The Thrill of a Hitchcock Moment

By: Dan Jones

[SKIP first paragraph if haven't seen "PSYCHO"]

“Psycho” . . .

The actual stabbing lasts twenty seconds. Janet Leigh showers for thirty seconds before the stabbing begins. The entire scene is roughly three minutes, depending where you start the scene (her writing the note, tearing up the note, flushing the note, entering the bathroom, closing the bathroom door, entering the shower, or the camera shot of the shower head).

So what makes the shower scene of “Psycho” so memorable? The multiple camera angles? Nudity in 1960? The blood? The musical score?

Director Alfred Hitchcock is the Master of Suspense, but why? What is suspense? And how does one master it? How did he?

When it comes to Hitchcock’s many techniques, essays are written and college courses are studied. Some filmmakers successfully copy (“borrow”) his method. Hitchcock was quoted throughout his life, so we know he wouldn’t mind if we successfully suspend the audience’s belief as best we can. I’m not sure he’d appreciate those who plagiarize his work (“Psycho” reworked to “Raising Cain” or the “Rear Window” copycat “Disturbia“), but everyone needs an angle (literally). There isn’t, however, another Hitchcock out there. He is incomparable.

Within Hitchcock’ s era (ranging through six decades), the extravagance of his films was appealing, original, and unmatched. Do all of his tricks measure up today?

To be fair, Hitchcock’s ingenuity is what dates his body of work and the pivotal moments within. The poor chap was literally ahead of his time, and those around him couldn’t accurately contribute to his vision. Nevertheless, the dated scenes are classic; because they stand alone.

The extravagance of his films lies in the action. The uneasy situations our friendly protagonists fall into. Timeless, straight-forward conflict. The anticipation, the suspense, is the one-of-a-kind Hitchcock moment which will live in the viewer forever.

But the moments, events, and emotions of any fictional film are fabricated. What, then, is in a moment that has been invented or recreated for an audience to experience?

Next week, we’ll see if you have the answer, as we will be reviewing specific Hitchcock moments.

So brush up on the films of Alfred Hitchcock, and have a horrifying Hitchcock Halloween.

dan_jones1@aol.com