In the opening scene of Psycho, a 1960 thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the viewers are introduced to the protagonist Marion Crane, portrayed by Janet Leigh, and her boyfriend Sam. In the scene they are at a motel together discussing their impending future. They discuss how they are unable to get married due to Sam’s debts. This causes Marion to steal $40,000 from her work where she is a secretary at a real estate agency. Instead of depositing the money in the bank as her boss had asked her she takes steals it and leaves work early claiming of a headache. Marion takes an unplanned trip and leaves Phoenix, Arizona to go see Sam in California.
At two points in the film so far the viewers have seen Marion in her bra, in the opening scene with Sam and after she stole the money. In the scene with Sam her bra is white because her character is still pure and innocent the white reflects this. Then after Marion stole the money, the color of her bra was black reflecting a shift in her character her image was tarnished and sullied, she was tainted by her misdeed.
Marion starts to become nervous and act suspicious once seeing her boss on her way out of town when she was supposed to be home resting. Voiceover plays in the background to reflect Marion’s thoughts and her eyes are wide and fearful. She pulls over and sleeps on the side of the road. The next day an officer taps on her window, startling her and suggests she check into a motel next time. Her behavior is very suspicious and draws his attention, she becomes paranoid he is following her, going as far as to purchase a new Ford on the fly with California plates. She pays cash and is very forward with the salesman which seems to further make her look suspicious. The policeman witnesses this transaction which further makes her look questionable, shady even. She almost pulls out in the new car she paid for with cash without her belongings, that's how much of a hurry she was in to get out of there. Once she gets her belongings she hightails out of the car dealership. Back on the road again, it soon starts to storm becoming difficult for Marion to see out the windshield and drive safely. Luckily for her, or unluckily depending on how you look at it she comes across a motel during her travels, the Bates Motel. Norman Bates the owner of the motel invites Marion to dine with him for a small meal after she checks in, and she accepts. Marion hears an argument between Norman and a woman she presumes is his mother while waiting for him to come get her so they can eat, as it is still pouring outside. Instead of dining at his home behind the motel, they eat in the motel parlor behind the main check-in. Marion can’t help but notice all the stuffed birds decorating the room and Norman tells her about his hobby of taxidermy and his life with his mother, Norma, who is mentally ill. Marion suggests he commit her and Norman blows up on her. Norman tells her some things about his mother and his relationship with her. During their conversation Marion seems to come to her senses and even admits her real name, as she used an alias, and she tells him the truth about where she’s from and going back too. Once returning to her room, Marion decides to go back to Phoenix to return the stolen money. She prepares to take a shower, unaware that Norman is spying on her from a peephole in the motel parlor. As Marion is in the shower, a female figure appears and stabs her to death with a butcher knife. Norman returns to Marion's corpse and believes his mother to be responsible for the murder. He begins to clean up the crime scene, putting Marion's body and her possessions, including the embezzled money, into the trunk of her car. He drives the car to the edge near the swamps, sinking it.
I found it interesting that Norman had a taxidermy hobby specifically for birds and the protagonist's name was Marion Crane, and a crane is a bird species. It was pretty clear from then on that she wouldn’t be making it to the film’s final curtain call, almost like a foreshadowing of her demise. I found the character of Norman Bates to be much more interesting though, as a loner with no one but his mother, he just screams psychopath. Things that he said were just weird, they left a tingling, shivering feeling like you know something is wrong. The character of Norman Bates just gave off a bad vibe. He was quiet and refined but sometimes those qualities are the ones you have to worry about the most. People who don’t socialize and are isolated can be a cause for concern because they don’t learn how to attach and create that bond that is essential early in life. It’s basic psychology.
Lisa,
It is here in your conclusion "slash" 'curtain call' that you really start to cook. As PI Arbogast says, "If it doesn't gel, it's not aspic." While the beginning and middle of your post are really well-written, they are essentially recall/retell. I want more voice, more, well, Lisa. How might you use your conclusion as a frame and, back fill, if you will? BTW I like your choice of graphic/image. "We all go a little mad sometimes."
MM
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