The film “Psycho” is a renowned suspenseful movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It revolves around the story of Marion Crane, a seemingly normal young woman, who encounters a mentally disturbed motel owner named Norman Bates. Their peculiar relationship unfolds, presenting the audience with a prominent theme of the battle between good and evil. This theme is successfully conveyed through Hitchcock’s utilization of character development, editing, mise-en-scene, and other media techniques. Right from the beginning, the opening credits establish an initial exploration of the good versus evil concept.
The opening credits in the title scene of the movie reflect Norman Bates’ personality. The fragmented titles initially come together on the screen but then shake and split up again, symbolizing Bates’ disjointed personality. The scattered placement of the titles suggests his severe imbalance and unstable condition, foreshadowing his unpredictable mindset.
The contrasting colors used in this scene hold significance for Bates’ character development. The black, white, and grey all symbolize the perpetual conflicts within his temperament. The darker areas depict the deepest shadows within his mind, while the lighter areas indicate his capacity for goodness. These contrasting colors embody the ongoing inner struggle between good and evil. The grey, on the other hand, signifies the uncertain aspects of his split personality and can also be interpreted as reflecting the indecision and doubt present in Marion’s character as the film progresses.
This primary theme is developed as we are introduced to Marion Crane, the dominant leading character. In the first scene, Marion meets up with her boyfriend, Sam, in a hotel room during her lunch hour. The camera enters the room by zooming through the window, giving us a sense of intruding on their private moment. Hitchcock’s intention is to make the viewer feel like a voyeur, emphasized by the personal and intimate first shot of the couple which creates an awkward atmosphere.
This scene is crucial to the overall film and plays a pivotal role in exploring the theme of good and evil. It provides Marion with a compelling reason to steal the money in the subsequent scene. Initially, Marion is depicted as a virtuous character with pure intentions, as her desire to marry Sam and lead a respectable life is established. However, when Sam admits that he cannot provide for her, Marion is presented with a clear alternative motive and an opportunity to shift from good to evil, thus establishing the foundation of the entire film.
The initial appearance of Marion showcases her wearing white underwear, serving as a subtle suggestion of her gentle and innocent nature. However, after her choice to commit theft, she is seen sporting black underwear. This visual symbolizes the shift in her character development, moving from righteousness to wickedness. Similarly, Norman Bates initially presents himself as an ordinary individual, yet as the scenes unfold, his behavior reveals slight peculiarities.
When Marion arrives at the Bates Motel, the unforgiving rain forces her to take shelter, symbolizing her impending downfall. This is further emphasized by the pathetic fallacy as Marion’s feelings of isolation and guilt intensify. The hesitance shown by Norman in giving her the key to cabin one foreshadows his abnormal nature. Additionally, his immediate action of opening the window upon entering the room suggests he may be planning his own escape route. Notably, he purposely omits any mention of the bathroom, hinting at the significant event that will occur there.
When Marion checks into the motel, the view of Bates in the mirror is blurred, indicating his changeable and hazy personality. Another shot shows only half of his face, symbolizing that only one half of him can ever be fully good, while the other half remains evil. However, this scene also evokes sympathy for Norman as his mother instantly dislikes Marion, a reaction uncommon between strangers.
The text highlights the close and somewhat unusual bond between Norman and his mother, emphasizing their unhealthy reliance on one another. This portrayal suggests that Norman is confined in his current circumstances, yet portrays him as a virtue. A similar technique is employed in the scene set in Norman’s parlour, where the illumination illuminates important elements, like one side of Norman’s face and the underside of the owl’s wings.
The owl represents the constant presence of Norman’s controlling mother within his mind, evoking sympathy for his lack of agency even in normal behavior. Additionally, juxtaposing Norman and the owl implies his predatory nature and an equal standing between them. The inclusion of various birds in the parlour scene further reinforces this recurring theme.
When Marion first enters the room, framing her next to the stuffed birds that Norman has showcases her vulnerability and establishes her as being on equal footing with them. The shower scene plays a crucial role in Marion’s character development as it illustrates her complete transformation from the morally corrupt person she became after taking the money, back to the virtuous individual we saw at the beginning. She experiences a change of heart regarding the stolen money and resolves to return home. The precise moment of relief can be identified when she flushes the toilet – it feels as if she is symbolically rid of her troubles and remorse.
