NARRATIV

ANALYSIS
E
PRIYANSH JAIN
BMM III
FILMAKIMG
Dept. Cinematography

Alfred Hitchcock
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LINEAR
NARRATIVE Psycho, one of Alfred Hitchcock’s representative films,
represents the power of linear narrative and the possible
manipulation of the spectator. And it is this subtle manipulation
that Alfred Hitchcock uses in the construction of Psycho, and its
filmic narrative that shocks and unsettles the majority of
spectators. It has a beginning, middle and end.
This is seen in ‘Psycho’ as there are two murders, the audience
is unable to see who the killer is, then the killer is revealed to
the audience the same time as the characters. In this case, the
sub-plots in ‘Psycho’ could be when Marion steals the money
from her work. Another sub-plot that was seen in ‘Psycho’ is
when Norman Bates fooled the audience that his mother did not
like Marion when we heard her talking about Marion at the
motel, Marion was then killed moments later by an unknown
figure which the audience thought was to be Norman Bates’
mother, we later find out that the mother is dead.

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 TEMPORAL
DURATION
&

GENRE

SCREEN TIME 1h 49m

PLOT TIME Many Years
STORY TIME Approximately 10 Days

GENRE Horror | Mystery | Thriller

CAST Janet Leigh (Marion Crane)

Anthony Perkins (Norman Bates)
OPENING & CLOSING
NARRATIVE

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 OPENING
The beginning is one long panning of the establishing shot
with no cuts – then a very sudden cut, jerking. It lulls the
reader into a false sense of security expecting further
panning then ripping them away to a new sight,
interrupting the fluidity and reflecting the state of Norman
Bates mind. There is a close up high angle shot of the open
window, zooming in – we are not going in through the
door but unseen through the window, for a glimpse of
someone’s private life. It gives a very voyeuristic feel to the
viewing. The camera feels as if it is scanning across the city
and the window it chooses quite random – choosing a
victim, watching their behaviour through a window. It
makes the audience feel uncomfortable, and the camera is
shaking very slightly as it zooms in on that window. There is
a medium opening shot of the characters, mid-level. The
blonde woman Marion Crane is the primary person seen,
and this tells us that she is our main character as all you can
see of her lover Sam is his torso.
CLOSING
The last, famous bit of Psycho is Norman sitting in his cell,
with his mother's voice nattering on and on about how
she "wouldn't even hurt a fly." This is topped off by a
creepy, creepy smile and a ghostly image of mother's skull
superimposed over Norman's face. But the very, very
ending of the film, after that smile and the promise about
not even hurting a fly and the skull, is a scene of Marion's
car being pulled out of the swamp. The scene of the car,
though, does two things. First, it shows that order has
been re-established. The police are in control; they have
dredged up the truth, and Marion's body. Norman's
mother, hiding inside him, determines to stay still so the
watchers will "see what kind of person I am" —that is, a
harmless person. But that car coming up shows that the
police see the unseen; the law knows that Norman is not
harmless. Norman's psycho psyche has come into the
light. Poor Marion, after all, is still dead. Norman has been
stopped, but the police can't undo the damage he's done.
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 SPACE / SETTING

Opening scenes take place in

Phoenix, Arizona & later
shifts to Bates Motel
(California) where the series
of Murder takes place.

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 STORY / PLOT
Phoenix office worker Marion Crane is
fed up with the way life has treated her.
She has to meet her lover Sam in lunch
breaks and they cannot get married
because Sam has to give most of his
money away in alimony. One Friday
Marion is trusted to bank $40,000 by her
employer. Seeing the opportunity to take
the money and start a new life, Marion
leaves town and heads towards Sam's
California store. Tired after the long drive
and caught in a storm, she gets off the
main highway and pulls into The Bates
Motel. The motel is managed by a quiet
young man called Norman who seems to
be dominated by his mother.

