Film of the Week #54 - Psycho

Karl Hungus

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/

Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 masterpiece.

Discuss.

CrazyTalk

Surprised it took so long for this to appear. I'm I only watched this the whole way through when I was old enough to appreciate it, rather then the way I was when I was a kid, as in 'omg this isnt scary at all'. Great cinematography, great music. Overall, very worthy of its reputation.

senordingdong

Good film.
I wonder how the whole cross dressing thing was recieved in America back then though.

johnny_ultimate

While certain aspects of the film have aged slightly (

some of the cross dressing moments seem a bit OTT these days

) overall it is still an enjoyable film to watch. Some of Hitchcock's direction is fantastic: the iconic shower scene, for example,

or having the main character dispatched half way through

I'd still go to the Birds for Hitchcock thrills though. Now that's a freaky little film.

Full_Circle

I hate to admit it, but this is only the second Hitchcock film I've ever seen :eek: but I absolutely loved it. For some crazy reason, I always had the notion in my head that all black and white movies would be too tame (in todays liberal world), but then you have that opening scene was a woman wearing only her delicates, clearly having just engaged in "relations" with a man

The rest of the film continued to surprise......

The fact that the lead was actually a criminal, then to kill her off in the middle (which, even though i knew it was coming, was still kind of shocking!)

Overall, it was a much darker film than I had expected and I think extremely progressive for its time. Oh and the music by Bernstein has to get a special mention too. It was MUCH more than just the "deee deee deee....... duuum, da duuuum" in the shower scene!!

senordingdong

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I'd still go to the Birds for Hitchcock thrills though. Now that's a freaky little film.

As awesome as that was, I'll never be able to look at it again after the 'Working Class' skit they did on Big Train.

Declan A Walsh

Great that "Psycho" finally made the list. I think it deserves it for Alfred Hitchcock's direction - the shower scene and its genuinely scary and unsettling atmosphere. Also, Anthony Perkins deserves praise for his wonderful central performance. Indeed, the musical score plays an important role in reinforcing the mood of the film.

Yep, truly delighted!

faceman

Hitchcock was one of the greatest directors of all time, an auteur of the highest calibre. He was known for being notorious on set, makes michael bay and jim cameron look like schoolgirls.

Pyscho even by today's standards holds it own in terms of suspense and thrills. The shock of killing your leading lady early on in the film was unheard of at the time (slight homage to it in Scream when barrymore died in the opening)

They dont make em like the used to!

pickarooney

faceman wrote: »

They dont make em like the used to!

Except for Gus van Sant, who makes them exactly like they used to, albeit without any of the quality of the original.

One of Hitchcock's best works, no doubt, and a performance from Perkins that would forever associate him with one of the most memorable villains in cinema history, somewhat to the detriment of a fine and versatile actor.

faceman

pickarooney wrote: »

Except for Gus van Sant, who makes them exactly like they used to, albeit without any of the quality of the original.

Not exactly. Van Sant didnt use an A list actress and he also changed the motive of the voyeur scene.

Wacker

About time this got the win. It awesome. I a bit of a Hitchcock nut (not as much as ome though), and I consider it to be his best.
I saw it for the first time just about one year ago, and it was made so much better because I'd somehow never heard the twist. I had never before seen the appeal of horror movies before, as I take no pleasure in being scared. This was the first film which made me enjoy the fear, especially the two scenes with characters walking around in the Bates house (the detective, and then the sister).
The moment when the chair is turned around in the fruit cellar always manages to invoke some kind of fear-orgasm in me. I just can't handle any more than that!

ehhowaya

got a big set of his DVDs for Crimbo, love Hitchcock, watched the birds the other night, freaky! love it! Psycho is such an amazing film! love it

Fav Htchcock film has to be Rear Window though! Grace Kelly was one sexy lady!

Wacker

ehhowaya wrote: »

Grace Kelly was one sexy lady!

Yep. I actually love that woman. Yiu have to see To Catch a Thief! Her sexiest momment is in that film, even if her overall performance is sexier in Rear Window.

The Wicker Man

Still scares the b****x out of me to this day. Can you imagine how that movie must have resonated with the cinema audience of 1960 ?!