Historical Analysis Of Psycho

A Historical Analysis of Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' (1960)

Based on the 1959 novel by Robert Bloch, Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' has been the subject of debate amongst historians since its release in 1960. It has been claimed that the film's production values, marketing and content has had a profound effect on the film industry. This essay intends to explore the ways in which 'Psycho' achieved such critical acclaim and helped to secure the director's reputation as 'the Master of Suspense'.

Prior to working on 'Psycho', Alfred Hitchcock had already established himself as an accomplished director with such thrillers as 'Strangers On A Train' (1951), 'Vertigo' (1958) and 'North By Northwest' (1959). However, after a string of high-budget flops, Hitchcock decided to change his tactics.

"He wanted to prove that he could make a successful film on a low budget. He had grown critical of his 'glossy Technicolor baubles', and recognised that cinema audiences wanted something grittier, more adult"

(Marriott, J. (2004) 'Horror Films', 1st ed. London : Virgin Books Ltd. pg 71)

With this in mind, Hitchcock was attracted to the themes presented in Robert Bloch's novel, 'Psycho'. However, due to its violent content, Hitchcock had difficulties in marketing the idea to producers and distributors and had not been able to secure any funding for the film. This did not deter the director in realising his project.

"Since producers were reluctant to make the lurid black-and-white thriller 'Psycho', Wasserman arranged for Hitchcock to help finance the film in exchange for 60 percent of the profits."

(Thompson, K & Bordwell, D. (2003) 'Film History - An Introduction' 2nd ed. New York : McGraw-Hill. pg 337)

Paramount Pictures accepted this agreement, however they stipulated that 'Psycho' would not to be made in Technicolor. Of course, due to the nature of the project, this suited Hitchcock's intentions. As discussed in Donald Spoto's book 'The Dark Side Of Genius', 'Psycho' was made on a budget of $800,000. In order to save money, Hitchcock opted to use the studio and crew of his television series, 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' and his reputation was able to secure the stars of the film at lower rates.

"Anthony Perkins owed Paramount a picture, and he could be signed at a reasonable fee, as could Janet Leigh (who, like Perkins, was eager to work for Hitchcock)"

(Spoto, D. (1994) 'The Dark Side Of Genius' 1st ed. London : Plexus Publishing. pg 416 )

The content of 'Psycho' was a subject of controversy and was ground-breaking in its efforts. The infamous shower scene in which Janet Leigh's character, Marion, is brutally murdered while taking a shower outraged the censors. The scene challenged the boundaries of nudity on screen, and depicted a vicious act scarcely seen before in mainstream Hollywood cinema. However, the scene was carefully edited and consisted of 34 shots over 25 seconds, and does not actually contain any graphic violent content. As historian, Warren Buckland indicates:

"The scene continually cuts from Marion Crane in the shower to Norman's 'mother' wielding a knife. The shots do not contain images of Marion being cut or stabbed by the knife. Nonetheless, the rhythm of the cutting creates a meaning that goes behind the literal content of the images - Marion's murder"

(Buckland, W. (2003) 'Film Studies' 2nd ed. New York : McGraw-Hill. pg 27)

However, not only this aspect of the scene had worried the Motion Picture Association of America. They were also concerned about the nudity contained within the scene. They claimed that during the shower scene, a nipple was clearly visible. Upon their initial viewing of 'Psycho', the censors were appalled. But, as historian James Marriott discusses, the scene's clever editing only gives the impression of nudity.

"The sequence was not only shocking but titillating. When the initial cut was sent to the MPAA, they demanded that the nudity be removed from the sequence: Hitchcock simply repackaged the film and sent it back, whereupon it was accepted"

(Marriott, J. (2004) 'Horror Films' 1st ed. London : Virgin Books Ltd. pg 76)

In addition to this, 'Psycho' contains a scene in which a toilet is clearly seen and heard to be flushed. This was something never before seen in mainstream Hollywood cinema. Donald Spoto discusses this issue at length.

"But it was not the brutality of [the shower] sequence that caused alarm at Paramount: it was the unprecedented shot (and sound) of a toilet being flushed."

(Spoto, D. (1994) 'The Dark Side Of Genius' 1st ed. London : Plexus Publishing. pg 419-420)

Spoto argues that although 'Psycho' was bold and rich in content, Hitchcock considered this shot as the boldest part of the movie. In this way, it can be argued Hitchcock was elemental in pushing the boundaries of censorship in the 1960's.

In the build-up to the release of 'Psycho', Hitchcock's marketing techniques were important in shaping the way in which cinema-goers behave today. Donald Spoto documents how Hitchcock imposed contractual agreements on exhibitors, ensuring that nobody would be admitted to a screening of 'Psycho' after the film had started. Until this time, cinema-goers were able to wander in and out of a film at any time.

"As part of Hitchcock's desire to direct the audience more than the actors, he insisted that when 'Psycho' was released, no one be allowed into the theatre once the film began."

(Spoto, D. (1994) 'The Dark Side Of Genius' 1st ed. London : Plexus Publishing. pg 420)

In addition to this, the promotional material for 'Psycho' reinforced this message with the tagline, "No one... BUT NO ONE... will be admitted to the theatre after the start of each performance of Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho'." This technique has been recognised by historians as significant in disciplining audiences to behave the way they do today.

The promotional material for 'Psycho' also included a six and a half minute