tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470604276410220159.post1859026859980935470..comments2023-11-05T02:57:06.922-05:00Comments on The Vault of Horror: Psycho Semi-Centennial: This Movie's for the BirdsB-Solhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10717121313061173603noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470604276410220159.post-32506855717270482812010-01-24T16:38:31.315-05:002010-01-24T16:38:31.315-05:00Christine, I'm glad I could inspire you to red...Christine, I'm glad I could inspire you to rediscover Psycho. And Andre, that's some fascinating stuff. I think you might be on to something, since I've also heard it postulated that the human practice of kissing has its origins in the method some animals use to feed their young--which would also tie into Norman's serious intimacy issues as well...B-Solhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10717121313061173603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470604276410220159.post-33825724752380837292010-01-23T12:21:09.300-05:002010-01-23T12:21:09.300-05:00Awesome! As an avid Hitchcock lover I have read an...Awesome! As an avid Hitchcock lover I have read and explored countless ideas on the bird thing and I just love it.<br /><br />What's your take on the idea of mama birds regurgitating food into their young ones mouths? ...Hehehh Now that Mother is dead who will feed baby Norman? I suppose Mother's murders are like her regurgitated food for Norman. She does the dirty work and Norman cleans it up or "digests" it. Nifty nifty.<br /><br />I also love Hitchcock's dependence and use of mirrors. It's especially prominent in Psycho, my favorite being the shot where Marion is reflected in the cops sunglasses.Andre Dumashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07170879111034420803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470604276410220159.post-83689384859598564622010-01-23T11:22:39.697-05:002010-01-23T11:22:39.697-05:00Psycho is one of my favorite movies, and I really ...Psycho is one of my favorite movies, and I really hadn't thought too much about the bird thing, other than noticing he seemed to reference them alot. But after reading your post I was truly enlightened - so much so that the film is finding its way to my DVD player this weekend. <br />Great post!Christine Haddenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932508146588027867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470604276410220159.post-90057092362706611872010-01-23T10:03:03.607-05:002010-01-23T10:03:03.607-05:00Robert, this is actually going to be a year-long s...Robert, this is actually going to be a year-long series on Psycho alone, kind of like what I did last year with A Nightmare on Elm Street.<br />And Anonymous, that's pretty amazing, I knew I couldn't be the only one who had given a lot of thought to this bird thing!B-Solhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10717121313061173603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470604276410220159.post-456122461237974012010-01-22T20:52:42.159-05:002010-01-22T20:52:42.159-05:00You're not alone in your theory. Here's a ...You're not alone in your theory. Here's a comment from a March 2000 post on the issue. It's the first hit if you Google "Bird Imagery in Pyscho":<br /><br /><i>Actually, birds are simply a recurring theme in the film. Notice that Marion's last name is Crane, and she is from Phoenix. Anthony Perkins was specifically chosen because he looks like a bird. Some of the ideas drawn from this are that of the young bird being unable to leave the nest, and Norman Bates has rarely traveled from the home and the hotel. He is also portrayed as a bird of prey. Many of the birds in the parlor scene are birds of prey, and several are aimed directly at Marion Crane, foreshadowing her demise. Norman also compares Marion to a bird by saying that she eats like one. There are many things like this, but they have nothing to do with Hitchcock's "The Birds."</i><br /><br />Great minds think alike. They write very alike too sometimes.<br /><br />To reinforce the trapped baby bird image, you missed the dialog, "You know what I think? I think that we're all in our private traps . . . and none of us can ever get out. We scratch and claw, but only at the air, only at each other."<br /><br />As for defending the thesis, you're on fairly solid ground. A quick tour of Hitchcock flicks reveals sinister bird images throughout: <i>39 Steps</i>, <i>Sabotage</i>, <i>Juno and the Peacock</i>, <i>Young and Innocent</i>, <i>Foreign Correspondent</i>, <i>Spellbound</i>, <i>Vertigo</i>, and on and on. There's a whole page about this on the Hitchcock wiki.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470604276410220159.post-62142071906874725862010-01-22T19:54:46.150-05:002010-01-22T19:54:46.150-05:00B-Sol, you are really in my head with this post :)...B-Sol, you are really in my head with this post :) Back in my senior year of high school, we watched, re-watched and analyzed Psycho for 2 weeks in my AP English class. Yes, this film was studied in a high school English class. The symbolism is absolutely incredible and I love how the whole he stuffs bird/he's a bird of prey/angle of the camera effect was worked so masterfully.<br /><br />Great post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470604276410220159.post-26016574492989182142010-01-22T17:02:03.575-05:002010-01-22T17:02:03.575-05:00Great analysis. And while I never went into such d...Great analysis. And while I never went into such depth, I did notice the bird-theme as it wove through the movie. Great job pulling it all together. I am pretty sure you are on the right track, if not already at the station!Wings1295https://www.blogger.com/profile/08045644215235749353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470604276410220159.post-6901864069970508292010-01-22T15:41:20.110-05:002010-01-22T15:41:20.110-05:00Very nice commentary. You've got me convinced....Very nice commentary. You've got me convinced. <br /><br />Stuffed animals also show up prominently in The Man Who Knew Too Much (the second version). I'd like to hear your take on that film at some point.<br /><br />Since you brought up the fact that Hitchcock has a lot of motifs that he returns to, I'll point out a meager few that I've noticed (aside from some of the more obvious ones that have already been discussed greatly):<br /><br />People falling down stairs<br /><br />People meeting on public transportation<br /><br />People being strangled<br /><br />People struggling with language barriers<br /><br />People encountering harrowing situations outside of their home countries, hometowns, etc.<br /><br />More abstractedly (and probably discussed on somewhat of a widespread scale -- though I don't recall haven't read anything about this myself), truth becoming progressively muddled as people try harder and harder to find it.<br /><br />I swear there's more that I've thought of before, but it's not something I've given much consideration too in a while. <br /><br />Really good analysis, though. Did you notice that on the picture of Norman, aside from his head looking birdlike, if you sort of keep the image just in your peripheral vision, the white kinda sorta maybe looks like a white silhouette of a bird?<br /><br />Any hint on which of Hitch's movie's you're doing next?Robert Ringhttp://scifiblock.comnoreply@blogger.com