Psycho (Collector's Edition)

XXXXX

Early in this movie the viewer is told that a boy's best friend is his mother. Is this true??

This movie is a suspense/horror/the first psychoanalytic thriller directed by the "master of suspense" himself, Alfred Hitchcock. It is based on the novel "Psycho" by Robert Bloch, which in turn was inspired by the crimes of Wisconsin murderer Ed Gein.

Briefly, this film depicts the encounter between secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) who is hiding in a motel after embezzling from her employer, and the motel's owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), and the aftermath of their encounter.

Look for Hitchcock's traditional cameo that appears early in the story. (Note that it is difficult to find.)

The now famous motel mentioned in the summary above is called the "Bates Motel." It's sign is first seen just over 24 minutes into the movie. We learn later that business is bad at the Bates' Motel since it has "twelve cabins, twelve vacancies."

About 28 minutes into the movie, we encounter Norman Bates. He lives with his mean, emotionally unstable, possessive, invalid mother in a now famous sinister-looking house (dubbed the Bates' Mansion) on top of a hill near the motel. His hobby: taxidermy (that is, "stuffing things."). He also stutters when under pressure.

This movie has several scenes that are legendary but perhaps the most famous is the shower scene. It occurs 46 minutes into the movie. This unforgettable scene took seven days to film and required about seventy camera set-ups. It lasts three minutes.

The performance given by Anthony Perkins (as Norman Bates) is incredible. Janet Leigh (as Marion Crane) also gives a decent performance. In fact, both performances were so good that they both suffered from typecasting after this movie was released. (Also look for Hitchcock's daughter Patricia and Ted Knight, best known for "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," in bit parts.)

This movie is open to many interpretations especially psychoanalytic ones. For example, the Bates' Mansion has three floors paralleling the three levels that psychoanalysis attributes to the human mind: (1) superego (first floor) (2) ego (ground floor) (3) id (basement).

The background music is incredible. It effectively adds to each scene.

This movie had four Academy Award nominations. It also spawned several sequels and a remake, all of which are generally seen as works of lesser quality.

Finally, the DVD itself (the one released Oct. 2008) is perfect in picture and sound quality. It has many interesting extras.

In conclusion, you have to see this movie to see why it's regarded as one of Hitchcock's best films and highly praised as a work of cinematic art by international critics!!

(1960; 1 hr, 50 min; wide screen; black and white; 27 scenes)

<>

XXXXX

2008-12-03

I have never forgotten this movie from the first time I saw it in a theater. The shower scene scared me along with a lot of others there. At the time I had a Ford like Janet Leigh drove in the movie and would not open the trunk for a couple of weeks. I have it on tape and just had to add the Special Edition to my DVD collection of Hitchcock movies. It is one of his best. The fools that thought they could remake this movie were nuts. Part of what makes the movie so good is that it is in black and white. Besides no one can out do the master when it comes to mystery and the way he seemed to know the best actors for the roles. No one was as good at playing a Psycho as Tony Perkins.

I'd been waiting to buy Psycho until a worthy special edition came along, and i'm glad i did. This has just about anything you'd want to know about the movie and a great transfer to boot. Even after knowing all of the secrets about the movie, it still packs quite a punch.

"Mr. Hitchcock, because of your movie, my daughter is afraid to take a shower"

"You may have her dry cleaned"

That was Hitchcock's response to a mother who was concerned about her daughter's reaction to his film Psycho. This is a film that really affects the viewer. It's the first modern film on the subject of the psychotic killer. Its' narrative is one of the most influential in the genre of suspense and horror. The shower scene alone is proof of its' merit. It set a new standard for editing.

After the first release of Psycho on DVD,the disc istself was crammed with wonderful features.Now under Universal Legacy it got released once again-but be warned-The film itself looks better,but not marginally.The Features are exact the same with the exception of a new Audio Commenatary and two new docs.As a Special Bonus you get the classic episode of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS : A LAMB FOR THE SLAUGHTER.So decide for yourself:If you haven't own the first release this is the one to buy.Otherwise save your dollars.