"Psycho"

 Hitchcock's "Psycho" didn't interest me as much as I hoped upon my first viewing. I found the protagonist hard to relate to or support since the first thing we learn about her is that she is consenting to a romantic relationship with someone who is in a monogomous relationship with another person, which I find irresponsible and difficult to rationalize. After stealing the money and running with it for a while I found it easier to relate to her, but wasn't particularly sure why. This left me even more confused and disinterested when she was killed off so early, leaving me once again with little to no stake in the coming events. 

Upon a second watch, reading the article for class, and the class discussions, my opinion changed. I learned about how the shot angles and pacing helped convey Marion anxiety and points of focus to me as a viewer, without needing to use words or plot points. I'm pretty sure that those techniques were the primary catalyst causing me to begin rooting for Marion, as well as what kept the shower scene so jarring despite the lack of ability to actually show the violence happening (which I feel damaged my immersion and experience as a viewer).

I definitely still feel that I have a lot to learn about how to watch films and how to understand why I percieve them as I do, but at least in this case I've come to appreciate the craft involved in the production of this film and I'm interested to see what comes next.

Comments

  1. JalynApril 11, 2021 at 10:03 PM

    I had the exact same feeling when I first saw Psycho, I didn't understand why I rooted for Marion even though she stole from her boss and ran. I agree that the camera shots and angles had a lot to do with my change in feeling toward her. When she first decided to steal the money, she did it after hearing that its owner had more to spare. To me, it makes sense that she would steal it from him but you can feel how much she grows to regret her choice as the film continues. In the end, I still hoped that the money would get returned just so she could be forgiven lol.

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