Carla Segurola
CI 5830
Mise-en-scène Assignment
“I think that we’re all in our private traps, clamped in them. And none of us ever get out. We scratch and claw, but only at the air, only at each other. And for all of it, we never budge an inch.” – Norman Bates
Introduction
Mise-en-scène, a French expression that translates to “put in scene”, refers to the placement of visuals on a flat surface within a frame. It is comprised of multiple elements which serve to create moods and influence audience perception. Director Alfred Hitchcock was a master at incorporating mise-en- scène into his cinematic masterpiece, Psycho, through his use of lighting, color, set decoration, rear projection, space within the frame, frontality, and the typage and talent of his gifted cast. Hitchcock’s use of props, posture, point of view, and position greatly contributed to creating this terrifying and unforgettable picture.
In 1960, “Master of Suspense” Alfred Hitchcock released his epic horror tale, Psycho. Audiences were ill-prepared for the spectacle, which caused many a frightened moviegoer to scream in terror or leave the theater prematurely. Surely, a generation that had just come out of the 1950s raised on idyllic scenes such as the innocuous “Leave It to Beaver” had never experienced anything quite like this. Critical reaction was mixed and many movie critics pounded the film with harsh reviews, dismissing it as sensationalistic slush. “One of the most vile and disgusting films ever made,” noted Daily Express critic Rene MacColl. Additional critics chimed in with reviews stating that Psycho was “a gimmick movie”, an “obviously low-budget job”, and “a blot on an honorable career” with “fair” performances. Despite three Oscar nominations in the categories of Best Director, Best Supporting Actress ( Janet Leigh), and Black & White Cinematography and Art Direction, the film failed to score a win. Actress Leigh managed to secure a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal as bold Marion Crane. While the intense public reaction and negative critical reviews weren’t altogether shocking given the film’s daring material, what was once critically-reviled is now acclaimed and considered a true Hollywood treasure and one of the best films ever made (It presently sits at #18 on the American Film Institute’s Greatest List). While Psycho undoubtedly contains countless masterstrokes of brilliance, the film’s mise-en- scène greatly influenced audience psyche and continues to thrill over 50 years later.
The film’s plot involves a love-struck secretary (Marion Crane) who steals $40,000 from her place of employment and hits the open road, hoping to start a new life with her boyfriend (Sam). After heading to the vacant Bates Motel, she fails to return home – prompting concern. Marion’s sister Lila, Sam, and a private investigator (Detective Arbogast) set out to find the missing girl and money. Instead, they get more than they bargained for in motel proprietor Norman Bates, a seemingly vulnerable young man with a split personality and murderous inclinations who is tormented by his dead mother. “Once you’ve seen Norman Bates you have to live with him forever, and that is a heavy burden,” notes Guardian film critic Howard Schuman.
Multiple themes and motifs run strongly throughout this picture, populating mise-en-scène. Themes include good and evil, life and death, voyeurism, paranoia, and guilt, which are conveyed through specific shots, lighting, dialogue, and set design. Motifs prevalent throughout the film include birds (in set decoration and dialogue), circles (representing eyes, such as those in the shower scene), and images that reinforce themes of duality (via shadows and mirrors throughout the film).
Color plays a role in Psycho’s mise-en-scène. The film was shot in black and white at a time when color was an option. While this was partly done to cut costs (Paramount would not finance the film, leaving Hitchcock to fund the movie himself), this decision was largely made to ensure the film escaped a block from the censors, as there is (minimal) blood in the film, which would have stood out and appeared more graphic were it not for the exclusion of color. This choice also had the benefit of giving the film a crisp and classic look while embodying the spirit of an old film noir and detective caper (which Psycho is, in part) and further emphasizes the film’s theme of good vs. evil, as depicted by sharp contrasts of light and dark. (Black and white colors are also utilized in costuming for this purpose – we see Marion Crane in white lingerie in the beginning of the film and later in black lingerie after she has stolen the money).
Scene 1: Opening Title Sequence (Main Titles)
Consider these stills from the film’s opening credit sequence:
Opening Titles of ‘Psycho’
This duality represents opposing forces, a division of light and dark (good and evil), a “split” personality, splintered motivations, and a foreboding of the slices that lie ahead. The lines are also representative of life and death, as one stands vertically in life and lays horizontally in death. If you piece together vertical and horizontal lines, you see what resembles a cage or “trap”, referenced by Norman Bates. Throughout the film, we see vertical and horizontal patterns as part of mise-en-scène.
(Figures #1-4 clockwise) Vertical vs. Horizontal in ‘Psycho’
The film’s surprisingly unawarded score was composed by Bernard Herrmann. Upon the arrival of the opening titles sequence, we hear a few unmistakable high-pitched stabbing screeches from violin strings, a foreshadowing of what’s to come. Of his choice in the simplicity of using strings alone, Herrmann revealed: “I felt that I was able to complement the black and white photography of the film with a black and white sound.” Viewers need only listen to this soundtrack once to understand they are not in for a romantic comedy. This score sets a frantic mood in audiences from the beginning and as the film progresses, we will come to associate it with moments of impending doom as it greatly impacts audience perception by altering their expectations.
