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Arizona State University THE 405 Unit 8: Discussion: As there is in all of the Hitchcock movies we've watched, there are many themes in "Psycho

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Arizona State University

THE 405

Unit 8:

Discussion:

As there is in all of the Hitchcock movies we've watched, there are many themes in "Psycho." Pick the one you consider to be over-all pervading theme - and why? Use at least two scenes from the film to justify your answer.

One theme that stands out the most in this movie, is the dominate/controlling mother figure. Norman Bates constantly reports back to his "mother," and she gives him commands. She sits up in the house watching over him. In the end, we find that they are so in sync, that they are the same person.

Quiz:

1)Martin Balsam plays Detective Milton Arbogast, who is murdered by "Mother" on the staircase of the Bates home when he investigates Marion Crane's disappearance in "Psycho"

TRUE

1.            FALSE

2.            In "Psycho", Norman Bates enjoys the hobby of taxidermy, as his mother can attest to.

 

TRUE

1.            FALSE

3.            The last shot of "North by Northwest" is a train going into a tunnel, a visual metaphor for the lead characters having sex.

1.            TRUE FALSE

4.            Alfred Hitchcock was known for wearing a suit and tie while he filmed, but he did take

off the jacket and tie when he shot the "North by Northwest" crop-duster scene in 110 Degree Bakersfield, California.

1.            TRUE FALSE

5.            "No Bail for the Judge" was Hitchcock's first movie with Audrey Hepburn, which grossed

nearly $5 Million dollars - making it one of Hitchcock's bigger hits.

TRUE

1.            FALSE

6.            The MacGuffin in "Psycho" is Marion Crane's disappearance. TRUE

1.            FALSE

7.            Score composer Bernard Herrmann chose to score the famous "shower scene" in Psycho with only stringed (violins, etc) instruments - with no percussion to be heard from.

1.            TRUE FALSE

8.            For "North by Northwest", Hitchcock was unable to film the murder at the United

Nations in the actual location, so much so they had to film from a van and sneak a shot of Grant getting out of a cab in the front of the UN building.

1.            TRUE FALSE

9.            At the end of “Psycho,” Norman Bates speaks in the voice of “Mother” in an inner

monologue where he/she hopes to prove that he/she’s harmless and would “never hurt a fly.”

1.                            TRUE FALSE

10.          In "Psycho", Janet Leigh's character, Marion Crane, is exhausted from driving and stops

at the Super 8 Motel, where she meets the owner/franchise operator Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins.

 

TRUE

1.            FALSE

 

 

 

 

•             Hitchcock refused to work with titles designer Saul Bass on the opening sequence of North by Northwest and instead Robert Burkes did the design.

 

o             TRUE

 

o             FALSE

 

•             "No Bail for the Judge" was Hitchcock's first movie with Audrey Hepburn, which grossed nearly $5 Million dollars - making it one of Hitchcock's bigger hits.

 

o             TRUE

 

o             FALSE

 

•             "Psycho" was filmed on a small budget with Hitchcock using his TV crew from "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and shot in black and white to save money.

 

o             TRUE

 

o             FALSE

 

•             The last shot of "North by Northwest" is a train going into a tunnel, a visual metaphor for the lead characters having sex.

 

o             TRUE

 

o             FALSE

 

•             Robert Bloch wrote the original novel, "Psycho," based on the true life story of Ed Gein, a farmer who was accused of grave robbing, cannibalism and murder and was a very successful novel at the time that the film rights were purchased by the studio.

 

o             TRUE

 

o             FALSE

 

•             Alfred Hitchcock was known for wearing a suit and tie while he filmed, but he did take off the jacket and tie when he shot the "North by Northwest" crop-duster scene in 110 Degree Bakersfield, California.

 

o             TRUE

 

o             FALSE

 

•             For "North by Northwest", Hitchcock was unable to film the murder at the United Nations in the actual location, so much so they had to film from a van and sneak a shot of Grant getting out of a cab in the front of the UN building.

 

o             TRUE

 

o             FALSE

 

•             One of the more notable scenes in "Psycho" is when Norman Bates hides Marion Crane's body in a trunk in his attic.

 

o             TRUE

 

o             FALSE

 

•             The MacGuffin in "Psycho" is Marion Crane's disappearance.

 

o             TRUE

 

o             FALSE

 

•             The script of "Psycho" was so shocking that Hitchcock lost some of his filmmaking team because they refused to work on the film.

 

o             TRUE

 

o             FALSE

 

 

 

One theme is Voyeurism. In the very beginning of the film we move through the blinds into the hotel room as if we are watching them ourselves. The police officer watches from across the street, Norman watches Marion through the peep hole in the office. We also constantly see visuals looking into the upstairs window with a woman moving across in shadow.

 

1              Hitchcock refused to work with titles designer Saul Bass on the opening sequence of North by Northwest and instead Robert Burkes did the design.

1              TRUE

2              FALSE

2              The script of "Psycho" was so shocking that Hitchcock lost some of his filmmaking team because they refused to work on the film.

1              TRUE

2              FALSE

3              For "North by Northwest", Hitchcock was unable to film the murder at the United Nations in the actual location, so much so they had to film from a van and sneak a shot of Grant getting out of a cab in the front of the UN building.

1              TRUE

2              FALSE

4              Score composer Bernard Herrmann chose to score the famous "shower scene" in Psycho with only stringed (violins, etc) instruments - with no percussion to be heard from.

1              TRUE

2              FALSE

5              The MacGuffin in "Psycho" is Marion Crane's disappearance.

1              TRUE

2              FALSE

6              In "North by Northwest" Hitchcock worked on Eva Marie Saint's wardrobe - making sure it was to his exact specifications - like he had with many of his leading ladies.

1              TRUE

2              FALSE

7              Martin Balsam plays Detective Milton Arbogast, who is murdered by "Mother" on the staircase of the Bates home when he investigates Marion Crane's disappearance in "Psycho"

1              TRUE

2              FALSE

8              At the end of “Psycho,” Norman Bates speaks in the voice of “Mother” in an inner monologue where he/she hopes to prove that he/she’s harmless and would “never hurt a fly.”

1              TRUE

2              FALSE

9              One of the issues that Paramount had with the screenplay of "Psycho" was not only the graphic shower murder scene, but also the excessive use of toilet imagery, especially because the audience sees the toilet flush on-screen.

1              TRUE

2              FALSE

 

10           In "Psycho", Norman Bates enjoys the hobby of taxidermy, as his mother can attest to.

1              TRUE

2              FALSE