American Cinematographer (1995) - Psycho
Details
- article: Psycho
- author(s): George E. Turner
- journal: American Cinematographer (01/Sep/1995)
- issue: volume 76, issue 9, page 101
- journal ISSN: 0002-7928
- keywords: Alfred Hitchcock, Anthony Perkins, Hilton A. Green, Janet Leigh, John Gavin, Joseph Stefano, Peggy Robertson, Psycho (1960), Robert Bloch
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Abstract
Review of "Psycho: Behind the Scenes of the Classic Thriller" - by Janet Leigh and Christopher Nickens (1995) .
Article
Psycho by Janet Leigh with Christopher Nickens Harmony Books, 208 pps., cloth, $22
If all the books written about Alfred Hitchcock's films were stacked in a heap, the pile would rival Mount Whitney. There are good ones, thinly disguised rehashes of the good ones, and some as empty as an election‑year pledge.
Janet Leigh has done Hitchcock fanciers a real favor with this one, which is devoted entirely to one film. Packed to the gunwales with personal reminiscences, on‑set anecdotes, interviews and solid research, it offers an authentic inside look at Sir Alfred's remarkable opus of madness and murder. That it gives a close gander at his methods comes naturally as a matter of course. There are none of the over‑educated guesses about "the real meaning" that are usually paraded in movie monographs, but much of the director's thinking is clarified by things he said on the set. A report about the after‑effects of the production on some of the participants is fascinating. Co‑writer Nickens does a nifty job of adding more factual information and providing an objective look at Leigh.
Psycho participants who were interviewed to augment Leigh's recollections include the late Robert Bloch, author of the original book on which the movie was based; co‑star John Gavin; screenwriter Joseph Stefano; director's assistant Peggy Robertson; and assistant director Hilton Green. Correspondence with the late Tony Perkins is included.
Some stories that have been offered as gospel are dispelled, including the oft‑told yarn about how the celebrated murder scene in the shower was made. And who would have suspected that Mrs. Bates' voice was dubbed by two women and a man? A raft of surprises like these make the book a little jewel for those of us who dote on Hitchcock minutia.
