April 25, 2012
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Hitchcock’s Masterpiece
Last year I started a love affair with Alfred Hitchcock. It started with Strangers On A Train and on it went after that with (in no particular order) The Wrong Man, North By Northwest, Rope, The Trouble With Harry, Shadow of a Doubt, Rear Window, Vertigo, Dial M for Murder, and The Birds. The one I had not seen all of yet was perhaps his best and most famous movie, Psycho. The American Film Institute lists Psycho as the 14th greatest movie of all time, however Vertigo is listed higher at number nine. Still Psycho is the one that EVERYBODY knows and the one that probably influenced countless horror flicks.
I had first seen about half of Psycho about 10 years ago and loved what I saw. I always wanted to see the rest of it and more of his movies but never did for various reasons. But, the other night I had nothing to do so I watched it. And boy, I can just about kick myself for not watching the whole thing sooner as it was everything that it was cracked up to be and more. Outside of the intense suspense, one thing that really stood out for me, like just about every Hitchcock movie, was the music. A big part of suspense is the music and the score. I think this really adds to making the viewer feel a sense of uneasiness when watching, well, any movie but especially Hitchcock.
And Anthony Perkins was amazing in the movie. I know after Psycho, all people remembered him for was his performance in spite of the fact that he did do many other movies and had many other roles. But, when you play a role that legendary, it is hard for people to imagine you as anything else.
Make no mistake, Psycho, is nothing if not legendary. Everybody knows the music and the infamous shower scene. Hell, even Janet Leigh’s scream is so well known and famous that it is a ring tone. Of course, when I got my new phone a couple of weeks ago I had to buy it and made it my ring tone for text messages. The other day I got woken up to that scream at seven in the morning when I got a text.
As great as Psycho is, it is still not my favorite Hitchcock movie. North by Northwest remains my favorite as that movie remains the most gripping and intense movie I have ever seen. I have only seen it once though, I really should go back and watch it a few more times to see how it holds up over the course of multiple viewings.
Comments (2)
I love Hitchcock! I started watching them as a kid and there began my love of creepy movies and stories!
I really need to get into his movies… I do love watching the Alfred Hitchcock Hour on HBO…or Showtime, or whatever channel its on…. and I remember seeing The Birds when i was little.