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 CAUSALITY

CAUSE EFFECT CAUSE EFFECT

Sam owes money Marion is tempted by the Marion finds it difficult Marion meets
and cannot afford $40,000 and in a moment to see during rainstorm Norman and is
to support Marion. of weakness steals it and and leaves the main road murdered within
runs towards Sam. to arrive at the Bates motel. several hours.
Miss-En-Scene Lighting : Hitchcock predominantly uses chiaroscuro
lighting to establish the genre and show to the viewers
that this is going to be a dark, cold thriller. He also uses
naturalistic, ambient lighting to compliment the realism
of the genre and film. Lighting design is also used in the
shower scene to enhance our fear. They use non-
ambient lighting to create a silhouette of the killer, this
hides his identity from us and heightens the
mysteriousness of the scene as well as our common fear
of the unknown.
Sound : All the sound is diegetic, ambient sound,
excluding the soundtrack, which gives it a realistic and
naturalistic feel. the soundtrack is well known for
providing a lot of the tension of the film. During the
shower scene, later on in the movie, the soundtrack has
harsh, violent, stabbing-like sounds, representing the
horror that is happening in the scene.

Location : Hitchcock chooses to use many

claustrophobic spaces, another generic noir feature. He
uses locations such as a car and a shower to make the
characters feel vulnerable and trapped. The shower was
also chosen because it is a location that anyone can
relate to, enhancing the realism and fear of the scene
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DIFFERENCE / VARIATION
Marion is shot from the front, suggesting
openness and honesty. Behind and above her,
the curved lines are repeated in a picture
frame, and to screen right is the Tiffany lamp
with its rounded shade glowing warm and
alive. The walls behind her are likewise soft,
brightly lit. Marion, especially with the light
colour of her dress, the curves in her hairstyle
and her posture, adds to the sense that she is,
or eventually will be, the victim.

While showing Norman, large birds of prey are

surrounding him. He is placed at an angle to
the camera so part of his face is obscured,
suggesting something hidden. Other objects in
the shot are angular and harsh. But perhaps
the most unusual and the most curious feature
of this motel, and yet the most graphic clue to
the twisted mind of Norman Bates, is the
stuffed birds mounted on the walls and
standing on the table and chest.

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 Beginning : Marion steals the Money from her boss, to
convince her boyfriend to marry her & later she flees
away with that money.

DEVELOPEMENT
Middle : She stays at a Motel where she is killed by
& Norman. Family tries to investigates & several of them
becomes victims.
PROGRESSION

Ending : It is later revealed that the killer is the Norman,

who is dressed up as his mom.

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 CONFLICT

At first, the main conflict in the film appears

to be the between Marion and the law, as she
runs away with $40,000 that she’s stolen from
her boss in order to convince her boyfriend,
Sam, to marry her.
Halfway through the film, she encounters
Norman Bates. After Marion’s death,
Hitchcock reveals the true conflict at the core
of the movie, which is between Norman Bates
and his “Mother”.

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 CLIMAX

There are arguably two main climaxes in “Psycho”.

The first is the shower scene in which Marion is
Unexpectedly killed, thus ending her journey.

The second takes place in the cellar of the Norman

Bates’s house where Lila discovers the truth about
Norman and his Mother

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 SHOWER
SCENE
One of the most famous scenes in cinema history, the shower scene in this masterpiece, ‘Psycho’ uses thriller conventions and camera techniques to make
it so memorable. The setting for the murder: a bathroom is an enclosed space, which means there is nowhere for Marion to run or hide when the
murderer enters; this makes the scene more frightening, as it creates a sense of claustrophobia, which is a thriller convention seen in many other films of
the genre. Also, Marion is naked during this scene; this connotes vulnerability and makes her more exposed, making the scene even more shocking as she
had no way to defend herself. This idea of vulnerability is also reinforced through the rule of thirds which makes Marion look weak and small when she is
reaching out for help. Hitchcock also uses extreme close ups to make the audience feel uncomfortable and on-edge during the murder, such as with
Marion's eye and her bloody hand, which also reinforces the shocking atmosphere created. Shower scene: rules of thirds, extreme close ups and enclosed
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To me Psycho was a big comedy.
Had to be.

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