The craft of film-making brought to perfection

Rating: 10/10 (13 July 2007)

There is no finer example of the craft of film-making than "Psycho." Every aspect of the production is brilliantly executed, and contributes to the film as a whole, rather than detracting from the whole. The script laden with double meanings, the note-perfect acting, the astonishing camera work and editing, the background music, the sleazy, run-down atmosphere - it all coalesces into one unforgettable excursion through the prurient, dishonest, anxiety-ridden substratum that lies just an inch beneath the supposedly placid, polite surface of American society. Hitchcock masterfully manipulates not only the audience's emotional states but its train of thought as well. The viewer is kept in a subtle state of confusion and bewilderment as to what is actually happening, what is going to happen, and what the characters' true motivations are - while at the same time the story is propelled forward at a brisk and steady pace. Even though I have seen this film all the way through 6 or 7 times, I always find myself irresistibly drawn into it all over again whenever it is shown. This is one of the true masterpieces of cinema, in that it exemplifies masterful film-making in all the disciplines required to produce a great film.