EugeniaH Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 The skull superimposition was cool!! I'd never noticed it before. I only saw the teeth, but still... it was definitely a "blink or you miss it" minute. What I also loved about the ending was that it was ambiguous. Sure, Norman was in custody, but obviously, his madness became total, the Mother personality took over. He stares at the camera and you walk away with questions... what happens now? (I haven't seen the sequel in its entirety, and it's been so long that I don't remember any of it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruylopez Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 HoldenlsHere, thanks for the response. Hitchcock was a genius at how he was able to get his actors and actresses to react to different situations, all in one scene. Notice in the Birds, when Hedren's character first meets up with Pleshett's --watch how Melanie reacts to Annie's inquisitiveness from the moment on the porch until they reach Melanie's car. She says very little to Annie, but alot to the viewer. Just in the way she changes her facial expressions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Yeah, it was very subtle. Just a few seconds. I saw the sequel. Nothing to write home about.........(I passed on the others) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Wouldn't it have been cool to instead of superimposing the skull, to have Norman talking to "himself", but using the "Mother's" voice? Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 But according to the script Norman wasnt "there" anymore...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruylopez Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Compare the scenes between Marion and Norman after their crimes--Marion as she drives in the rainstorm --the viewer can hear the sound of pouring rain as we watch her panic thinking about the consequences of her crime realizing she will never get away with it, yet she still holds a menacing grin. And then, with Norman, who, after discovering the crime of murder, we hear the sound of the shower, just like the rainstorm, as he panics while cleaning up the scene of the murder. Even Norman has a menacing grin, but instead of thinking about the consequences, the viewer gets to actually see the consequences of the crime. Okay, maybe I am reading into it too much, lol, but still it is lots of fun.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TikiSoo Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 When I showed PSYCHO to the 16 y/o kid, she was completely confused by the ending. She listened closely to the psychiatrist "explanation", but still didn't completely understand. I thought the length was just right, because it gives you a moment to catch your breath. Then, you get the closing shot of Norman (back to the story) and you could see the light bulb go on over TikiKid's head. So, while it may not work well for everyone, the ending was perfect for some. >Sepia said: Wouldn't it have been cool to instead of superimposing the skull, to have Norman talking to "himself", but using the "Mother's" voice? He DID, it was just in his head....which to me, was so much better than spoken aloud. Who's the actress who played "Mother's Voice"? I always thought it was an old lady seen on Andy Griffith's Show, but looking at PSYCHO's credits, guess I was mistaken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 I agree its a time out moment. It probably drags for me because I've seen the film so many times. Oakland seems too over the top for me as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeniaH Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 *Who's the actress who played "Mother's Voice"?* There were three people who did Mother's voice: Virginia Gregg (she did a lot of spots on "Dragnet"), Jeanette Nolan, and at the end it was an actor named Paul Jasmin. With the psychiatrist's explanation, I felt it was somewhat "comforting" as Norman's actions left you so unsettled, it was nice to have someone dialoguing on the "rationale" behind Norman's mind. But Hibi, yeah, I agree with you, I think Oakland was a little bit over the top in his acting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 There were THREE? That's strange. Wonder why they didnt use the same actress. Weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeniaH Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 It is weird, isn't it? I learned this on the Psycho DVD with the "extras". Was it supposed to make Mother more mysterious with all these different voices? I never noticed any distinction... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 I never listened that closely, but I just assumed the voice was distorted a little electronically for viewers....... Edited by: Hibi on Sep 13, 2013 10:38 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EugeniaH Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 If I heard that voice in my head all the time I'd be cuckoo, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 I disagree. Admit it, when you first saw this movie, with no knowledge of it at all, didn't you think "Mother" WAS an actual person? Still ALIVE, I mean? Because WE heard her TALKING to Norman, even though we didn't SEE her yet. So Norman MUST have been speaking in both voices. Hearing HIM speak in that voice in the end would have been more creepy for me. Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share Posted September 13, 2013 Compare the scenes between Marion and Norman after their crimes--Marion as she drives in the rainstorm --the viewer can hear the sound of pouring rain as we watch her panic thinking about the consequences of her crime realizing she will never get away with it, yet she still holds a menacing grin. And then, with Norman, who, after discovering the crime of murder, we hear the sound of the shower, just like the rainstorm, as he panics while cleaning up the scene of the murder. Even Norman has a menacing grin, but instead of thinking about the consequences, the viewer gets to actually see the consequences of the crime. Okay, maybe I am reading into it too much, lol, but still it is lots of fun.. ruylopez, that is an interesting parallel: Marion with the sound of the rain and Norman with the sound of the shower after their crimes are committed. Of course, in the case of Norman we are led to believe that Norman is cleaning up his mother's crime. I did wonder why Norman didn't replace the shower curtain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkblue Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 > Hearing HIM speak in that voice in the end would have been more creepy for me. She was speaking to someone (Norman) every time before. If she had spoken aloud at the end, it would have been she talking to herself - out loud. That'd be crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo2 Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 >That'd be crazy. LOL I assume you DID mean this in the ironic manner of how it appears, right dark?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkblue Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 I'm just sayin'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traceyk65 Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 A few posts ago, someone was wondering about the Hitchcock cameos. Well, I came across this while actually looking for something else (no, really). Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misswonderly3 Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 >From what I've read that skull superimposition was only in some prints. I'm glad TCM shows the print with that in it. Not all have it........ What "skull superimposition" ? I've seen *Psycho* many times, and never noticed this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misswonderly3 Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 ruylopez wrote of the Marion Crane character : "...yet she still holds a menacing grin..." Really? I don't think I've ever seen Janet Leigh with a "menacing grin" in anything, and definitely not *Psycho*. There was absolutely nothing menacing about her character. Now, Norman Bates...that's another story ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 ruylopez wrote of the Marion Crane character : "...yet she still holds a menacing grin..." Really? I don't think I've ever seen Janet Leigh with a "menacing grin" in anything, and definitely not Psycho. There was absolutely nothing menacing about her character. Now, Norman Bates...that's another story ! misswonderly, I think ruylopez is talking about the part where Marion is imagining as she's driving the conversation between her boss and the oil tycoon whose money she's stolen. Watch that scene, especially when she's imagining the oil tycoon talking about her planning the theft and flirting with him. At one point there is an odd smile on her face and a hint of relishing the crime in her eyes mixed with the panic. Janet Leigh is amazing in that sequence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoldenIsHere Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 What "skull superimposition" ? I've seen Psycho many times, and never noticed this. In Norman's final appearance on screen, after the mother's voice says, "Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly," Norman has a closed mouth smile and then for a moment the image of a skull (with teeth) is superimposed over Norman's face... then there is a dissolve to the car being pulled out of the swamp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkblue Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Yes, it's not a grin - and it's certainly not menacing. It's an ironic smirk at the thought of her boss's confusion. A momentary thought among the many that run through her understandably racing mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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