Alfred Hitchcock's filmography boasts approximately 57 films that he directed during his illustrious career. In 1960, he directed perhaps his greatest film of all.
Following in the wonderful tradition of Hitchcock films laid down by "North by Northwest," "Dial M for Murder," "Vertigo," "Rope" and so many more films, "Psycho" attacks important questions about the human mind -- its eccentricities, its demons and its triumphs.
Couple that with what Paul Beckley of the New York Herald Tribune called, "Dialogue [that] has its ironic twists, and ... flashes of humor like somebody laughing in a graveyard," and one has a film worthy of being called a classic.
Shot in black-and-white after Hitchcock's brief switch over to color, "Psycho" ranks among the most famous and critically acclaimed films of all time.
It is very difficult to discuss the film without revealing its hidden secrets. Hitchcock himself felt it was so important to keep the ending a secret that, when he anonymously bought the rights to Robert Bloch's novel for $9,000, he also bought up as many copies as possible of the book in print.
Not wanting to incur the wrath of the late artist, this writer will steer away from the film's secret. While 'Psycho' may be a film of the thriller genre, it may surprise some to know that there is not one frame of footage in this film depicting violence directly.
Rather, with beautiful filming and editing that turns the style of montage into a pure art form, Hitchcock managed to create a film that leaves the unwary viewer shivering in his or her seat.
The story begins by introducing Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), an office worker in Phoenix who is tired of meeting her lover Sam Loomis (John Gavin) during her lunch breaks for "quickies."
She knows she and Sam cannot afford to get married, as most of his money is spent on alimony checks. So when fortune shines upon her in the form of $40,000 in cash, Marion succumbs to temptation, steals the money, and begins her long drive to Sam's store in California.
After several tense incidents during the trip and pestering feelings of guilt, Marion decides to spend the night at a motel before heading back to Phoenix to set things straight.
The performance by Anthony Perkins as the mild-mannered but curious Norman Bates has been described in Variety Magazine as a "remarkably effective in-a-dream kind of performance."
Perkins appears to be dominated by his mother, who lives in the mansion on the hill overlooking the Bates Motel. In a late night chat between Norman and Marion, the audience gains a little insight into the difficult choices each individual must face.
Incidentally, the mansion is a copy of a house depicted in American painter Edward Hopper's 1925 painting "House by the Railroad."
There is not a student on campus who has not heard of Hitchcock's "Psycho," and tonight will be another opportunity to view this work. After the film, many of those students may think twice about that shower tomorrow morning.