Scene 2: The Owl Room (Dinner with Norman)
Marion walks into Norman’s parlor to dine with him and POV shots reveal that Marion immediately notices a predatory owl in the corner and an unsuspecting crow. The presence of birds provides evidence of Norman’s unusual time-consuming hobby (taxidermy) while offering clues into the dark facets of his personality (he is a predator). Typage (the casting of actors to convey qualities of character) can be seen in the visual aesthetics of Psycho’s stars. The dark brooding facial features Anthony Perkins brings to Norman equate him with danger while Janet Leigh’s blonde hair suggests a more benevolent and vulnerable force, while her large expressive eyes are somewhat reminiscent of an owl.
While at first glance he seems harmless, the set decoration in the parlor creates a feeling of discomfort for the audience, suggesting Norman may not be who he appears. The owl seems to watch over the room with its wings spread open, ready to descend on the visitor (Marion) to attack. The owl represents both Norman and Mother. Props clutter the room, with the purpose of creating a claustrophobic feeling for audiences while dim lighting is provided by lamps, giving a cavernous impression to hermit Norman. The low-key lighting casts eerie shadows that perpetuate feelings of unease while off-screen space offers glimmers of Norman’s peculiar decoration.
“She’s as harmless as a stuffed bird.”
– Norman, describing Mother.
Marion’s bad omen – the crow.
The characters are further connected to birds by Norman ’s words. “You eat like a bird,” Norman says to Marion in the parlor, explaining that birds eat a lot. As he is feeding her, does this make her another of his stuffed birds?
Spacing: Norman vs. Marion
Figure 5 Figure 6
Norman feels attacked.
Mise-en-scène and dialogue in the parlor scene bestow upon audiences an ominous feeling about Norman Bates. The claustrophobic clutter of the parlor, his odd hobby of taxidermy, and the predatory owl and birds that fill the room put the audience at unease. Coupled with Norman’s admissions that “A boy’s best friend is his mother” and “A son is a poor substitute for a lover,” (suggesting an incestuous relationship) Marion is slightly alarmed as are viewers. Norman’s instability is further evidenced by his defensive demeanor as Marion suggests he put Mother in an institution, to which Norman responds by oversharing he has personal experince in an institution when he describes one, mentioning the “cruel eyes studying you” (meaning the judgment of the psychiatrists).
Scene 3: The Final Cleanse (The Shower)
Marion closes the bathroom door and disrobes, about to embark on the most famous shower scene in movie history. We see a close-up shot of Marion’s legs, important because we will later see them when she is dead, with blood swirling in the tub.
This low angle shot (left) of the showerhead (from Marion’s point of view) resembles the inside of an eye, its watchful presence observing Marion as she bathes in its stream (right), cleansing herself of the impurity of her actions while her performance and posture suggest she is deriving an almost sexual enjoyment of the experience. She is about to be penetrated (by a knife). Punishment for her crime of overt sexuality? Given the time period of this film, sex and nudity were restricted by censors. As such, water was symbolically used to express sexual desire and orgasms, while Marion’s ‘cleansing’ plays into Hitchcock’s theme of guilt (Considine, 1996).
An all-seeing showerhead. Marion washes away her sins.
The infamous shower scene begins with the sound of running water, as not to let audiences know anything is wrong. A shadow appears behind the curtain. It is only when the curtain is pushed aside that audiences understand what is about to happen, enhanced by the shrieking high-pitched Pavlovian screams of the fim’s soundtrack. The shower scene takes place in a white room, creating a brighter atmosphere that makes the murder more shocking as conventional Hollywood murders tended to take place in dark and unusual settings.
Fast editing allows for an even more violent look to this scene, despite the minimal blood. Rapid editing of multiple shots stand in to symbolize the knife’s sharp cuts, much as the jabs in the music puncture the audience’s ear drums while also mimicking a scream (and possibly a bird shriek). Some of the shots are high angle, to deceive the audience from seeing the killer’s face, which first-time audiences assume is Mrs. Bates. The edits also help to conceal Marion’s nudity from the audience. The odd angles are disorienting, which aid in unnerving the audience. When we see “Mrs. Bates” with a knife, a fill light is used behind her to bathe her in shadow, further concealing her real identity.
The only shot we see where the knife actually penetrates the skin is a cut to the womb, symbolic of Norman’s relationship with Mother. (Is he trying to sever their connection?)
High-angle shot conceals identity. Marion gets punctured.
Shots of Marion screaming are interlaced with shots of Mother and bathroom fixtures at disorienting angles. Once Marion receives her final wound, her hand slips down the wall. Note that her hand forms additional references to birds, referencing Norman’s earlier parlor discussion about trying to find your way out of a trap: “We scratch and claw…we never budge an inch.” Here, we see a claw, followed by her three fingers, which mimic a bird’s foot. Marion tries to reach out for the shower curtain to make one last attempt at “clawing” her wait out of the situation to no avail – she falls dead.
Claw. Bird foot.
The shot of the omnipotent showerhead “eye” is repeated as it surveils the scene, while another reference to circles (as eyes) appears: The shot of Marion’s blood swirling down the drain, which dissolves into her eye.
The camera rotates in a circle around Marion’s eye, zooming out to reveal her lifeless face.
