Psycho (1960) by Alfred Hitchcock thrills the audience with its suspense, and creeps the audience with the mind of Norman Bates. Often times in the film, what makes a scene scary is not with what is shown, but what is implied. The viewers often know more than the characters themselves, full of suspense and anticipation to the fate of each characters. Psycho, being a psychological thriller, ends up having much of the characters having something to hide from other characters, as well as the viewers. Therefore, in order for the film to express how the characters truly feels despite appearing another way, much of the characters ' psychological states are manifested visually with the use of mise-en-scene - mainly with prop, setting, and lighting.
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In the scene where Marion has to take the stolen cash out of her purse to pay for a car, she is staged to stand right by the mirror. Because there literally two Marion’s in the shot, it directly depicts the duality of her character -- being someone who committed a crime and is hiding from it. This happens once again when Marion checks into the motel. While she is writing an alias to sign in, the shot once again shows two Marion 's to describe the multiple identities that Marion has now taken on. Even after Marion is killed, the symbol of her duality carries on in the form of the newspaper wrapped money. Hitchcock repeatedly uses this prop as the center of the frame in the scene where Norman cleans up after the murder. On the surface, it is just the Los Angeles Times, representing her made up persona from LA, but the viewer knows that underneath is the money that she stole. This prop ultimately represents Marion’s identity, hidden and wrapped even after her death, because she never comes clean with it, and Norman only sees what is on the …show more content…
Just as the movie begins with entering a window, the film ends similarly, however, this time showing what is inside the window. Here, the of window not only serves as “window to the inner identity” (as it is the case for Marion), it also corresponds to a large psychological motif in the film, which is the concept of the “private trap.” In the parlor conversation scene between Marion and Norman, Norman first brought up the concept of “private trap,” which he says “I think we 're all in our private traps, clamped in them, and none of us can ever climb out… I was born in mine. I don 't mind it anymore.” Here, the window frames the psychological trap of Norman, and setting of the scene paints the picture of Norman’s mind. This window reveals the “private trap” in which Norman is in, especially when the window is barred, suggesting that Norman is unable to escape his own trap. The bleakness in the lighting makes the setting extra eerie, as Norman is having a conversation with his “mother” inside his own head. The fact that Norman “doesn’t mind it anymore” is also shown with prop in the final scene. Norman wraps himself around with a blanket, and by his feet is a mug. These props, along with his slight grin reads contentment, and comfort, adding to the tension of the
In the scene where Marion has to take the stolen cash out of her purse to pay for a car, she is staged to stand right by the mirror. Because there literally two Marion’s in the shot, it directly depicts the duality of her character -- being someone who committed a crime and is hiding from it. This happens once again when Marion checks into the motel. While she is writing an alias to sign in, the shot once again shows two Marion 's to describe the multiple identities that Marion has now taken on. Even after Marion is killed, the symbol of her duality carries on in the form of the newspaper wrapped money. Hitchcock repeatedly uses this prop as the center of the frame in the scene where Norman cleans up after the murder. On the surface, it is just the Los Angeles Times, representing her made up persona from LA, but the viewer knows that underneath is the money that she stole. This prop ultimately represents Marion’s identity, hidden and wrapped even after her death, because she never comes clean with it, and Norman only sees what is on the …show more content…
Just as the movie begins with entering a window, the film ends similarly, however, this time showing what is inside the window. Here, the of window not only serves as “window to the inner identity” (as it is the case for Marion), it also corresponds to a large psychological motif in the film, which is the concept of the “private trap.” In the parlor conversation scene between Marion and Norman, Norman first brought up the concept of “private trap,” which he says “I think we 're all in our private traps, clamped in them, and none of us can ever climb out… I was born in mine. I don 't mind it anymore.” Here, the window frames the psychological trap of Norman, and setting of the scene paints the picture of Norman’s mind. This window reveals the “private trap” in which Norman is in, especially when the window is barred, suggesting that Norman is unable to escape his own trap. The bleakness in the lighting makes the setting extra eerie, as Norman is having a conversation with his “mother” inside his own head. The fact that Norman “doesn’t mind it anymore” is also shown with prop in the final scene. Norman wraps himself around with a blanket, and by his feet is a mug. These props, along with his slight grin reads contentment, and comfort, adding to the tension of the