Amazon.com Essentials:
For all the slasher pictures
that have ripped off Psycho (and particularly its classic set
piece, the "shower scene"), nothing has ever matched the
impact of the real thing. More than just a first-rate shocker full of
thrills and suspense, Psycho is also an engrossing character
study in which director Alfred Hitchcock skillfully seduces you into
identifying with the main characters--then pulls the rug (or the
bathmat) out from under you. Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as
Norman Bates, the mama's boy proprietor of the Bates Motel; and so is
Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, who makes an impulsive decision and
becomes a fugitive from the law, hiding out at Norman's roadside inn
for one fateful night. --Jim
Emerson
Amazon.com Essentials:
At last--a great American movie available on video for the
first time in its original aspect ratio. For all the slasher pictures
that have ripped off Psycho (and particularly its classic set
piece, the "shower scene"), nothing has ever matched the
impact of the real thing. More than just a first-rate shocker full of
thrills and suspense, Psycho is also an engrossing character
study in which director Alfred Hitchcock skillfully seduces you into
identifying with the main characters--then pulls the rug (or the
bathmat) out from under you. Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as
Norman Bates, the mama's boy proprietor of the Bates Motel; and so is
Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, who makes an impulsive decision and
becomes a fugitive from the law, hiding out at Norman's roadside inn
for one fateful night. Psycho gets the masterpiece treatment it
deserves on DVD, with extras including newsreel footage surrounding
the making and release of the movie; an archive of production stills;
the special trailer in which Hitchcock (acting as one of the original
Universal Studio tour guides) himself leads viewers around the Bates
place; credit designer Saul Bass's original "shower scene"
story boards; posters and advertising materials for the movie's
William Castle-like publicity campaign (No One Will Be Seated After
the Feature Begins!); and a 90-minute documentary on the making
of the film! What more could any movie fan possibly want? --Jim
Emerson
