Film Review - Psycho

Psycho is a 1960 horror-thriller hybrid directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The story start off by following the 'heroine', Marion Crane, who steals some money and runs with it, planning to reunite with her boyfriend in another town. However, Marion never makes it to her destination as she is murdered in a hotel room, and the rest of the movie is spent trying to figure out where Marion is and who murdered her.

Fig. 1

One of the most interesting features of Psycho is that "Hitchcock's care with the scenes and dialog persuades us that Norman and Marion will be players for the rest of the film." (Ebert, 1998). However, 45 minutes into the film, our protagonist is killed off, leaving the viewer disorientated and confused. After following the story of this woman for nearly an hour, the direction that the film is going in drastically changes, which is what Hitchcock planned all along.

Fig. 2

Hitchcock's tactic for this film seems to be "slow buildups to sudden shocks" (Crowther, 1960), which works effectively, and is assisted by the use of camera shots. There are some masterful shots hidden in Psycho, like one particular scene where a private investigator is questioning Norman, and the camera focuses in on his neck. Using this shot really shows Norman's vulnerability and nervousness at being questioned because he is hiding the truth from the investigator. Hitchcock really focuses on where the camera is pointing and why, and this really pays off throughout the film.

Fig. 3

Not only are the camera shots something to focus on in Psycho, the music is celebrated also. The "stabbing string score" (Monahan, 2015) in the shower scene where Marion is killed unsettles the viewer and frightens them, even though there aren't actually any real signs of violence: the knife never makes contact with Marion's body, there isn't much blood, and there is never any sign of real wounds. This scene is iconic in the way it portrays the murder with no real violence, but terrifying music that leaves the audience on the edge of their seats.

Fig. 4

In conclusion, the making of Psycho has obviously been thought out very thoroughly, from the story, to the camera, and to the music. Hitchcock has made a stunning adaptation of Robert Bloch's original book that has been celebrated over the years.

Bibliography

Crowther, B (1960). "Psycho" in The New York Times [online]. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF173DE273BC4F52DFB066838B679EDE

Ebert, R (1998) "Psycho" in Roger Ebert [online]. Available at: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-psycho-1960

Monahan, M (2015) "Psycho, review" in The Telegraph [online]. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11025424/Psycho-review.html

Illustration List

Fig. 1 - https://johneaves.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/psycho-theatrical-release-poster-1960.jpg

Fig. 2 - http://www.coolimba.com/engine/static/articles/48-huge-mistakes-no-one-ever-noticed-in-major-movies-ge-bho/images/police_officer_marion_driving.jpg

Fig. 3 - https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9sahprCcFLRhBr3mCR02PfV4VQ7BSWk2qBMwI-HM4hkpPyf1BnubTEurdeFs-ucLj6Y9xYs1aIwcOhO-OYPWT-J2gVQJf7TbvlWdZQkgcVCLi3mMr-WC9YUehDRnSM0rmCtvyqFE6mvb/s1600/Psycho+7+Jaw.jpg

Fig. 4 - https://cdn.static-economist.com/sites/default/files/20171104_BKP509.jpg

Film Review - La Jetée

Le Jetée, made in 1962 by Chris Marker, is a very matter-of-fact film about time travel, told through picture instead of animation. Although it may not look like much to a modern audience, the film has been a large influence in movie culture, inspiring many other films after it, like Back to The Future or Star Trek.

Fig. 1

Like a moving storyboard, Marker only uses the essential pictures to tell his story. The lack of movement can be disconcerting at first, but as the film progresses it is obvious that the photographs are just a unique, creative way of telling a remarkable story. Unlocking the "poetic possibilities" (Scott, 2012) of time travel was essential to the short film's success, and gave it the influence it still has on other film makers today.

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The sound is La Jetée is utilised well to enhance the pictures on the screen. "The film uses sound and visuals together to explore the concept of movement" (Ignoramus, 2018). Despite not having any movement in the movie (apart from in one short scene), La Jetée doesn't come across as being unfinished, or having anything missing. The audience begins to get used to the new format, and can almost fill in the gaps themselves. The sound helps incredibly with this. When in an underground scene where the main character is being used as a guinea pig for time travel, the harsh whispers in the background makes the picture seem even more alive, almost as if you were standing in the scene yourself.

Not only are the photographs and sound remarkable in the film, but the story is also inspiring, and creates "meaning and an emotional connection" (Buchman, 2015) to the main character. The twist at the end is poignant to the audience, and leaves them thoughtful, perhaps sad for the time traveller. La Jetée is a well thought out and delicate film that uses unconventional methods to make a story come to life.

Fig. 3

Bibliography

Buchman, M (2015). "Classic Films: La Jetée" in Nerdist [online]. Available at: https://nerdist.com/classic-films-la-jetee/

Ignoramus, L (2018). "Chris Marker’s La Jetée Analysis: Mortality and the Illusion of Time" [online]. Available at: http://filmslie.com/chris-marker-la-jetee-analysis-temporality/

Scott, A (2012). "What ‘Back to the Future’ and ‘Terminator’ Owe to ‘La Jetée’" in The New York Times [online]. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/magazine/la-jetee.html

Illustration List

Fig. 1 - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f7/La_Jetee_Poster.jpg/220px-La_Jetee_Poster.jpg

Fig. 2 - https://nerdist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/lajetee6_090515.jpg

Fig. 3 - https://wolfmanscultfilmclub.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/la-jetc3a9e-1962-man-and-woman-the-jetty-airport.jpg?w=1100