The same effect is employed when water drains down the shower drain, symbolizing the cleansing of her sins. However, this imagery can also be interpreted as representing the emergence of evil as Marion’s life is washed away, leading her to descend into Hell for her committed sins. This scene conspicuously showcases a contrast between Norman and his Mother, but we also observe that Norman is capable of performing evil actions while staying true to himself, as evidenced by his act of spying on Marion prior to her murder.
After the murder, Norman’s connection to the crime is established through various means. The use of camera work and editing plays a role in this, as the focus shifts to Norman’s house, effectively conveying the story without relying on dialogue. Shortly thereafter, we witness Norman fleeing from the house, directly implicating himself in the murder. His automatic assumption that his mother is responsible raises further suspicions about him. This particular moment showcases both the good and evil aspects of Norman’s character. Despite appearing flustered initially upon discovering his mother’s actions, he quickly transitions into a composed and detached state, indicating that this is not his first experience with such an event. By convincingly portraying his mother as the culprit, it becomes clear that Norman is attempting to convince himself that he is innocent and mentally stable. The mise-en-scene surrounding Marion’s car sinking echoes this sentiment.
Next to a split-trunk tree, we see him framed, suggesting his split personality. The contrast between Norman’s two sides is further emphasized in a scene where Marion’s sister, Lila, searches for evidence in the house. When she enters the mother’s room, it appears lived-in with a bed that looks recently used and a wardrobe filled with neatly arranged clothes. Despite the disarray, everything is orderly and neat. This showcases Bates’ mental illness and the extent to which he has gone to maintain the illusion.
The hands of Lila scanning the dressing table in a subjective close-up shot indicate that Norman is still under the influence of his mother and his darker side, thus emphasizing his lack of control over his situation. In contrast to his mother’s room, Norman’s room is noticeably smaller and seemingly unchanged since his childhood. It contains a varied collection of items that reflect both a childlike innocence and a twisted nature.
The text suggests that he may be refusing to mature or his cognitive development has not progressed beyond this point. This notion, along with the toys, elucidates his reliance on his mother and his strong resistance to separating from her. The presence of the stuffed owl at his door reinforces the recurrent bird motif and symbolizes the constant presence of Mrs Bates. She constantly observes him and he willingly allows her to dominate him and determine his choices – resembling a child. The ongoing conflict between good and evil persists as Lila descends to the basement and mother is ultimately unveiled.
As the scene concludes, the climax is finalized by a close-up shot of “mother” that enables us to perceptibly observe the play of light and darkness in her eye sockets. This embodies the notion that Norman has the capacity to embody both a completely virtuous and completely malicious character. Despite our realization that mother is deceased in actuality, she continues to persist within Norman. The final appearance of Norman Bates depicts his arrest, revealing that the prevailing malevolent persona of “mother” has emerged triumphant and assumed control.
The text highlights how Norman’s mental illness is portrayed through his thoughts, body language, and his belief that he is his mother. The medium shot of Norman sitting in a chair effectively captures his eerie behavior as he mimics an old woman. This creepy image deeply affects the audience. Furthermore, emphasizing the importance of hearing his mother’s voice before seeing Norman allows the audience to grasp that he has transformed into someone else entirely. This suggests that he has succumbed to his inner demons, ultimately losing the battle between good and evil.
As Norman’s eyes focus, his expression changes from empty to wicked, and an overlay of his mother’s skull appears on his face, symbolizing his permanent entrapment by his dark side. Personally, I found the film’s ending to be satisfying because the detective solves the case and all questions are answered. However, the unsettling smile we see at the end leaves room for doubt, creating a cliffhanger of sorts. In summary, through the use of media techniques like character development and editing, Hitchcock effectively portrays a captivating battle between good and evil.
Although I sympathized with Norman’s character, I think he had the choice to control his actions and seek help to combat his evil personality. However, his dependence on his mother prevented him from doing so as he feared losing her. On the other hand, even though Marion’s decision to steal the money was irresponsible and not typical of her character, I believe she had good intentions. In general, the fact that evil triumphed instead of the usual outcome made it especially realistic because good doesn’t always prevail in real life situations.
