How "Psycho" shows a sharp contrast to what is expected of an individual suffering from a mental condition

Question 1 

Anthony Perkins’ portrayal of Norman is considered as being one of the best performances of all times attributed to the fact that he is able to showcase multiple characters in one allowing for the projection of an innocent, good guy image yet can also be seen as being murderous. Perkins is able to build on his character in a manner that is effective in the portrayal of the “mother personality.”

Perkins is able to crack a rather effective posture allowing him to bring the character of Norman to life considering that he is able to crack and shatter the idea of having double personalities. That means that is able to build on two different personalities within the same character through his mannerisms, speech patterns, and dialogue to suggest that indeed he is able to portray himself as having a close connection to the character.

Hitchcock is able to draw his audience within the story of ‘Psycho’ by seeking to create an element of suspense with regard to who is the killer, as the killer is not known until the very last scenes of the film (Phillips, 2009). That means that the audience is able to resonate with the dangers as a way of trying to piece together information towards identifying the killer.

Hitchcock ‘plays’ with the audiences’ expectation by introducing a new and unexpected twist at the end of the story that would show Norman as having multiple personalities regardless of the fact that he is showing an innocent, good guy image.

Question 2 

The first scene that is presented wordlessly is when Marion is killed as she was showering, which create thrilling sense among the audience allowing them to connect with the story that is brought out. The scene is presented in a manner that is reflective of the fact that indeed the killer engaged in her killing portrays psychopathic tendencies. The movement of the camera is able to show the horrific nature of the killing, which allows the audience to have a deeper connection with the film.

The second scene that is presented wordlessly in a rather effective manner is when Lila hides in the cellar after which she turns Norman’s mother around only to discover that she is a mummified corpse (Anobile, 1974). In the presentation of this scene, Hitchcock is able to bring out a sense of suspense before he projects the scene in a manner that is effective irrespective of the fact that the characters are not using words.

Question 3 

One specific example of a cruel irony is the fact that Norman exhumed her mother’s body after he had murdered her and her love as a result of guilt and began to treat her in a manner that was reflective of her being alive. Norman’s ultimate fate is that his desires consumed him leading up to his formation of multiple personalities that would result in her killing people without his knowledge (Morgart, 2014). That seeks to show that although Norman held the desire of treating her mother better, his guilt consumed the better part of his actions.

An example of a conversation that projects ironic foreshadowing is the conversation between Milton Arbogast and Norman. During the course of the conversation, Norman focuses much of his attention towards behaving in a manner that would not raise any suspicions considering that he had killed and disposed the body of Marion Crane. Ironically, Arbogast is able to take note of suspicious behaviors on the part of Norman, which are compounded by the fact that the answers he is giving are considered as being inconsistent. It is from this point that Arbogast begins suspecting that Norman has something to do with Marion’s disappearance due to his behaviors.

Question 4 

Alfred Hitchcock made the decision to film ‘Psycho’ in black and white with the sole intention being towards emphasizing on shadows and lighting as they relate to the characters that have been brought out in the film. Specifically, it can be argued that Hitchcock sought to illustrate a symbolic dichotomy of innocence vs. insanity, which has been brought out effectively within the character of Norman (Fox, 2005). Basically, he seeks to create a distinct approach through which to evaluate Norman’s character as it relates to the entirety of the storyline.

One scene in which black and white filming was rather effective is the scene where Lila screams from the cellar after discovering that Norman’s mother has been dead although after which Norman runs into the cellar holding a knife while wearing his mother’s clothes. The scene is projected in a manner that portrays effectiveness in innocence vs. insanity as a key theme associated with the film. For the audience, I believe that black and white filming creates a better sense of connection with the film considering that this brings out a deeper and much more satisfying outlook of the characters as they are being projected.

Question 5 

The shower scene is considered as one of the most famous scenes in ‘Psycho’, which portrays Marion, who is in the shower being attacked by a shadowy figure where she stabbed using a chef’s knife. The main aspects that help towards highlighting the effectiveness of this scene is the fact that it adopts usage of Point of View as its main approach to filming, as well as, the sound. Additionally, the number of cuts help towards creating a rather effective connection with the audience giving them a deeper connection to the scene. Personally, the scene gave me a sense of curiosity with the entire film considering that I sought to try and determine who was the shadowy character.

After the shower scene, Norman is portrayed panicking after he saw blood and runs into the room only to discover Marion’s body. What can be learnt from this scene is the fact that Norman is indeed suffering from a serious mental health condition that results in his disconnection to current events (Osteen, 2013). Norman had killed Marion but did not have a recollection of the same but struggles to clean up suggesting that he knew that he was suffering from this mental condition.

Question 6 

When comparing Psycho to some of the other horror films, what can be noted is that they share an aspect of mental health issues that seek to create a situation where one or more characters are involved in murders (Osteen, 2013). Additionally, Psycho compares to some of the other horror films attributed to the fact that they all seek to show the fact that the person suffering from the mental condition struggles to keep it a secret regardless of the fact that his or her actions are showing a significant shift in behaviors.

The main aspect that has led to Psycho being set apart from other horror films is the fact that the manner in which Norman behaves portrays a sharp contrast to what is expected of an individual suffering from a mental condition. In majority of horror films, the character suffering from a mental health issue behaves in a manner that is distinct when compared to others. However, this is not the case when dealing with Norman considering that he portrays an innocent image allowing for a deeper connection with the audience.

References

Anobile, R. J. (Ed.). (1974).  Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho . Universe Books.

Fox, B. B. (2005).  Obsession and crisis: Film music and narrative in “Double Indemnity” (1944), “Laura” (1944), and “Psycho” (1960) . University of Nevada, Reno.

Morgart, J. (2014). Gothic horror film: From the haunted castle (1896) to psycho (1960).  The gothic world , 376-388.

Osteen, M. (2013). Extraordinary Renditions: DeLillo's Point Omega and Hitchcock's Psycho.  Clues ,  31 (1), 103.

Phillips, W. H. (2009).  Film: an introduction , 3 rd Edition. Macmillan.