Dmitri Rybakov Instructor Denise Bostrom CINE 18 6 December 2015 "A boy’s best friend is his mother" For my final assignment, I choose two films to compare and contrast; the original Psycho from 1960 and a remake with the same name from 1998. Alfred Hitchcock often named “Master of Suspense” directed the original Psycho which was released in 1960; starring Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, Vera Miles as Lila Crane, and John Gavin as Sam Loomis. The remake which was directed by Gus Van Sant was released in 1998; starring Vince Vaughn as Norman, Anne Heche as Marion, Julianne Moore as Lila, and Viggo Mortensen as Sam. Both films were shot by the same studio, Universal Studios (albeit it was called Revue Studios in the 60s) and are adaptations of Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel of the same name. I will compare and contrast both films discussing their similarities and differences in
Transcript
Dmitri Rybakov
Instructor Denise Bostrom
CINE 18
6 December 2015
"A boy’s best friend is his mother"
For my final assignment, I choose two films to compare and contrast; the original Psycho
from 1960 and a remake with the same name from 1998. Alfred Hitchcock often named “Master
of Suspense” directed the original Psycho which was released in 1960; starring Anthony Perkins
as Norman Bates, Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, Vera Miles as Lila Crane, and John Gavin as
Sam Loomis. The remake which was directed by Gus Van Sant was released in 1998; starring
Vince Vaughn as Norman, Anne Heche as Marion, Julianne Moore as Lila, and Viggo
Mortensen as Sam. Both films were shot by the same studio, Universal Studios (albeit it was
called Revue Studios in the 60s) and are adaptations of Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel of the same
name. I will compare and contrast both films discussing their similarities and differences in
camera work, mise-en-scene, characters, sound, and the famous shower scene, as well as critical
reception of each film.
Since the two films are essentially the same they both share the same plot. Marion Crane
is a secretary at a real estate agency; she is in a weird relationship with her boyfriend who runs a
store in another state and comes to visits every once in a while. They usually end up spending
time together at cheap motels and Marion is no longer happy with this situation and wants
something more. They both suffer from financial strains which keeps them from having a healthy
relationship. One day Marion is given a large sum of money that she has to deposit at the bank
on her way home, instead Marion decides to take the money and go to her boyfriend. She thinks
that the money will solve all their problems and they will finally be happy together. On the way
to Sam she gets caught in a heavy rain storm and stops at Bates Motel; where she meets the
innkeeper Norman, who despite what his name might suggest isn’t so normal. Marion gets
murdered that night during now famous shower scene. A private investigator Arbogast is hired to
track down Marion to get the money back, and is joined by Lila (Marion’s sister) and Sam
(Marion’s boyfriend) as all three are trying to figure out what happened to Marion.
The original Psycho was shot in black and white and uses that to its advantage to draw on
some aspects of the film noir genre. However, unlike in film noir where the “typical [characters]
… are usually populated by highly compromised, less attractive characters” (filmsufi), the
characters in Psycho are very likable, even Norman. The scenes are mostly done in point of
view, close-ups, and reaction shots which are very typical of film noir genre; there are not many
two shots. Another film noir trait that Psycho borrows is the use of shadows when it comes to
portrayal of character’s emotions which adds to the depth and storytelling. 1998 remake’s
biggest difference is that it was shot in color; otherwise the entire film is almost identical shot-
for-shot, with perhaps a bit more emphasis on close-ups that are slightly zoomed in when
compared to the original Psycho. The amount of money that Marion stole was also adjusted to
reflect the year the events occur (From $40,000 to $400,000) along with the cost of the car and
motel room.
Hitchcock does a great job of utilizing mise-en-scene in the original Psycho to develop
characters. One example of that can be witnessed in the parlor scene when Marion and Norman
are having a conversation while Marion is having a sandwich that Norman brought to her.
Norman is sitting down and he is surrounded by scary looking stuffed birds such as crows and
owls both of which are dark creatures. Owl is positioned in a way that shows that it’s about to
strike its victim. There are also a couple of framed pictures on the wall behind him that portray
women being attacked; which is another indicator of Norman’s true character. Norman’s side of
the room is dimly lit and half of his face is in the shadow, indicating his split personality traits.
On Marion’s side of the room we see a couple of curvy objects: a table lamp, a picture frame, a
milk jug; even the cushion on the sofa has a rounded edge. Everything feels softer and Marion’s
side of the room has a much better lighting; showing a significant contrast between Norman
Bates and Marion Crane. Some of the larger mise-en-scene objects such as the Bates Motel with
big spooky house on the hill next to it add to the whole atmosphere of Norman’s reality and the
universe he grew up in. The remake did not use the mise-en-scene as good as the original for
some of the key scenes such as the parlor scene. Also the house on the hill did not look as
menacing as the one in the original film where the house had more of a pronounced gothic look.
