Watching Psycho on the new 50th Anniversary Blu-ray was an eye-opening experience. The film has been restored to a beautiful sharp picture. The whites, grays and blacks shimmer in wonderful contrast. Hitchcock toyed with the use of light and shadow in this movie and over the years most of what took place in the darker scenes was washed out and could not be seen. Distinct details, from the blood splatter in the shower, to the pores in peoples faces are put in sharp relief. But the film still retains the feel of celluloid, rather than some high -def production. You have not seen Psycho until you have seen it in HD.
Hitchcock and Psycho can never be separated. It is the director's most celebrated film. If you ask people for a Hitchcock film, they will respond with Psycho. Yet it is one of his most atypical films. He does not have a cast of really big stars. There is no theme of romance during times of danger, typical of all his films. There is no big ending in a public place, such as Mount Rushmore or the Statue of Liberty. With Psycho Hitchcock wanted to take is art in a completely different direction. By doing so he created one of the most famous movies, and infamous scenes in movie history.
I have seen the film so many times its hard to remember what it was like to see it with its secrets still intact. The movie is now such a part of pop culture I wonder if the movie can find new audiences that don't the terrible truths the movie contains. I envy anyone who gets to experience Psycho for the first time, with no fore knowledge of what is to come.
The film is a masterpiece that almost didn't get made. paramount Studios fought Hitchcock every step of the way. He ended up having to use the Universal back lot to build his sets, which have since become major tourist attractions. He financed it himself and forgo his usual salary for a 60% share of the gross. The film made him a rich man. He had to fight the Hollywood production code for such scenes as the toilet flushing and of course the infamous shower scene. He ended up breaking many Hollywood taboos and Psycho opened the flood gates for all the slasher films that would follow. Everything from Halloween to the slasher porn popular today owes its roots to Psycho.
Psycho was not well received by the critics. The NY Times critic Bosley Crowther panned it. A critic for the London Observer walked out before it was over and quit her job. Time magazine hated it. Newsweek and Esquire dismissed it. Many questioned Hitchcock's taste and judgement.
But the public loved it. Thanks to the new "no admittance policy" lines for the film formed around the block. It broke box office records in both the U.S, and the U.K.. The film was an enormous hit and became the highest grossing film Hitchcock ever made. Both the N.Y. Times and Time magazine gave the film a fresh look and lauded it with positive reviews. Since it's release the American Film Institute has named it among the top 20 greatest American films ever made. It received four Academy Award nominations and has gone on to have a lasting cultural impact.
In the 1980's Universal produced a sequel, Psycho II, that was a critical and financial successful. This led to two more sequels, Psycho III and Psycho IV: The Beginning, all of lesser quality, and then a failed pilot for a TV series called Bates Motel. In 1998 director Gus Van Zant made a shot by shot remake of Psycho in color. An interesting exercise, but why watch a clone when you can see the original.
If you get a chance I highly recommend you view Psycho in the new HD Blu-ray.
At the movie House rating **** stars
8 comments:
Mr. Moviehouse, I was wondering...Your review says (paraphrase) that Psycho spawned the slasher genre. Were there movies before Psycho that
Hitchkock got ideas from? One in particular I am thinking of was a movie called Dementia. I have seen that film and though it was a tad boring, it did bring in the elements of a madman with a surprise ending and a thrilling one word title (I think it was an English film)...I believe Dementia had a famous director too. Anyway, nice job on the review, I enjoyed the part about how it was initially panned and then the Times came to a new opinion, I wish they wopuld do the same with their Editorials.
There is a film called Dementia aka Daughter of Horror about a woman who may or may not be insane and who may or may not have killed peopel. it is from 1955 and directed by John Parker. Is this the film you are thinking of?
It has no dialogue, just narraration and was filmed in black and white. It probably most famous as the movie playing when The Blob invades the theatre.
Psycho is considered the first "slasher" film. A knife weilding manaic that kills people. Everything from texas Chainsaw massacre to the Friday the 13th movies to Scream can find its roots in Psycho.
It broke production code taboos and showed the actual murder on screen in violent detail. This was a first for a Hollywood film. Some European films were also doing this kind of thing but because of censorship laws they received little exhibition in the U.S. during the time of their original release.
That does not sound like the movie I saw. It was a one word title and it was a black and white film set in the English countryside where a maniac is killing off the family and workers on the property. It concerned some brothers and evil sister in law. The mother was in perpetual grief due to the death many years earlier of child. the film did have dialogue. It may very well be one of the european slasher films you refer to. for some reason I think a very famous director was involved with it. Again, it was one of those one word titles, might have begun with a C...i actually picked up a double feature DVD with Carnval of Souls and this other movie. Can you think of anything along these lines...By the way, I remember seeing it reviewed on one of those Halloween Top 100 horro films of all time....what is another word for maniac that begins with "C", that is the title
Perhaps you are thinking of Dementia 13 written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola in 1963. It starred patrick magee who was in one of my favorites, Tales From the Crypt
Mr. MH...Did you ever see a movie called "Suspiria"?...I think it ios real scary
I got it!...It is called "Dementia 13" and the director was....drum roll....Frances Ford Coppolla!!!
Yes I have seen Suspiria. It was directed by Dario Argento an Italian horror film maker. He also made The cat O' Nine tails and The Bird With the Crystal Plummage. Two films I may be screening this week.
Cat O Ninw Tails...now that takes me back...If I am not mistaken, it had a boobie scene...starred that guy who late rplayed a blind detective...had a great scene of a guy geting hit by a train...I remember it weirded me out as a kid when I saw it in the movies, but i never understood what it was about...a viewing today would probably reveasl that it was stupid
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