Front Page: Psycho

Name: Psycho
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Release Date: 16th June 1960
Country Made: USA
Awards: Nominated for 4 Oscars, DGA, Satellite Award, WGA Award (screen) and won Edgar, Golden Globe, and achieved 2nd and 3rd place in Golden Laurel Awards.
Genre: Horror Thriller
Production Company: Shamley Productions

Males	71,978	8.7
Females	14,582	8.6

This film predominately appeals to the male population compared with the female population, although only by 0.1%. I think this because the women in the film are perceived as weak, because in the first scene Marion is on her back which is a submissive position, and have a tendency to rely on men. This type of film appeals to the men more, especially as Hitchcock uses voyeurism and close ups which really involve the audience with the characters emotions and what they are thinking, for example: when Norman is looking through the hole in the wall at Marion undressing, this plays on their sense of masculinity and their urge to protect women. Whereas women may see this a rather derogatory, however they don't completely dismiss the film, as many women realise that the time it was written and released women were seen as inferior, and female viewers see the film in context.

Males under 18	2,001	9.2
Females under 18	577	9.2

However, the female age group you would assume would see the way woman are treated in the film as derogatory have the same average as the male age group. The under 18's women have been brought up in a society where men and women are perceived as equal, and therefore you would assume they would be the age group to not understand the context of when the film made, and would be more likely to argue against it. However the female under 18's population appear to understand, possibly because they have never had to live through it, and therefore feel unattached, compared with the female population 45+ years.

Males Aged 45+	7,009	8.9
Females Aged 45+	1,602	8.7

The female population of the age group 45+years have a 0.2% lower average than the men, and 0.5% lower than the females under 18. This could be because of again how Marion Crane and Norma Bates are seen as weak, and many women 45+ have probably have seen their mothers treated like this, and therefore feel more attached to this issue than the under 18's.

"Director Hitchcock does a great job here, he keeps the camera right in people's faces which gives it a claustrophobic feel." written by Paul Andrews

Psycho is a classically made thriller, with all the typical codes and conventions. I agree with what Paul says about the claustrophobic feel, the continuous use of close ups does give the claustrophobic sense. This continuous use of close ups also engages the audience with the characters as you can see their expressions, and you can engage with the character's issues and situations.
The use of close ups are also used to link certain objects with the characters, especially Marion in the beginning. For example: the camera moves from Marion to the money which suggests to the audience that they are linked. There is another close up of Marion packing her bags, this is a visual connection and helps the audience realise what is going on, as they can link the money, Marion and the bag packing altogether, due to the visual aid. During the shower scene there are continuous use of close ups and extra close ups, this again engages the audience with the action. Close ups on the neck, suggest the vulnerability of Marion and the extra close ups of the murder give the impression of intimacy as you never see the body fully, just parts of it.
Hitchcock uses aerial shots and lots of point of view shots to engage the audience and involve them into the action, this also links to what the cinema experience should be which is voyeuristic, you should be able to really engage and feel involved with the character and their situation, and this is one thing that Hitchcock does superbly in Psycho.
In many generic thriller films, dates and times are seen as important as the location and the character, because again it is about audience engagement. In the first scene, as well as having establishing shots to involve the audience, the date and time is included, this suggests that there isn't much time left until something terrible happens, the audience especially get this sense when they see a different time and/or date and they can work out and link this to past events, which keeps them on the edge of their seats.
Another generic feature that is used in Psycho are the locations, and similarly to 'Sleeping with the Enemy' the first location is glamorous, however it is what happens there that makes the location appear unglamorous. In the case of Psycho, Marion is having an affair with a man, which is secretive and perceived as dirty, unglamorous. However the second main location is the Bate's Motel, which is unglamorous due to the situations that happen there and the outward appearance of the motel.
The costumes in Psycho play a large part in deciphering characters change in personality, especially with Marion in the beginning of the film. In the first scene she is wearing white underwear this implies that Marion is pure, similar to a dove this links to her last name which is Crane and part of the bird family-like the dove; however in the sequence before she leaves town Marion is wearing black underwear, this represents her fall into crime.
Within this film names of people are important, compared with the names in 'Sleeping with the Enemy' which suggest no deeper meaning and are there to involve the audience and make the situations more personal, in Psycho the names have a deeper meaning particularly with Marion Crane, who's name relates to Norman's hobby, which is the stuffing of birds (taxidermy). Marion appears in the first scene as weak and submissive due to the fact she is on her back. And when she is eating with Norman he says "birds are passive things" this ties in with her as her last name is Crane, and his hobby is killing and stuffing dead animals, this suggests to the audience that this could be Marion's anticipated fate.
In the shower scene, you don't see Marion actually close the curtain, you just hear her do it, again in this film sound plays a large part in setting the atmosphere and mood. Even though you don't see Marion close the curtain, the sound of it gives the feeling of tension and apprehension, because it suggests to the audience that Marion is closing a door, trapping herself in the bath and because she is naked this makes her appear vulnerable. Marion 'trapping' herself in the bath is another generic thriller convention, because it's a claustrophobic space, this adds tension to her situation. The sequence where Marion is having a shower, as well as the running water there is rain outside, this gives the impression of her washing away her sins, her crime because water is pure and clean.