The camera then exits the bathroom like a spirit, floating over to the newspaper on the dresser, deceiving audiences into thinking the money is relevant to the storyline, while taunting us with an “Okay” visible on the newspaper’s front page, then floating over to the window where we see the Bates house in dark repose and hear a voiceover of Norman informing his mother about the blood. We then see Norman run out of the house and towards the motel, affecting the audience’s point of view by cuing viewers to focus on Norman as he is now the main character. (It was unusual for the largest star in the film (Janet Leigh) to die a third of the way through the film, helping make the shower scene more unpredictable).
Scene 4: Arbogast’s Murder (Death and the Detective)
Quite literally, from the moment we first meet Detective Arbogast, he is headed for a trap. He is undoubtedly a marked man.
The watcher being watched. The first time we see Arbogast (left), he is in a close-up shot, framed (literally trapped) within the window of a door. While he spies on Marion’s sister Lila and her lover, Sam, they notice him (as do we) as they discuss Marion’s puzzling disappearance. Note that Arbogast is flanked by circles that mimic eyes on both sides of him, watching. This shot features the element of frontality (as Arbogast is positioned looking at the camera ). As a character, he is both discreet and direct.
Like Norman, Arbogast is a voyeur, a detective paid to notice details and go unseen. “Someone’s seen her. Someone always sees a girl with $40,000,”notes Arbogast to Sam and Lila, “sees” and “seen” referencing watchful eyes and voyeurism.
All eyes on Arbogast.
Flash forward to the iconic Bates Motel. Arbogast interrogates Norman Bates and becomes suspicious after finding inconsistencies in Norman’s story. Upon checking the motel’s registry, he finds Marion’s pseudonym (Marie Samuels) while Norman looks on.
Unable to secure a meeting with Norman’s mother for more information on Marion, an “unsatisfied” Arbogast places a call to Marion’s sister Lila, informing her he will be returning to the Bates Motel for a follow-up visit.
Horizontal and vertical lines are used here (left) to show that Detective Arbogast’s fate has been sealed. He is positioned in his own “private trap” as he will soon be one of Norman’s victims. This mise-en-scène element is called “staging” in which a character’s placement within a frame gives a clue about the character’s present circumstance, also used in the first shot of him we encounter (above).
Arbogast’s close call.
The dutiful Detective returns to the seemingly empty Bates property and decides to have a look around. He enters the Bates house, hoping to speak with Mother.
As Arbogast walks up the staircase, the background zooms out creating depth of space as he approaches the camera (left), creating a disorienting effect that heightens the discomfort of the audience, further enhanced by a shot of a door slowly opening (right).
Curious Arbogast. Arbogast is not alone.
This bird’s-eye view shot plays on a fear of heights while serving to protect the killer’s identity as we can’t see the face (and continues the motif of disorienting vertical and horizontal lines). We know Arbogast is in trouble when we hear the familiar shrieking violins and “Mother” makes her appearance.
The slice given to Arbogast is represented by a [frame]cut that reveals the image of Arbogast’s sliced face as he falls down the staircase. The background was done via a rear projection screen to simulate his backwards fall, evoking speed while protecting the actor and disorienting the audience, and heightens the drama of the murder. The rear projection conveys shallow space, making Arbogast look crushed against the floor and creating a claustrophobic feeling.
Arbogast lands on the floor while “Mother” finishes the job. We still do not see her face but rather her back is turned towards the camera and we see the knife rise and hear the sound effects of a puncture and Arbogast’s final scream.
Defenseless Arbogast. The cutting edge.
Scene 5: Lila’s Quest (Looking for Mrs. Bates)
The Bates house is an elaborate prop. The set’s construction reflect the best of mise-en-scène in its exterior and interior design. This establishing shot reveals the location and position of the Bates house in relation to the motel. The lack of external lighting allows the interior light from the windows to stand out.
Note that the house sits on a hill, elevated above the motel – Mother’s presence seemingly watching over it, consistent with the voyeuristic theme and suggestive of the strong hold Mother still has over Norman, as the two lit windows of the house appear as watchful eyes. The set design illustrates changing times and the dominance of the past over the present: old versus young, mother and son, life and death, and good vs. evil.
The house and motel, as seen at night.
It is within these illuminated windows that we first see Mother, forever associating the house with her presence. She appears in shadow, adding a mysterious ghostly quality.
Mother sees all.
When exteriors of the Bates house are shown, it is generally set to the backdrop of a storm.The clouds move faster than normal due to time lapse footage. While the house is the main centerpiece and most likely where the audience’s attention is drawn, they don’t realize the speed of the clouds but have a feeling something is odd.
When Marion’s concerned sister, Lila, stumbles upon the Bates house to question Mother while Sam distracts Norman Bates, we get a rare glimpse of the gothic home during the day. Both Lila and the house are bathed in light – Lila is a force of good and the truth is soon to be revealed. The light also fools the audience into thinking (just as with the bright shower scene) that Lila isn’t in danger.
The Bates house by day. Lila sees the light.
The Bates house continues the motif of vertical and horizontal lines, evidenced in the house’s construction.
Once again, we see Cupid aiming its arrow at the door (this time, Lila is the unwelcome guest). The next time we see Cupid, its arrow is pointed at us (the viewers).
