Psycho

Psycho, perhaps Alfred Hitchcock's finest and most well known work, has been studied for a great deal of time during our lessons. The whole film was a brilliant thriller, and an excellent narrative to depict the inner workings of Norman Bates' fragmented mind. The film has received much praise among the industry, and Alfred Hitchcock's ascension to greatness was greatly influenced by Psycho. I have chosen to talk in depth about one of the particular scenes in Hitchcock's film, and to evaluate everything within it, from Mise-en-Scen conventions, sound both diegetic and non-diegetic, and camera angles from alternating perspectives.

The Setting: The motel, particularly the lobby.

The Plot: Marrian has escaped from town with $70,000 worth of cash. She spends the night in a motel, where she is offered dinner by the owner of the establishment, Norman Bates. Norman enters his house to make her some food, where he is reprimanded by his 'mother' for feeding strangers. Marrian waits just outside her room, awkwardly hearing the ensuing scene.

Diagetic sound is used from the very beginning of this scene, with the voice-over of Norman's mother clearly heard shouting from the window, though the track itself is obviously placed over the existing score. Marrian feels awkward as she stands in the doorway, darkness outside and light within her room, as if her last chance to enter the salvation of her abode is established. There is a long-shot of the house, and Marrian is stood stroking her arm and looking around, clearly uncomfortable with the scene. The darkness of the night creates a foreboding sense, emphasised by the shadow of the car on the wall, which Norman moves into when he returns to her with food. The old fashioned look theme of the house creates a sinister tone, and from this we can see Norman owns an old building that may harbour secrets best left untouched. Dead tree silhouettes are upon the wall, emphasising death within the narrative. Scary music plays on string violin as he leaves the house, approaching her as the music dramatises. Tension is built from this, showing that something unfortunate may be about to happen.

Low-key lighting is incorporated, and the dim lighting of the lamps in the rooms shows potential safety. The camera shows both the characters from the side, both in the shot, with quick shots between the two of them. The camera is mostly a point-of-view shot from Marrian's perspective, watching Norman and his reaction. The audience is positioned behind Marian, seeing things from her point of view. The camera pans to show them both from the side once more, Norma stood in the darkness before Marrian. Camera zooms out to show the room, as Marrian invites him in. Norman seems nervous and reluctant to enter.

Marian has experience with men, and controls this scene. She steals most of the camera time, and she is clearly in control, for now. The two characters observe one another, and Marrian laughs kindly at Norman's attempts to compliment her. They eventually decide that, through Norman's invitation, eating in the parlour is a better idea, and he leads her into his lair. A low-angle shot shows them both walking into the room, as Norman disappears into the darkness, Marrian still in the light. Norman soon takes control of the situation, receiving more camera time. Norman turns the parlour light on, and we see Marrian with her arms crossed to show nervousness. A stuffed owl is shown in the parlour as the camera performs a close-up shot. The owl is a bird of prey, representing things that Norman may do during this scene. Taxidermy, Norman's hobby, is a rare and bizarre hobby, reflective of his personality.

Marrian is clearly disturbed by the situation, but remains composed. A shot of a raven ready to strike is shown above, and the shadow hangs across much of the wall, acting a symbol of death. A low-angle shot of Norman is used, with him usurping dominance over the scene by filling and being above most of the camera. The shadow of the owl wings on the wall behind him spread out behind his head like horns of the devil, showing murderous and wicked intentions to his character. The shadows show his alter-ego and dark side, his eyes dark to reflect his past.

Marrian sits in front of him, eating quietly to herself. Norman is seen looking nervous, stating that she 'eats like a bird'. Surrounding Norman are pictures and candles. He is nervous and struggles with words, particularly 'falsety', which takes him several moments to distinguish. He sits in the dark whilst Marrian is in the light, the two contrasting forces showing their roles in the scene. There is a telephone on the table behind her, symbolising that she may need to call for help. Surrounding Norman are hard and straight objects, whilst dainty and round objects immerse Marrian. She has feminist items surrounding her, such as mirrors and pillows, incongruent to those around Norman. She seems to humour him, remaining secret around her past and pretending to take an interest in what he says, at this point asking all of the right questions. Norman sits back in his chair, caressing an object with his free hand, which under much speculation, could represent a phallic object and the implement to which he extends and emphasises his sexual desire for Marrian.

Norman potentially has an Oedipus Complex as his mind unravels, his Freudian stance adopted when talk turns to his mother. The camera pans between the both of them in a medium shot as they discuss their pasts. ''What are you running from?'', he asks, and he speaks of private traps and imagines himself being trapped in a prison. Marrian slowly falls out of main-charactisation, instead falling behind Norman in terms of speech and camera time. He expresses his superiority over her through this. The camera zooms in upon his face, the dark shadow behind showing that his mother is watching his movements and words against her. He shows a defiance to her and a need to break free, something that Marrian can relate to. He uses blunt mannerisms and words, 'cold and damp' and 'grave' when he speaks of her room if he were to leave her. There is a parenthesis after he says this, leading into a dark tone adopted in the narrative.

Marrian speaks of putting her in a home. He moves forwards in his chair, shocked, and Marrian backs away. The music resumes to show fear and foreboding. His view is a profile shot, his face the main caption of the camera. The mood changes, Norman challenging Marrian when she tells him to put his mother 'away someplace'. The birds are in the background, his allies in his fell swoop. He speaks as if he has been to a mental institution before, and he starts becoming hysterical, calling his mother as 'harmless' as the stuffed birds, references to later in the story where she herself is stuffed and preserved after he murders her. There appears to be an inner conflict occuring in Norman's mind, as if Marrian is no longer present in the room, as he argues with his mother's mentality. Eye contact is made severely at this point, showing that Marrian may follow the same fate as Norman's mother.