Do you think that Psycho would have been as successful if it had been in color? I believe our imaginations and own assumptions of certain aspects of the film helped to create interest and intrigue, something that color would have made too obvious--Thoughts?
I never thought about this. I think it would have been a different movie. A scene that comes to mind (should have mentioned this during the final) was when near the end the girl was walking up to the house. If it were in color I don't believe that this would have been suspenseful at all, but since it was black and white I think it added to it.
ReplyDeleteI thought the black and white added more to the creepy factor of the film. One scene that stands out was the parlor scene, the shots on Bates with the birds on the wall. The shadows gave him a much more sinister look in the scene.
ReplyDeleteBut the color of blood is interesting, not so much the color as the lack of blood for such a brutal stabbing. This reminded me of Taxi Driver, in the final shootout scene the color of the blood was desaturated in post, I believe this was part of bringing the film down from an X rating, so when you see it now the blood almost looks pink rather than the vivid red it was meant to be. This makes me wonder if Hitchcock found it easier to have blood in the film if it wasn't red. I mean if this was an issue in the late 70's, it had to be a problem in 1960.
Yeah, the POV from the sister walking up to the Bates house was so much scarier because you're seeing it through her eyes. It looks so much more menacing!
ReplyDeleteI agree about the scene with Bates as well. The shadows and camera a angles change him from seeming like a decent but naive kid to someone who is disturbed.
I think the film works best in black and white. The use of shadows and low lighting add to the intensity of the voyueristic moments and create a more noir-like feel. Especially in the scenes of POV. Overall it adds to Normans awkward creepiness.
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