Lila and Cupid. Unwelcoming Cupid.
The mise-en-scène of Mrs. Bates’s bedroom is revealing. The room is pristine and props are meticulously positioned, suggesting her repressive and strict nature while the clutter evokes a claustrophobic feeling, like Norman’s parlor. The room seems untouched, a relic from the past. Mother’s belongings suggest her extravagant taste and preference for items from earlier eras, as evidenced by the following stills:
Her extravagance is exemplified by a statue(below, left) which casts a terrifying shadow on the wall (another split, resembling an earlier shot of Marion’s dying hand stretching out towards the shower curtain). The fireplace (right) hosts photographs of Norman (as a boy) and Mother on the mantel edges.
In the center of the mirror rests a statue of two hands folded together, detached from a body and suggesting repression and reserve (the camera zooms in on this as it is a POV shot depicting what Lila is seeing). The hands also represent severed limbs and the “grasp” Mother has on Norman and continues to perpetuate a feeling of discomfort for the audience.
We see an image of a sailboat on the walls – Norman may have once been a dreamer who hoped to escape his tormented mind (note we also see a picture of a sailboat on the lampshade in Marion’s motel room). The abundance of discarded toys left over from his childhood, a small replica house looking quite similar to his own, and a sad lonely rabbit on a bed evoke feelings of abandonment. Note that the space to the right of the rabbit (right) conveys the emptyness and loneliness of Norman’s childhood.
A sailboat on the high seas. An awkwardly positioned discarded doll. An abandoned sad bunny.
Note that as Lila curiously continues to investigate, an owl (below, left) stares at her, as if watching her every move. She picks up a nameless book (right) and opens it, presumably pornography given the blank cover and Lila’s prolonged glance as she opens it. (Note that Lila’s hand appears in the shape of a bird’s leg as she grasps the book).
An owl watches Lila. A nameless book held by a bird-like hand.
CONCLUSION
Unlike Arbogast and Marion, Lila and Sam manage to survive the wrath of Norman Bates. The audience comes to find that Mother is in fact a corpse (who seems to come to life as light reflected from a swinging light bulb appears to give her empty eye sockets movement, as if she is watching and reveling in Sam and Norman’s final confrontation). It is revealed that Norman has a split personality, much to the horror of the already terrified audience. In the final scene, a blanketed Norman sits alone in a room while voiceover narration from his Mother side keeps audiences company – Mother compares herself to one of Norman’s “stuffed birds”, continuing the motif. Frontality is employed as Norman smirks at the audience and we hear Mother’s voice as the dialogue switches from one personality to the next. Norman’s face dissolves into a shot of Mother’s skeleton transposed over the shot, which then dissolves into a scene depicting Marion’s car as it is dredged up from a swamp. Similar to the titles sequence, lines cut across the screen splitting into two halves and going in opposing directions, leaving a black screen and a jarred audience.
The impact of mise-en-scène in this film cannot be underscored. Alfred Hitchcock’s scenes and visual placement within frames were incredibly calculated, down to the minutest detail as he storyboarded every shot prior to filming. Every element within the frame means something. The birds represent Norman’s conflicting personalities and his nature as both victim (of his mental illness) and victimizer (killer) while circles represent prying eyes, playing into themes of voyeurism and duality. “I was playing them like an organ,” bemused Hitchcock, who gets the last laugh by creating voyeurs out of his audience, the very same theme he tries to impress upon them as qualities inherent in the film’s characters.
Psycho is precisely unforgettable because the images within the frame haunt our subconscious. “Even on second viewing the moments of horror lose none of their impact,” noted movie critic Barry Norman of The Daily Mail. Hitchcock’s repeated references to birds, whether stuffed or spoken, rattle audiences while his inventive use of camera angles and multiple shots subjected to quick editing create a shower scene that despite a shortage of gore, can still terrify a modern audience. The elaborate set featuring the Bates house and motel continue to enthrall while (thanks to the talented and overlooked performance of Anthony Perkins) Norman Bates continues to haunts us all. It is through mise-en-scène that much of the information we receive about the characters is conveyed while our emotions set in for this rollercoaster of terror, which birthed the “slasher” film genre.
REFERENCES
Psycho, The Collector’s Edition (1998). Audio Commentary [DVD; The Making of Psycho]. Los Angeles: Universal Studios
Durgnat, R. (2002) A Long Hard Look at Psycho. London: BFI Publishing.
Wells, A.S. (2001) The Ultimate Film Guides: Psycho. London: Longman.
Smith, J.W. (2009) The Psycho File: A Comprehensive Guide to Hitchcock’s Classic Shocker. North Carolina: MacFarland.
Considine, D.M (n.d.). The Art of the Motion Picture (PowerPoint). CI 5830 Media Literacy, Appalachian State University.
