Psycho (The Original)

Psycho (1960)


Runtime: 109 minutes


Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock


Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, Martin Balsam


From: Paramount (although it was filmed on Universal's lot)


While I have seen this movie a few times before (on VHS, DVD and even one time on the big screen way back when... for me I consider that to be 2006 or so, which is when I believe I saw it), I figured this was the best time to give it another watch. It's difficult to figure out what to say about this all-time classic that hasn't been said before... or try to say it as well as all the experts who have talked about this for the past 50 years plus. You don't need to know what the plot of this one is, as we should all know the tale of Norman Bates, his “mother” and Marion Crane.


When you look at the ill-advised 1998 remake (which I reviewed here) and compare it to this, the original shines especially bright. While the remake added some dumb things and the leads were a guy who played it way too creepy and a girl who did not play it right and in real life is at best a giant flake... the original has the right people and the right performances for the main roles. Leigh is great as the secretary who turns bad due to love and Perkins is all-time great as the oddball Norman Bates who looks like a meek nerd but aside from being awkward he seemed like a decent guy... until you find out the truth. The other performances work; none of them detract at all.


There are academic articles that explain the differences between the original and the remake and how there's a lot of minutiae in the original that the remake just did not do as well; whether it's the obvious or the not so obvious, this movie does things oh so well and that's why it's still beloved in 2013. It's hard to say if this is Hitch's best due to his amazing output, but it's one of the best.


Point is, the 1960 version and how it was constructed shows all the talent that was behind the camera along with in front of it (and to think that this was filmed on the cheap mainly with people from the TV show that Hitch had at the time) and it was all done masterfully with care and skill to create a work that is still effective in the 21st century as a creepy and terrifying film. From the score to the infamous scenes, the subtle moments and all the unconventional things done with the story... I am happy to revisit this.



I'll be back Friday night.