Psycho. The film is one of a kind mainly due to the amazing amount of suspense that is drilled into it. Hitchcock skilfully manipulates and guides the audience into thinking what he wants them to

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Peter Neal – 10HD                 Psycho assessment        

Psycho

Psycho, originally released in 1957 as a novel written by Robert Bloch, is now better known as a film by the true master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. The version was first viewed by the audience on a big screen in 1960. Taking on the role of the editor and director, he created a film that merely survived the censorship laws. In the course of making the film he broke all film conventions at the time by displaying its leading female having lunch in her white undergarments in the first scene. Next there was the shot of a toilet, and flush, inside a bathroom. And finally killing off the star of the show, Janet Leigh, a third of the way through the film, but because of the experience and wit of Hitchcock, the film went ahead with only few complaints.

     The film is one of a kind mainly due to the amazing amount of suspense that is drilled into it. Hitchcock skilfully manipulates and guides the audience into thinking what he wants them to think by using music, camera angles and mise en scene, creating the atmosphere it is famous for. The music he uses can be generally described as non-diagetic sounds because they sound out of tune, shrill and discordant making the audience feel very uneasy. Sometimes Hitchcock lures the audience into a false sense of security by using calm, gentle and relaxing music before a sudden event that is launched upon the unsuspecting audience leaving them on the edge of their seats and wanting more.

In the first scene the audience suspects a change in events, they hear a gradual change in music, as the tempo gets faster and faster the audience gets more and more enthralled as the event draws closer. An example of this is the build up to Marion crossing the path of her boss on the way out of town, when she was meant to be at home because of a headache. The music reflects the tension of the character, which in turn the audience can also feel through the discordant sounds. Although at times of high tension that involve dialog the music is pushed aside to make way for the silence that is broken only by the sound of the characters voices. At these points the music is not needed because the audience is deeply mesmerised by the dialog they are hearing.

     The other purpose that this scene fulfils is it manipulates the audience into thinking that the film is all about the $40,000 that Marion has stolen.  Hitchcock does this by showing that her employer is suspicious of her and thinks that she may have the money.  Hitchcock also follows up this ‘red herring’ by having a policeman follow her who is also clearly highly suspicious of the women.

    Marion is found asleep on the front seat of her car by the passing policeman. She immediately seems edgy, suspicious and scared which are passed to the audience through the clever camera angles that the director uses. He purposefully uses close ups that magnify Marion’s emotions through her facial expressions making it easier for the audience feel the emotions he wants them to feel. However he hides the emotions of the policeman by hiding his eyes behind his sunglasses creating suspense amongst the audience because they are unable to see how he reacts to Marian’s excuses. However it is clear to the audience that the policeman suspects the driver due to the questions he asks and the reaction of Marion to them.

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     She arrives at the car dealership with the main intention of swapping the car to loose the policeman. She is met by the car salesman who immediately says, “I don’t want any trouble ma’am”, she looks worried and replies in a panicky, innocent manner, “You know what they say; the first customer of the day is always trouble”. The music relaxes as does Marion. This comment by the car salesman is dramatic irony used by the director to keep the audience interested. It is ironic due to the fact that she is trouble and the salesman does not ...

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