Considine, D.M. (1996). Teaching With Motion Pictures Film and Art. Telemedium. The Journal of Media Literacy 42: 3, 14-19
Considine, D.M., & Baker, F. (2006). Focus on Film: They Learn It Thru The Movies. The Journal of Media Literacy 53: 24-32
Psycho. (n.d.). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 31, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho_%28film%29
The Internet Movie Database. (n.d.) American Beauty. Retrieved April 8, 2010 from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/
Rotten Tomatoes. (n.d.) Psycho. Retrieved March 31, 2011 from
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/psycho/
Opening and first part of Psycho. Carla Segurola CI 5830 Mise-en-scène Assignment “I think that we’re all in our private traps, clamped in them. And none of us ever get out. We scratch and claw, but only at the air, only at each other. And for all of it, we never budge an inch.” – Norman Bates Introduction Mise-en-scène, a French expression that translates to “put in scene”, refers to the placement of visuals on a flat surface within a frame. It is comprised of multiple elements which serve to create moods and influence audience perception. Director Alfred Hitchcock was a master at incorporating mise-en- scène into his cinematic masterpiece, Psycho, through his use of lighting, color, set decoration, rear projection, space within the frame, frontality, and the typage and talent of his gifted cast. Hitchcock’s use of props, posture, point of view, and position greatly contributed to creating this terrifying and unforgettable picture. In 1960, “Master of Suspense” Alfred Hitchcock released his epic horror tale, Psycho. Audiences were ill-prepared for the spectacle, which caused many a frightened moviegoer to scream in terror or leave the theater prematurely. Surely, a generation that had just come out of the 1950s raised on idyllic scenes such as the innocuous “Leave It to Beaver” had never experienced anything quite like this. Critical reaction was mixed and many movie critics pounded the film with harsh reviews, dismissing it as sensationalistic slush. “One of the most vile and disgusting films ever made,” noted Daily Express critic Rene MacColl. Additional critics chimed in with reviews stating that Psycho was “a gimmick movie”, an “obviously low-budget job”, and “a blot on an honorable career” with “fair” performances. Despite three Oscar nominations in the categories of Best Director, Best Supporting Actress ( Janet Leigh), and Black & White Cinematography and Art Direction, the film failed to score a win. Actress Leigh managed to secure a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal as bold Marion Crane. While the intense public reaction and negative critical reviews weren’t altogether shocking given the film’s daring material, what was once critically-reviled is now acclaimed and considered a true Hollywood treasure and one of the best films ever made (It presently sits at #18 on the American Film Institute’s Greatest List). While Psycho undoubtedly contains countless masterstrokes of brilliance, the film’s mise-en- scène greatly influenced audience psyche and continues to thrill over 50 years later. The film’s plot involves a love-struck secretary (Marion Crane) who steals $40,000 from her place of employment and hits the open road, hoping to start a new life with her boyfriend (Sam). After heading to the vacant Bates Motel, she fails to return home – prompting concern. Marion’s sister Lila, Sam, and a private investigator (Detective Arbogast) set out to find the missing girl and money. Instead, they get more than they bargained for in motel proprietor Norman Bates, a seemingly vulnerable young man with a split personality and murderous inclinations who is tormented by his dead mother. “Once you’ve seen Norman Bates you have to live with him forever, and that is a heavy burden,” notes Guardian film critic Howard Schuman. Multiple themes and motifs run strongly throughout this picture, populating mise-en-scène. Themes include good and evil, life and death, voyeurism, paranoia, and guilt, which are conveyed through specific shots, lighting, dialogue, and set design. Motifs prevalent throughout the film include birds (in set decoration and dialogue), circles (representing eyes, such as those in the shower scene), and images that reinforce themes of duality (via shadows and mirrors throughout the film). Color plays a role in Psycho’s mise-en-scène. The film was shot in black and white at a time when color was an option. While this was partly done to cut costs (Paramount would not finance the film, leaving Hitchcock to fund the movie himself), this decision was largely made to ensure the film escaped a block from the censors, as there is (minimal) blood in the film, which would have stood out and appeared more graphic were it not for the exclusion of color. This choice also had the benefit of giving the film a crisp and classic look while embodying the spirit of an old film noir and detective caper (which Psycho is, in part) and further emphasizes the film’s theme of good vs. evil, as depicted by sharp contrasts of light and dark. (Black and white colors are also utilized in costuming for this purpose – we see Marion Crane in white lingerie in the beginning of the film and later in black lingerie after she has stolen the money). Scene 1: Opening Title Sequence (Main Titles) Consider these stills from the film’s opening credit sequence: Opening Titles of ‘Psycho’ This duality represents opposing forces, a division of light and dark (good and evil), a “split” personality, splintered motivations, and a foreboding of the slices that lie ahead. The lines are also representative of life and death, as one stands vertically in life and lays horizontally in death. If you piece together vertical and horizontal lines, you see what resembles a cage or “trap”, referenced by Norman Bates. Throughout the film, we see vertical and horizontal patterns as part of mise-en-scène. (Figures #1-4 clockwise) Vertical vs. Horizontal in ‘Psycho’ The film’s surprisingly unawarded score was composed by Bernard Herrmann. Upon the arrival of the opening titles sequence, we hear a few unmistakable high-pitched stabbing