In the 1960 film Psycho,
by allowing his audience to see through the eyes of specific characters, Hitchcock
uses the camera’s point-of-view to persuade us to not only sympathize with
certain characters, but to participate in their crimes as well.
Marion Crane is a real-estate secretary who steals forty-thousand
dollars in cash from her trusting boss and Norman Bates is a hotel manager who spies
on women in their rooms through a peephole in the wall of his office. Hitchcock
presents us with characters that would normally be difficult to like; however,
by strategically placing the camera in a way that captures a specific character’s
visual point-of-view, the audience is encouraged to share and react to that
character’s experiences, however extreme or conflicted.
When the lecherous old business man sits on Marion’s desk waving
a wad of hundred dollar bills in her face and letting his eyes travel lustfully
over her body, we feel her vulnerability and we sympathize with her; so much so
that we may even want her to steal his money as punishment for his lewd
behavior. Similarly, when we discover that much of Norman’s shy, awkward
behavior is probably due to the oppressive hold his mother has over him, we are
less judgmental when we catch him spying on Marion getting undressed,
especially when we are guiltily participating in this act of voyeurism
alongside him.
Throughout the film, Hitchcock uses point-of-view to explore
this theme of double identities. Is she caring and loyal Marion, or Marion the
liar and thief; is he shy and sensitive Norman, or Norman the depraved and homicidal
lunatic? Hitchcock is asking us to turn these questions of identity on
ourselves. Which are we? Are we the neutral observers we might want to see
ourselves as, watching innocently from the sidelines, or are we really secret
participants living vicariously through these characters on the screen? Is film
simply a window into another world or, as Hitchcock seems to be suggesting, is it a
mirror reflecting our own? Maybe what gives Psycho
its suspense, what makes it such a disturbing film, is its ability to allow us
to look through the camera’s eye… and see ourselves.
Work Cited:
Hitchcock, Alfred. Psycho. 1960. Universal. Amazon
Instant Video. Web.
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