78/52

I didn't think it was possible to make a documentary about just one movie scene. After seeing "78/52", I was amazed at what I didn't know or hadn't noticed concerning this famous scene from "Psycho". The title of the film comes from the 78 shots and 52 cuts that make up the shower sequence. Actually, the documentary is not solely about the murder scene but a quarter of the documentary also covers the rest of the Hitchcock's classic horror movie and its place in Hollywood. "78/52" is well organized, nicely designed and quite thorough but it doesn't get boring. I have seen the original movie and the movie about the making of the movie. Now that I have seen this documentary, I can say that all three films are equally worth the time to watch.

This look at "Psycho" indicates some very important facts. First of all, the horror or slasher genre wasn't taken all that seriously prior to "Psycho" because the movies were either too graphic or too cheesy. That's why Hitchcock made the movie because he had the talent to retain a sense of taste while introducing some professionalism and complexity to the genre. I appreciated how "78/52" illustrates Hitchcock's career as it relates and led up to 1960. "Psycho" came at the perfect time during his career and in American society. Had the film been made and released in the late 60's, it would have been filed alongside other Hollywood products that signified a change in culture. Instead, "Psycho" debuted in 1960 just before the wake-up calls of political assassinations and social unrest that were to come. Thus, when the movie is put in the context of 1950's society, it is quite powerful. A 1950's staple was the nuclear family with a loving and caring mother. We get exposed to the polar opposite while watching "Psycho". Other characters in the movie talk about their mothers prior to the protagonist arriving at the Bates Motel. It seems Hitchcock made almost every line in the film important to the story. Voyeurism, as explained in "78/52", is important when talking about this classic movie but that part of the documentary did make me uncomfortable. That however is exactly what Hitchcock wanted. He wanted his audience, all the way up to when Marion is washing herself, to feel uneasy and awkward because that would make the iconic scene all the more potent. Hitchcock also set us up to have the rug pulled out from under our feet, even for those familiar with his usual works. Here's another "what if" question: if any other director had turned out the exact same murder scene (and the odds of that are very low), would it have had as big of impact? I say no because it was Hitchcock's fame and marketing that drew people into the theatre in the first place. Also, the director had been maneuvering those watching in the theatre towards this monumental sequence since the show started. It's amazing that no matter how many times you see this classic movie, you always catch something new that you didn't see before. When I first saw "Psycho" I could see examples of foreshadow but it turns out there is a lot more than I thought. I have already mentioned the mother references but the windshield wipers and the rain on the road are another example among many.

Many of the aspects of this documentary, including its organization and design are noteworthy. The sound during the opening credits resets the original setting pretty well. I really enjoyed the reading of two versions of this famous scene, the first from Robert Bloch's original novel and the second from Joseph Stefano's screenplay. The accompanying images during both readings were well chosen. It worked so well to have "78/52" in black and white because otherwise, it would have been a distraction. Too much colour would have taken us out of the context that the documentary filmmakers wanted us in. The interviewees are in rooms that resemble sets from the classic movie for the same reason. Some archival footage is even exhibited on a retro TV. The only colour shots in the documentary are clips of Hitchcock's films preceding "Psycho" in order to contrast the famous scene. There are also colour clips from other movies not made by Hitchcock. Toward the middle of "78/52", we begin a detailed analysis of the shower sequence. Every part of it is deconstructed and analyzed: the timing, the sound, the framing, the subtext, etc. If you can do that to one movie scene and remain interesting, it must be scene that changed Hollywood. The analysis is so interesting that you can't wait until they start talking about Bernard Herrmann's now legendary contribution to the scene. One noteworthy part of the sound analysis was the casaba reveal with the use a heavenly choir and spotlight. This will be the fruit that will strike terror into the ears of the audience. I never noticed the knife cutting across the water coming out of the shower under I saw this documentary. It is a vivid image when the footage is slowed down. I always wondered how they got that lone shot in "Psycho" where the knife stabs the belly of the victim. The solution is so simple that it blows my mind and they got away with it because of the fast-paced editing.

Alfred Hitchcock is not just the Master of Suspense but also the Master of Manipulation as "78/52" proves. I now think it is possible to analyze some famous movie scenes in a full-length documentary such as the liquidation of the Krakow Ghetto in "Schindler's List" or the "Singin' in the Rain" sequence but the list of these kinds of documentaries would be short. This documentary about "Psycho" is why I love movies because there is so much to learn about the process of moviemaking and this knowledge adds to the entertainment. In this case, we learn appreciate this one famous scene even more because we have seen a detailed look at its creation, legacy and subtext. You learn so much by watching 78/52 and your interest doesn't wane as you watch. This is because of the organization, the design and the level of examination undertaken.

4 Stars