screeches from violin strings, a foreshadowing of what’s to come. Of his choice in the simplicity of using strings alone, Herrmann revealed: “I felt that I was able to complement the black and white photography of the film with a black and white sound.” Viewers need only listen to this soundtrack once to understand they are not in for a romantic comedy. This score sets a frantic mood in audiences from the beginning and as the film progresses, we will come to associate it with moments of impending doom as it greatly impacts audience perception by altering their expectations. Scene 2: The Owl Room (Dinner with Norman) Marion walks into Norman’s parlor to dine with him and POV shots reveal that Marion immediately notices a predatory owl in the corner and an unsuspecting crow. The presence of birds provides evidence of Norman’s unusual time-consuming hobby (taxidermy) while offering clues into the dark facets of his personality (he is a predator). Typage (the casting of actors to convey qualities of character) can be seen in the visual aesthetics of Psycho’s stars. The dark brooding facial features Anthony Perkins brings to Norman equate him with danger while Janet Leigh’s blonde hair suggests a more benevolent and vulnerable force, while her large expressive eyes are somewhat reminiscent of an owl. While at first glance he seems harmless, the set decoration in the parlor creates a feeling of discomfort for the audience, suggesting Norman may not be who he appears. The owl seems to watch over the room with its wings spread open, ready to descend on the visitor (Marion) to attack. The owl represents both Norman and Mother. Props clutter the room, with the purpose of creating a claustrophobic feeling for audiences while dim lighting is provided by lamps, giving a cavernous impression to hermit Norman. The low-key lighting casts eerie shadows that perpetuate feelings of unease while off-screen space offers glimmers of Norman’s peculiar decoration. “She’s as harmless as a stuffed bird.” – Norman, describing Mother. Marion’s bad omen – the crow. The characters are further connected to birds by Norman ’s words. “You eat like a bird,” Norman says to Marion in the parlor, explaining that birds eat a lot. As he is feeding her, does this make her another of his stuffed birds? Spacing: Norman vs. Marion Figure 5 Figure 6 Norman feels attacked. Mise-en-scène and dialogue in the parlor scene bestow upon audiences an ominous feeling about Norman Bates. The claustrophobic clutter of the parlor, his odd hobby of taxidermy, and the predatory owl and birds that fill the room put the audience at unease. Coupled with Norman’s admissions that “A boy’s best friend is his mother” and “A son is a poor substitute for a lover,” (suggesting an incestuous relationship) Marion is slightly alarmed as are viewers. Norman’s instability is further evidenced by his defensive demeanor as Marion suggests he put Mother in an institution, to which Norman responds by oversharing he has personal experince in an institution when he describes one, mentioning the “cruel eyes studying you” (meaning the judgment of the psychiatrists). Scene 3: The Final Cleanse (The Shower) Marion closes the bathroom door and disrobes, about to embark on the most famous shower scene in movie history. We see a close-up shot of Marion’s legs, important because we will later see them when she is dead, with blood swirling in the tub. This low angle shot (left) of the showerhead (from Marion’s point of view) resembles the inside of an eye, its watchful presence observing Marion as she bathes in its stream (right), cleansing herself of the impurity of her actions while her performance and posture suggest she is deriving an almost sexual enjoyment of the experience. She is about to be penetrated (by a knife). Punishment for her crime of overt sexuality? Given the time period of this film, sex and nudity were restricted by censors. As such, water was symbolically used to express sexual desire and orgasms, while Marion’s ‘cleansing’ plays into Hitchcock’s theme of guilt (Considine, 1996). An all-seeing showerhead. Marion washes away her sins. The infamous shower scene begins with the sound of running water, as not to let audiences know anything is wrong. A shadow appears behind the curtain. It is only when the curtain is pushed aside that audiences understand what is about to happen, enhanced by the shrieking high-pitched Pavlovian screams of the fim’s soundtrack. The shower scene takes place in a white room, creating a brighter atmosphere that makes the murder more shocking as conventional Hollywood murders tended to take place in dark and unusual settings. Fast editing allows for an even more violent look to this scene, despite the minimal blood. Rapid editing of multiple shots stand in to symbolize the knife’s sharp cuts, much as the jabs in the music puncture the audience’s ear drums while also mimicking a scream (and possibly a bird shriek). Some of the shots are high angle, to deceive the audience from seeing the killer’s face, which first-time audiences assume is Mrs. Bates. The edits also help to conceal Marion’s nudity from the audience. The odd angles are disorienting, which aid in unnerving the audience. When we see “Mrs. Bates” with a knife, a fill light is used behind her to bathe her in shadow, further concealing her real identity. The only shot we see where the knife actually penetrates the skin is a cut to the womb, symbolic of Norman’s relationship with Mother. (Is he trying to sever their connection?) High-angle shot conceals identity. Marion gets punctured. Shots of Marion screaming are interlaced with shots of Mother and bathroom fixtures at disorienting angles. Once Marion receives her final wound, her hand slips down the wall. Note that her hand forms additional references to birds, referencing Norman’s earlier parlor discussion about trying to find your way out of a trap: “We scratch and claw…we never budge an inch.” Here, we see a claw, followed by her three fingers, which mimic a bird’s foot. Marion tries to reach out for the shower curtain to make one last attempt at “clawing” her wait out of the situation to no avail – she falls dead. Claw. Bird foot. The shot of the omnipotent