After watching Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, twice, I picked up on a motif that seems very unusual.
Throughout my second viewing I tried to pay attention to the mostly visual bird
motif and how it intertwined with the way women were portrayed. These two motifs,
while subtle, create a sense of tension in Alfred Hitchcock’s suspenseful
masterpiece.
From the beginning of the movie until the end, Psycho
uses the bird motif in several ways. The opening shot shows a bird’s eye-view
over the city until it slowly zooms in on a half open window. It is also
important to mention that the city is Phoenix, Arizona. In the opening scene we
also meet the protagonist of the film, Marion Crane. The fact that her last
name is Crane, also refers to a bird. According to Brigitte Peucker’s, The Material Image: Art And the Real in
Film, “stuffed bird” is a British reference to a desirable woman, leading
the audience to believe that Marion is the quintessential “stuffed
bird/desirable woman.”
Marion is seen as desirable from the beginning of the film.
Starting from the controversial opening scene of her in bed with her lover. One
of the most iconic scenes that employ this is the infamous shower scene. Not
only do the storm clouds foreshadow her early death, but also the death of Marion
in the shower could be considered the most sensual yet terrifying scene in the
film. Birds are used again at the end of this scene. When Norman sees the
murder that happened in the bathroom, he looks in horror and knocks one of the
photos of the birds off the wall. The photo hints that Norman is actually the
killer in the film because of the previous representation of Marion as a little
bird.
In the mind of Norman Bates, Marion is his ideal desirable
woman. Norman’s strange way of thinking about women is first shown through in
the relationship with his mother. The method of preservation that Norman uses
for his mother is similar to his preservation of the stuffed birds we see in
his office. The incidents that follow between Norman and his “mother” imply an
incestuous sexual relationship with his mother. This is what explains to the
audience why Norman murdered his mother when he discovered her in bed with her
lover and killed them both.
Throughout the film, we see Mrs. Bates through reflections
and shadows, which could be seen as foreshadowing her to be the killer. We see her shadowed silhouette in the window and as
the figure that stabs Marion. The mother begins as something of a mystery: we
first see her silhouetted against a window. Her image becomes that of a shadowy
figure, in the house on the hill. Ultimately we see Norman carry his mother to
the cellar, but we don’t see her face. Because we don’t see her face, suspense builds
until the very end, when we realize that the mother is not living; she is
merely a figment of Norman’s divided psyche. As the film is coming to an end,
Hitchcock’s makes one final bird analogy through the mother personality of
Norman, who says, “I am just as harmless as one of those stuffed birds.”
Hitchcock was a twisted genius who used birds as one of his many motifs to
create suspense in Psycho.
I will start by saying that until I just recently viewed the movie a second time, I had not noticed the overwhelming motif of birds. As you stated birds and ideas related to birds are strewn everywhere throughout the film and lends itself to Hitchcock's love of motifs. It's also noticed when the name of the first city appears in the film, PHOENIX, Arizona. But I feel that mentioning of bird is small in comparison to the shot when Marion and Norman first enter the parlor and there is a bird staring down at them both. Another major use of birds is when Norman is staring at Marion through a small peep hole through the wall representing a bird-like entrance. All these motifs lead up to the very end of the movie when Norman states, "I am just as harmless as one of those stuffed birds.” All these instances of the motif of birds are not only interesting but lend themselves to interpretation by the viewer. These different instances all add a different element to the storyline for instance, the palor was made darker and more ominous by the giant owl towering over Norman and Marion presumably impersonating Norman's terrifying inner personality. This personality is frightening in a sudden way as Marion is both put off by Norman and not eager to approach or provoke him by asking simple questions. From blonde women to using the audience as voyeur and the symbolism of birds, Hitchcock uses a plethora of motifs throughout his films including Psycho to both deepen the plot and provoke observation and thought from the audience.
ReplyDelete~Group 1
Before I read your blog post I did not realize the significance of the birds in this movie. I believe that you did a good job pointing out all of the examples of the birds and the meaning of them. One of the best examples you used to show this symbol is when Norman knocks the bird picture off the wall. Since Norman referred to Marion as a little bird, when the picture was knocked down it symbolizes that a bird was down, or a person dead. On the other hand though I do not see the bird analogy with Norman's mother, Mrs. Bates. We aren't ever introduced to Mrs. Bates clearly because she's truly dead and I do not see how the birds tie in with her. I do believe that Hitchcock did a great job of making something as harmless as birds to show something so dark. A great quote from the movie that shows that something harmless is turned dark is when Norman says " I am just as harmless as one of those stuffed birds." Why this quote shows this so well is because Norman uses the birds in a way to gain Marion's trust and he ends up deceiving her. I believe that Hitchcock accomplished tying in the birds into Normans motifs to kill.
ReplyDeleteLike the other two, I had also not noticed the motif of the birds. I had noticed their creepiness and how they foreshadow Norman being the killer and stuffing other things, such as humans, but I had not noticed that they also gave a sense to how Norman thinks of women. I do see what you're saying when you point out the fact that Norman knocks the picture off of the wall to symbolize Marion's death, but I don't actually understand how that relates to his actual insight on women. Norman loved his mother and lives as if she is still alive, and I do not really see how the birds tie into that. I get that they are preserved, as is the memory of his mother, but I can't seem to figure out how they specifically relate to his mother. The birds are a dark symbol and can be tied to Norman's multiple personalities, but in my opinion they are not a direct representation of his mother other than the fact that both the birds and his mother are preserved on his property. I also do not see how they are a representation of Marion, but more of a tool to foreshadow her death and also verify that she was killed by Norman. Overall, I do like how you pointed this out and pointed out small details, such as the city of Phoenix and again the picture, which I honestly did not even notice as I just thought it was a part of Norman's clumsiness.
ReplyDelete-Melissa Villanueva, Group 9