The Shower Scene From Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho

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One of the most iconic scences in the history of film production is the Shower Scene from Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." Before this movie came out, no one had ever seen anything like it. This is because there are several elements Hitchcock used to make the scene that made cinematic history. Four of the major elements he used in this scene are camera techniques, sound, editing, and creating suspense. One of the most important and obvious elements in this scene are the camera techniques that are used through out it to perfectly capture what is happening to Marion. During the clip we see several shots of the shower, the water falling, and Marion. These shots effectively show how she is seems happy, and is seemingly washing away all her wrongs, and show that she's relaxed and somewhat vulnerable. The camera then pans to a front on shot of Marion with a full view of the shower curtain behind her, as we see the shadow of a figure enter the room. It then slowly zooms in on the figure as it walks towards the shower, then shoves the curtain to the side and begins attacking her. As she's being attacked, there are quick shots back and forth between the attacker, Marion, and a birds eye view of both of them. These shows…show more content…
At the climax of the scene, the murder starts stabbing Marion, and fast cuts and loud music are used to frighten and break the suspense that was created with the silence and slow paced editing. This type of editing is also known as montage editing, and is effective in creating suspense and intensity in the scene. After the stabbing occurs the editing is different, as the cuts are now longer and dragged out, instead of fast. This editing gives a moment to reflect on Marion slowly falling to the floor of the tub as she is dying. As the camera zooms into the drain of the tub, a bridging shot faded from the draining to Marion's eye in an empty
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