showerhead “eye” is repeated as it surveils the scene, while another reference to circles (as eyes) appears: The shot of Marion’s blood swirling down the drain, which dissolves into her eye. The camera rotates in a circle around Marion’s eye, zooming out to reveal her lifeless face. The camera then exits the bathroom like a spirit, floating over to the newspaper on the dresser, deceiving audiences into thinking the money is relevant to the storyline, while taunting us with an “Okay” visible on the newspaper’s front page, then floating over to the window where we see the Bates house in dark repose and hear a voiceover of Norman informing his mother about the blood. We then see Norman run out of the house and towards the motel, affecting the audience’s point of view by cuing viewers to focus on Norman as he is now the main character. (It was unusual for the largest star in the film (Janet Leigh) to die a third of the way through the film, helping make the shower scene more unpredictable). Scene 4: Arbogast’s Murder (Death and the Detective) Quite literally, from the moment we first meet Detective Arbogast, he is headed for a trap. He is undoubtedly a marked man. The watcher being watched. The first time we see Arbogast (left), he is in a close-up shot, framed (literally trapped) within the window of a door. While he spies on Marion’s sister Lila and her lover, Sam, they notice him (as do we) as they discuss Marion’s puzzling disappearance. Note that Arbogast is flanked by circles that mimic eyes on both sides of him, watching. This shot features the element of frontality (as Arbogast is positioned looking at the camera ). As a character, he is both discreet and direct. Like Norman, Arbogast is a voyeur, a detective paid to notice details and go unseen. “Someone’s seen her. Someone always sees a girl with $40,000,”notes Arbogast to Sam and Lila, “sees” and “seen” referencing watchful eyes and voyeurism. All eyes on Arbogast. Flash forward to the iconic Bates Motel. Arbogast interrogates Norman Bates and becomes suspicious after finding inconsistencies in Norman’s story. Upon checking the motel’s registry, he finds Marion’s pseudonym (Marie Samuels) while Norman looks on. Unable to secure a meeting with Norman’s mother for more information on Marion, an “unsatisfied” Arbogast places a call to Marion’s sister Lila, informing her he will be returning to the Bates Motel for a follow-up visit. Horizontal and vertical lines are used here (left) to show that Detective Arbogast’s fate has been sealed. He is positioned in his own “private trap” as he will soon be one of Norman’s victims. This mise-en-scène element is called “staging” in which a character’s placement within a frame gives a clue about the character’s present circumstance, also used in the first shot of him we encounter (above). Arbogast’s close call. The dutiful Detective returns to the seemingly empty Bates property and decides to have a look around. He enters the Bates house, hoping to speak with Mother. As Arbogast walks up the staircase, the background zooms out creating depth of space as he approaches the camera (left), creating a disorienting effect that heightens the discomfort of the audience, further enhanced by a shot of a door slowly opening (right). Curious Arbogast. Arbogast is not alone. This bird’s-eye view shot plays on a fear of heights while serving to protect the killer’s identity as we can’t see the face (and continues the motif of disorienting vertical and horizontal lines). We know Arbogast is in trouble when we hear the familiar shrieking violins and “Mother” makes her appearance. The slice given to Arbogast is represented by a [frame]cut that reveals the image of Arbogast’s sliced face as he falls down the staircase. The background was done via a rear projection screen to simulate his backwards fall, evoking speed while protecting the actor and disorienting the audience, and heightens the drama of the murder. The rear projection conveys shallow space, making Arbogast look crushed against the floor and creating a claustrophobic feeling. Arbogast lands on the floor while “Mother” finishes the job. We still do not see her face but rather her back is turned towards the camera and we see the knife rise and hear the sound effects of a puncture and Arbogast’s final scream. Defenseless Arbogast. The cutting edge. Scene 5: Lila’s Quest (Looking for Mrs. Bates) The Bates house is an elaborate prop. The set’s construction reflect the best of mise-en-scène in its exterior and interior design. This establishing shot reveals the location and position of the Bates house in relation to the motel. The lack of external lighting allows the interior light from the windows to stand out. Note that the house sits on a hill, elevated above the motel – Mother’s presence seemingly watching over it, consistent with the voyeuristic theme and suggestive of the strong hold Mother still has over Norman, as the two lit windows of the house appear as watchful eyes. The set design illustrates changing times and the dominance of the past over the present: old versus young, mother and son, life and death, and good vs. evil. The house and motel, as seen at night. It is within these illuminated windows that we first see Mother, forever associating the house with her presence. She appears in shadow, adding a mysterious ghostly quality. Mother sees all. When exteriors of the Bates house are shown, it is generally set to the backdrop of a storm.The clouds move faster than normal due to time lapse footage. While the house is the main centerpiece and most likely where the audience’s attention is drawn, they don’t realize the speed of the clouds but have a feeling something is odd. When Marion’s concerned sister, Lila, stumbles upon the Bates house to question Mother while Sam distracts Norman Bates, we get a rare glimpse of the gothic home during the day. Both Lila and the house are bathed in light – Lila is a force of good and the truth is soon to be revealed. The light also fools the audience into thinking (just as with the bright shower scene) that Lila isn’t in danger. The Bates house by day. Lila sees the light. The Bates house continues the motif of vertical and horizontal lines, evidenced in the