In Alfred Hitchcock's classic movie Psycho, we can analyze the overall components that went into the movie to create its aesthetic. Components such as how the movie was made, to even the ideas discussed in Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema written by Laura Mulvey. The times we currently live in (and even the times during which the movie was produced) has hidden meanings that we would not normally notice, but through the film Psycho, we are able to analyze these things and understand how Hollywood cinema truly works. In Laura Mulvey’s essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative, she argues that the perspectives that are presented in Hollywood narrative cinema are usually those of a heterosexual male. Mulvey introduces the idea of scopophilia (originally
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One of the most important techniques Hitchcock uses is editing. He not only edited the film so that it flowed continuously from scene to scene, but he also edited the film in such a way that he created many different forms of montages. One form is the metric montage, where everything (how long a character is on screen, how long it takes a character to perform a task) is mathematically planned, and is not focused entirely on the content that is being filmed. We see this during the scene when Norman and Marion are sitting down talking. The amount of time that Norman appears on camera, and the amount of time before Marion replies to what he has said is all mathematically planned out. Hitchcock also uses rhythmic montage to create a pattern that is important when showing the content and its meaning. This is seen during the famous shower scene, where there is a clear pattern between when Norman is on screen and when Marion is (the pattern bouncing back and forth between Norman stabbing Marion, and Marion being stabbed). Hitchcock’s editing also relies on tonal and overtonal montages. He uses techniques (such as sound and lighting) to create a deeper meaning and to generate a deeper feeling in the audience. Everything in the scene (the movement) all play into the feeling that the scene is supposed to create/ During the shower scene, the movement from Norman’s and Marion’s screen time became faster, as each character appeared less and less, all to create a feeling of adrenaline and anxiety in the
One of the most important techniques Hitchcock uses is editing. He not only edited the film so that it flowed continuously from scene to scene, but he also edited the film in such a way that he created many different forms of montages. One form is the metric montage, where everything (how long a character is on screen, how long it takes a character to perform a task) is mathematically planned, and is not focused entirely on the content that is being filmed. We see this during the scene when Norman and Marion are sitting down talking. The amount of time that Norman appears on camera, and the amount of time before Marion replies to what he has said is all mathematically planned out. Hitchcock also uses rhythmic montage to create a pattern that is important when showing the content and its meaning. This is seen during the famous shower scene, where there is a clear pattern between when Norman is on screen and when Marion is (the pattern bouncing back and forth between Norman stabbing Marion, and Marion being stabbed). Hitchcock’s editing also relies on tonal and overtonal montages. He uses techniques (such as sound and lighting) to create a deeper meaning and to generate a deeper feeling in the audience. Everything in the scene (the movement) all play into the feeling that the scene is supposed to create/ During the shower scene, the movement from Norman’s and Marion’s screen time became faster, as each character appeared less and less, all to create a feeling of adrenaline and anxiety in the