Psycho (1960) - Parlor Scene Analysis

Psycho (1960) - Parlor Scene Analysis

The very first shot of the scene from the iconic thriller: Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock, shows the protagonist and antagonist, Marion Krane and Norman Bates (respectively) talking to each other within a small-framed, two-shot. This small shot has a claustrophobic feel to it which will drag on for the rest of the scene; this gives away an ominous vibe to the audience and is ultimately used to show the protagonist's little escape options from the persistent killer. After their conversation, Marion says she'll enter Norman's room - at this point, non-diegetic sinister music in sues as Norman takes a step forward, and then a step back, all the while staring at Marion in complete diegetic silence. This action, coupled with the ever-growing sinister music, could imply that Norman is weighing his options on whether or not he should kill her, this creates a sense of mystery around his character to viewers who have never seen the movie. This ominous feel is portrayed through the un-blinking eye contact during the diegetic silence.

Inside Norman's parlor is just as unsettling, the room is decorated with the stuffed corpses of birds; the bird's breeds being symbolisms for either predator or prey. At first, Norman's parlor is dark, with all the stuffed birds being hidden within the darkness. This lighting effect is low-key and is possibly used to represent Norman's secrecy, until this point, no-one knows who the killer is – the birds of prey being hidden in the shadows reflects Norman's concealment and stealth as a killer, much like the birds. When Marion enters the parlor, we get Marion's close-up, POV shots of both the large owl in attack position staring down the seat she is going to sit on, and the crow perched above it. Both of these birds are birds of prey and the way they are placed (one behind, one in-front), represents Marion's entrapment, how all escapes are closed. The non-diegetic, sinister music from the beginning of the scene carries over into the parlor; the music seems to heighten dramatically when each shot of the birds is established, clearly adding to the suspense and keeping the audience on edge.

Also when Marion sits down to eat, we get a two-shot of the characters, Marion being the subject in the foreground and Norman watching her in the background. This camera placement portrays Norman again, as a lurking predator, watching his prey. We even see this through the prop placement; notice the bird behind Norman's head, it's facing towards Marion, however, it seems docile. This further supports the fact that Norman is still weighing his options, like a bird of prey stalking it's victim, waiting for the opportune time to strike. Norman even mutters the line, "You...you eat like a bird...", which further illustrates the fact that Norman understands how his victims act. This hints towards there being a power divide that's subtle enough for audiences can pick up on it. Not only a power divide but a moral divide is present; after the lamp turns on the lighting becomes high-key, and Marion sits slightly in front of the lamp. Marion's face is brightened with light and much like the lamp, she appears give off a sort of heavenly glow. Marion has stolen forty thousand dollars from her employer but this light indicates that redemption for her sins is possible. Norman, however, is positioned as far from the light source as possible. His distance from the light shows the audience that Norman clearly has something to hide as he is now casting a large, malevolent-looking shadow of himself up the walls and ceiling due to the sharp lighting. This shadow clearly represents Norman's 'other half' - the murderer behind the mask.

 

The mise-en-scene used by Hitchcock captures the character's motives and personalities better than anything else. We see in this unusually low-angled shot of Norman that his calm and inviting demeanour has changed for the worst. Firstly his height shows dominance within the frame as the camera has to look up to him, showing a clear sense of power and control. However, the pivotal point of scene is the large owl from earlier, still in attack position behind Norman's head (as for the two other birds who are also 'birds of prey'). This scene appears when Marion hits a nerve – insults Mother. The positioning of the owl shows that Norman has snapped out of his docile state and is ready to attack; he is now actively hunting Marion. We also see this change in Norman's state, through a close-up of him as he leans towards Marion. The silence is broken too, bringing back the sinister, non-diegetic music. This close-up of Norman is designed to feel threatening and uncomfortable; the music also compliments this as throughout Norman's speech about madness, the music appears to become more and more sporadic and louder. This shot with this music symbolize Norman's own descent into madness and anger, as the music acts as ticking clock – the ticking has to end at some point, and the audience is left guessing what will happen when it does.