house’s construction. Once again, we see Cupid aiming its arrow at the door (this time, Lila is the unwelcome guest). The next time we see Cupid, its arrow is pointed at us (the viewers). Lila and Cupid. Unwelcoming Cupid. The mise-en-scène of Mrs. Bates’s bedroom is revealing. The room is pristine and props are meticulously positioned, suggesting her repressive and strict nature while the clutter evokes a claustrophobic feeling, like Norman’s parlor. The room seems untouched, a relic from the past. Mother’s belongings suggest her extravagant taste and preference for items from earlier eras, as evidenced by the following stills: Her extravagance is exemplified by a statue(below, left) which casts a terrifying shadow on the wall (another split, resembling an earlier shot of Marion’s dying hand stretching out towards the shower curtain). The fireplace (right) hosts photographs of Norman (as a boy) and Mother on the mantel edges. In the center of the mirror rests a statue of two hands folded together, detached from a body and suggesting repression and reserve (the camera zooms in on this as it is a POV shot depicting what Lila is seeing). The hands also represent severed limbs and the “grasp” Mother has on Norman and continues to perpetuate a feeling of discomfort for the audience. We see an image of a sailboat on the walls – Norman may have once been a dreamer who hoped to escape his tormented mind (note we also see a picture of a sailboat on the lampshade in Marion’s motel room). The abundance of discarded toys left over from his childhood, a small replica house looking quite similar to his own, and a sad lonely rabbit on a bed evoke feelings of abandonment. Note that the space to the right of the rabbit (right) conveys the emptyness and loneliness of Norman’s childhood. A sailboat on the high seas. An awkwardly positioned discarded doll. An abandoned sad bunny. Note that as Lila curiously continues to investigate, an owl (below, left) stares at her, as if watching her every move. She picks up a nameless book (right) and opens it, presumably pornography given the blank cover and Lila’s prolonged glance as she opens it. (Note that Lila’s hand appears in the shape of a bird’s leg as she grasps the book). An owl watches Lila. A nameless book held by a bird-like hand. CONCLUSION Unlike Arbogast and Marion, Lila and Sam manage to survive the wrath of Norman Bates. The audience comes to find that Mother is in fact a corpse (who seems to come to life as light reflected from a swinging light bulb appears to give her empty eye sockets movement, as if she is watching and reveling in Sam and Norman’s final confrontation). It is revealed that Norman has a split personality, much to the horror of the already terrified audience. In the final scene, a blanketed Norman sits alone in a room while voiceover narration from his Mother side keeps audiences company – Mother compares herself to one of Norman’s “stuffed birds”, continuing the motif. Frontality is employed as Norman smirks at the audience and we hear Mother’s voice as the dialogue switches from one personality to the next. Norman’s face dissolves into a shot of Mother’s skeleton transposed over the shot, which then dissolves into a scene depicting Marion’s car as it is dredged up from a swamp. Similar to the titles sequence, lines cut across the screen splitting into two halves and going in opposing directions, leaving a black screen and a jarred audience. The impact of mise-en-scène in this film cannot be underscored. Alfred Hitchcock’s scenes and visual placement within frames were incredibly calculated, down to the minutest detail as he storyboarded every shot prior to filming. Every element within the frame means something. The birds represent Norman’s conflicting personalities and his nature as both victim (of his mental illness) and victimizer (killer) while circles represent prying eyes, playing into themes of voyeurism and duality. “I was playing them like an organ,” bemused Hitchcock, who gets the last laugh by creating voyeurs out of his audience, the very same theme he tries to impress upon them as qualities inherent in the film’s characters. Psycho is precisely unforgettable because the images within the frame haunt our subconscious. “Even on second viewing the moments of horror lose none of their impact,” noted movie critic Barry Norman of The Daily Mail. Hitchcock’s repeated references to birds, whether stuffed or spoken, rattle audiences while his inventive use of camera angles and multiple shots subjected to quick editing create a shower scene that despite a shortage of gore, can still terrify a modern audience. The elaborate set featuring the Bates house and motel continue to enthrall while (thanks to the talented and overlooked performance of Anthony Perkins) Norman Bates continues to haunts us all. It is through mise-en-scène that much of the information we receive about the characters is conveyed while our emotions set in for this rollercoaster of terror, which birthed the “slasher” film genre. REFERENCES Psycho, The Collector’s Edition (1998). Audio Commentary [DVD; The Making of Psycho]. Los Angeles: Universal Studios Durgnat, R. (2002) A Long Hard Look at Psycho. London: BFI Publishing. Wells, A.S. (2001) The Ultimate Film Guides: Psycho. London: Longman. Smith, J.W. (2009) The Psycho File: A Comprehensive Guide to Hitchcock’s Classic Shocker. North Carolina: MacFarland. Considine, D.M (n.d.). The Art of the Motion Picture (PowerPoint). CI 5830 Media Literacy, Appalachian State University. Considine, D.M. (1996). Teaching With Motion Pictures Film and Art. Telemedium. The Journal of Media Literacy 42: 3, 14-19 Considine, D.M., & Baker, F. (2006). Focus on Film: They Learn It Thru The Movies. The Journal of Media Literacy 53: 24-32 Psycho. (n.d.). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 31, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho_%28film%29 The Internet Movie Database. (n.d.) American Beauty. Retrieved April 8, 2010 from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/ Rotten Tomatoes. (n.d.) Psycho. Retrieved March 31, 2011 from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/psycho/
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