Psycho

Psycho was an awesome movie. I had high expectations before I watched the movie, and I was not let down. I have heard quite a few times from people that Psycho is a good movie and I have always wanted to see it. I thought the acting was amazing, the hidden symbolism and foreshadowing was clever, and the plot was intriguing and unpredictable.

Often times when I watch older movies I find the acting to be cheesy and a little too scripted. This was not the case in this film. I thought the acting was incredibly convincing. I was especially impressed by the acting because many roles are not easy roles to play. Marion and Norman both have to be crazy in some ways, especially Norman. These would be difficult roles to get into, and these actors did an astounding job. Even the smaller roles such as Sam or the car dealer I thought were great. Great acting definitely contributes to how good the movie is and the acting in Psycho was very good.

I went into watching this film was little knowledge of what it was really about. I expected it be someone going crazy and murdering people, but not much more complex than that. I was blown away by the complexity of this plot, and thought it was very interesting to watch. The plot keeps you guessing until the end because it is not clear what is going to happen to Marion and why, it is just obvious that it will be something bad. Even when Marion was murdered, I was still unsure of who did it. I really thought Norman’s mother was a real person until towards the end. The split personality of Norman is very clever, and I think the story did a great job of weaving it all together. I also thought this plot was great because it is not completely unrealistic. People with sever schizophrenia actually can have split personalities like Norman, so this film is not too far fetched. This aspect of the plot adds even more to its impressiveness.

The last thing that I especially liked about Psycho was all the subliminal, hidden messages of symbolism and foreshadowing. Although I did not notice it all myself the first time I viewed the film, I still think they are masterful. The paintings in the office of the rolling hills where Marion drives and then one of the swamp where her body is dumped is a very clever way to foreshadow her death. The scene in the parlor at the motel with Marion and Norman is especially smart. The birds of prey near Norman, song birds near innocent Marion, the low angle shots of Norman vs. the high angle shots of Marion, and the vivid shadow of Norman to symbolize his two selves are just a few of the many hidden messages of symbolism and foreshadowing in the film. There are so many and it makes me like the film even more because it just proves how much effort was put into making the film.

Psycho was a great movie and I enjoyed every aspect of it. This is one black and white movie that did not bore me in the least bit. I found this movie to me much more enjoyable, suspenseful, and complex than many modern movies that I have seen.