does not just happen to do these things by chance, but they are all related to things that happened to him during his childhood and his early career. No one can escape their past and not let it influence at least part of their life, and Alfred Hitchcock was no exception.
The film Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) is an interesting film with many small details that help shape the film in to award winning masterpiece it is. The mise-en-scène is something that can go overlooked, but is very vital in understanding the meaning of the film. According to the book Film Art, mise-en-scène is all of the elements in front of the camera to be photographed, and because of that, this film technique is one that viewers notice most (p. 112). So this includes things like characters, props, nature and even behavior. Motifs and symbolism are prominent throughout the entire movie. They both help develop the plot either by continuously appearing throughout the film or by having a specific meaning that is a lot deeper than what it looks like on the surface. The mise-en-scène, especially motifs and symbolism, of Psycho plays a huge role in helping convey the meaning of the film.
Social psychology is a scientific study that studies how people think, feel, and how they behave under the influence of other people (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2013, p. 2). Thinking about what social influence really means, we tend to think of a person who tries to persuade another person to acting a certain way. It can be a form of peer pressure, like taking that first puff of a cigarette, or it can be conforming to popular societal views, such as obeying the law of the land. Fiction is a great way to learn about social psychological perspectives. Watching popular theatrical films is the perfect way to learn because it illustrates the application of many perceptions within the subject of social psychology.
“Art is emotion. The use of film, I say, putting it together, and making it have an affect on an audience is the main function of film,’ said Alfred Hitchcock, in the CBC interview. (Hitchcock, A Talk with Hitchcock.) The movies have been a big part of culture since it was invented. Though, every film is not good, all may be somewhat impactful. Alfred Hitchcock, a man that has directed many big movies, couldn’t have known the impact of one of the most shocking and controversial movie ever. Hitchcock’s Psycho effected the way the current entertainment industry shows mental health, sexuality, suspense, and awareness in culture. With amazing violence and suggestive sexual content, the movie crossed some censorship lines. Arguably Hitchcock’s largest hit, still lives in current media today.
Psycho showed us that the monster of a film does not have to be creature or some sort of humanoid in order to strike fear into an audience. Psycho used the darkness that resides within both man and woman in order to drive his plot line. A seemingly innocent woman can be a thief, conning thousands of dollars from her very own job. Norman, while quirky, lacks immediate intimidation and does not invoke fear on first sight. He seems to be a lonely man who never found a wife and life who is ruled by his “mother.” While appearing harmless, mental instability ruled his life, rendering him capable of cold blooded murder. This movie showed us the horror and the painful lifestyle that the mentally unstable endure, a topic not often
There are many types of diverse people classified under various categories. Some people have different types of personalities. They could be classified as extremely manipulative, others as impulsive, and some may not show anything on the outside and have wonderful social skills. These categories help in the understanding of humans. This study is called Psychology and there are many different subfields in this diverse study of the people around us. One subfield that is particularly interesting is personality psychology. Personality psychology is a branch of psychology that studies personality and its variation between individuals.