"Psycho" Essay 1 Outline

Main Argument:

• ·         I am going to take an ideological approach to further analyze the scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho where Marion Crane is in her bedroom with the stolen $40,000 packing her suitcase.  Although both a formalist and an ideological approach are applicable to Psycho, this particular scene I think is best looked at through the eyes of an ideologist.

Claim 1:

·      Ideological Approach and Sergei Eisenstein:

o   According to Eisenstein, the meaning of a film is arrived at through relationship between two successive shots, independent of one another.

o   Support: Sergei Eisenstein’s article “The Dramaturgy of Film Form”

·      Formalist Approach and V.F. Perkins:

o   Perkins takes a “synthetic” approach to criticism in which he considers how various elements of a film compliment the film as a whole. What one particular scene means in context with the entire film.

o   Support: V.F. Perkins excerpt from “Film as film: Understanding and judging movies.”

Claim 2: Ideological Approach

• ·      In the scene where the audience correctly assumes that Marion is about to leave town, a sequence of shots occurs which begin with a medium shot of Marion in her bedroom, looking worriedly at something off camera. As the camera pans down and tracks forward, we see that the envelope filled with money is on her bed, along with an open suitcase. This opening shot is important because it lets the viewer know that Marion did not go to the bank to deposit the money. I would argue that it is the first turning point for the film. Before this scene, we as viewers have nothing to be suspicious or anxious about. We had little reason to suspect that she would take the money home. As the scene continues, we are shown one shot after another of Marion getting dressed, packing her belongings, and glancing down at the envelope. This scene is only approximately a minute and a half but is the movies first manipulation of fear. Through this sequence of shots and the music that accompanies them, the spectator begins their decent into Marion’s problems. Yet, at the same time, we have very little background on the character. We can’t be sure why she is taking the money and we have no idea where she is going with it. But that doesn’t matter in this scene, because all we need to know is that she is taking it and to feel the anxiety she feels.
• ·      Support: Eisenstein’s article “The Dramaturgy of Film Form”

Claim 3:

• ·      Because of the emotional effect on the viewers, I believe that an ideological approach to the packing scene would be the optimal choice.
• ·      Support: Eisenstein’s article “The Dramaturgy of Film Form”