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Friday, December 13, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
Blog 4: The Influential Shower Scene From "Psycho" (1960)
The shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" is widely known as the most influential scene of the horror genre.
In this scene we watch Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) get stabbed to death by.... a psycho. This scene is so pivotal because in 1960, sexuality, or nakedness and violence had not been portrayed on the big screen. According to Huffington Post, even toilet flushing at this time was considered risqué-- a laughable reality when we think about infamous movies like Monsters Ball (2001), Kill Bill (2003), and Blue is the Warmest Color (2013).
Anyway, the scene has a lot of shots.
Will Hodgkinson at The Guardian writes:
"Comprising over 70 shots, each lasting two or three seconds, it has become one of the most infamous moments in horror movie history."
The scene is just over three minutes, and we have a lot to cover, so let's break this into sections.
The Quietness
Crane is alone in a motel room. (Seems like a recipe for murder, doesn't it?) In a wide shot, we see Crane sitting at her desk writing something, but then she decides it's crappy so she rips it up. She then gets up and walks into the bathroom where she throws the bits of a paper into the toilet and flushes-- we get a close up for the toilet part. Then in medium shots we see Crane close the bathroom door and undress-- first the upper part of her body, then the bottom of her legs and feet. She steps into the shower and closes the curtain. These quick close/medium shots make a mundane thing like preparing for a shower more interesting. And with the creepy background music, the scene aids in sending a message of impending doom.
Getting in the Shower
Crane is really going to enjoy this shower, like you can see the excitement in her face. The camera, in a medium shot, shows Crane from the chest up. We hear her turn the knob, and the water pours onto her face. Then we get a close up on the shower head, angled as if we were standing directly under it. It's one of those great full shower heads that douse your whole body, like really fancy stuff. Then in close, medium shots we see various shots of Crane basking in the water and the shower head from a profile angle-- a great juxtaposition against what is about to happen.
The Murder
At this point you want to yell LOOK BEHIND YOU, GIRL! In a medium wide shot, we see Crane still really loving that shower she's having, but also, we as the audience can see something Crane can't-- we see a shadowy figure creep behind her. The psycho catches Crane by surprise when he pulls back the curtain, his hand raised above his head, knife in hand. We see quick shots of the struggle, her reaction, her trying to hold him back, his figure pinning her to the wall and stabbing her, her nude body. Then in quick shots it switches back and forth from his figure thrusting the knife toward her and her physical reaction to the pain. These quick action, reaction shots make the scene more real, more daunting, more relentless.
Her Death
In her dramatic death, Crane falls slowly with her back pressed to the bathroom tiles. We then see a close up of her hand grasping the wall, nails on a chalkboard style. She reaches out to grab for something, (life?) when she stretches forward to the curtains, which give way to her weight. She's on the floor dying. We see a tear in Crane's eye in an extreme close up, and then the camera zooms out to a close up of her face. It's a nice touch. It made me wonder about how many people cry knowing their life is coming to an end.
Then we see the water from the shower head fall into the open drain in a close up. Her life, too, is "going down the drain."
Hitchcock's motive...
Hitchcock wanted to build suspense, but he also wanted the events of the movie to be a surprise. According to The Guardian, Hitchcock bought out all copies of the book his movie was based on so know one would know how it ended.
Furthermore, this scene was also revolutionary in it killed its 'leading lady' within the first 30 minutes.
Hitchcock wanted to create "shock value,"so these elements of violence, nakedness, and blood combined with the quiet personal moment Crane has just before she is stabbed to death, creates a sense of 'anything can happen to anyone,' or 'murder can happen anywhere... even when you least expect it.' Even with all of the more realistic portrayals of death on the big screen, it is still entertaining to watch today. I understand why people didn't want to go in the shower alone after watching this movie in 1960 on.
In this scene we watch Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) get stabbed to death by.... a psycho. This scene is so pivotal because in 1960, sexuality, or nakedness and violence had not been portrayed on the big screen. According to Huffington Post, even toilet flushing at this time was considered risqué-- a laughable reality when we think about infamous movies like Monsters Ball (2001), Kill Bill (2003), and Blue is the Warmest Color (2013).
Anyway, the scene has a lot of shots.
Will Hodgkinson at The Guardian writes:
"Comprising over 70 shots, each lasting two or three seconds, it has become one of the most infamous moments in horror movie history."
The scene is just over three minutes, and we have a lot to cover, so let's break this into sections.
The Quietness
Crane is alone in a motel room. (Seems like a recipe for murder, doesn't it?) In a wide shot, we see Crane sitting at her desk writing something, but then she decides it's crappy so she rips it up. She then gets up and walks into the bathroom where she throws the bits of a paper into the toilet and flushes-- we get a close up for the toilet part. Then in medium shots we see Crane close the bathroom door and undress-- first the upper part of her body, then the bottom of her legs and feet. She steps into the shower and closes the curtain. These quick close/medium shots make a mundane thing like preparing for a shower more interesting. And with the creepy background music, the scene aids in sending a message of impending doom.
Getting in the Shower
Crane is really going to enjoy this shower, like you can see the excitement in her face. The camera, in a medium shot, shows Crane from the chest up. We hear her turn the knob, and the water pours onto her face. Then we get a close up on the shower head, angled as if we were standing directly under it. It's one of those great full shower heads that douse your whole body, like really fancy stuff. Then in close, medium shots we see various shots of Crane basking in the water and the shower head from a profile angle-- a great juxtaposition against what is about to happen.
The Murder
At this point you want to yell LOOK BEHIND YOU, GIRL! In a medium wide shot, we see Crane still really loving that shower she's having, but also, we as the audience can see something Crane can't-- we see a shadowy figure creep behind her. The psycho catches Crane by surprise when he pulls back the curtain, his hand raised above his head, knife in hand. We see quick shots of the struggle, her reaction, her trying to hold him back, his figure pinning her to the wall and stabbing her, her nude body. Then in quick shots it switches back and forth from his figure thrusting the knife toward her and her physical reaction to the pain. These quick action, reaction shots make the scene more real, more daunting, more relentless.
Her Death
In her dramatic death, Crane falls slowly with her back pressed to the bathroom tiles. We then see a close up of her hand grasping the wall, nails on a chalkboard style. She reaches out to grab for something, (life?) when she stretches forward to the curtains, which give way to her weight. She's on the floor dying. We see a tear in Crane's eye in an extreme close up, and then the camera zooms out to a close up of her face. It's a nice touch. It made me wonder about how many people cry knowing their life is coming to an end.
Then we see the water from the shower head fall into the open drain in a close up. Her life, too, is "going down the drain."
Hitchcock's motive...
Hitchcock wanted to build suspense, but he also wanted the events of the movie to be a surprise. According to The Guardian, Hitchcock bought out all copies of the book his movie was based on so know one would know how it ended.
Furthermore, this scene was also revolutionary in it killed its 'leading lady' within the first 30 minutes.
Hitchcock wanted to create "shock value,"so these elements of violence, nakedness, and blood combined with the quiet personal moment Crane has just before she is stabbed to death, creates a sense of 'anything can happen to anyone,' or 'murder can happen anywhere... even when you least expect it.' Even with all of the more realistic portrayals of death on the big screen, it is still entertaining to watch today. I understand why people didn't want to go in the shower alone after watching this movie in 1960 on.
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