One of the most well known scenes in Psycho is the shower scene where Marion is
stabbed to death by Norman’s “mother”. Because of the censorships and the Production Code at
the time, the scene does not show any actual penetration during the stabbing, no wounds are
visible and the blood is very minimal, and the very little of what we see is down played by the
film’s black and white picture; blood just does not have the same appeal when it is not red. The
1998 version stays true to the original shot for shot with a few additions. There is more blood
and it is much more pronounced because the film is in color. There is more nudity and we
actually see the stab wounds on Marion’s back as she falls to the floor. There is also an addition
of a cut scene with clouds approaching for a potential storm which I found to be unnecessary.
We see this cut scene technique being used later on during the murder of Arbogast.
*more examples at the end
Shower scene is accompanied by a chilling sound of a screeching violin which is in my
view made the shower scene what it is. The original film’s soundtrack was scored by Bernard
Herrmann and it was reused and slightly reworked by Danny Elfman in the remake, with some
updated songs to reflect the different decade that the film took place in.
Both films share exactly the same characters, but with slight variations. Some actors
embraced the original and stayed true to their character, while others added their own flare with
mixed results. Norman Bates played by Anthony Perkins in the original is “completely normal,
wholesome and unthreatening” (KIMT). Anthony’s Norman is innocent, sweet, soft spoken, and
almost childlike. He was brought up in the world around this motel and does not know anything
outside of this limited world view. He does not have any friends or anyone else besides his
mother. He tells Marion that “a boy’s best friend is his mother” (Psycho). Norman which was
played by Vince Vaughn in the 1998 version is different on many levels. Right off the bat he
appears to be a little psychotic, with his laugh that he does at the end of almost every sentence
that does not appear as innocent as Norman’s laugh from 1960. 1998 Norman is much more
sexual as well. When Norman is peeping at Marion through a hole in the wall in the original it
comes across as an innocent male curiosity, in the remake we are slapped with self gratification
scene that did not feel very tasteful. We later confirm Vaughn’s Norman’s sexuality again, when
Lila visits Norman’s room and finds a nudie magazine which we do not see in the original.
Marion’s character has a few differences as well. In 1960 Marion is in her late thirties played by
Janet Leigh, she is driven to stealing the money because she is getting older and she is trapped in
a dead-end relationship (which could be her last romance) that does not go anywhere, it seems
more plausible that she would steal the money and leave to turn her life around and hopefully
end up happy with her boyfriend Sam. 1998 Marion played by Anne Heche who appears to be in
her early twenties and still has her life ahead of her, so she should not be that desperate and just
comes off as a runaway rather than a woman with no other way out. In a sense they would have
had different motifs when they decided to steal the money. Sam, Marion’s boyfriend, also has
some differences mostly due to difference in time when the films were released. In 1960 he is a
“tough guy stuck in a tougher situation” (KIMT) and in 1998 he is a “weak-minded slab of beef”
(KIMT), paying off on the gender roles during respective decades.
The original Psycho was a low budget film, but was one of the most profitable black and
white films ever made and received a lot of critical praise. It was the first horror film of its kind,
a psychological thriller. According Box Office Mojo Psycho grossed over $355 million (when
adjusted for ticket price inflation) compared to a measly $37 million that the remake earned.
Original Psycho had a budget of $800,000 ($6 million in today’s currency) while the remake cost
a whopping $60 million to make. The remake received a lot of negative reviews and was even
awarded a Golden Raspberry Awards for “Worst Remake or Sequel” and “Worst Director”
(razzies.com). Roger Ebert wrote “a shot-by-shot remake is pointless ; genius apparently resides
between or beneath the shots, or in chemistry that cannot be timed or counted.” (rogerebert.com).
Original Psycho is rated at 96% by Rotten Tomatoes, while the remake scores a 37%.
Even though both films were almost shot for shot exactly the same, used the same plot,
and identical script, somehow the remake could not stand out and was a big letdown. One cannot
help, but compare it to the original which was superior in every way. The black and white made
it a film noir which helped with character development by the use of genre’s lighting style, close-
up and point of view shots, and use of mise-en-scene. The actors did a much better job
developing their characters compared to their 1998 counterparts. Psycho (1998) was one of my
favorite films until I saw the original and realized how much better it was (I regret not watching
it sooner), it goes to show that you cannot simply copy something great and expect it to be just as
good, it does not work.
Sources
Psycho (1960). Dir. Alfred Hitchcock. Perf. Anthony Perkins, Martin Balsam, John Gavin, Janet Leigh, and Vera Miles. Universal Studios. 2012. DVD
Psycho (1998). Dir. Gus Van Sant. Perf. Anne Heche, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, and Vince Vaughn. Universal Studios. 1999. DVD
Mike Bunge. “Psycho (1960) vs. Psycho (1998)”. KIMT.com. 14 Nov. 2014. http://kimt.com/2014/11/14/psycho-1960-vs-psycho-1998. 6 Dec. 2015.
