Film

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Marion Crane and the Patrolman in Alfred Hitchcock 's Psycho (1960

Sharp camera angles , slow shifts in point of view and shot focus on the unblinking gaze of Marion Crane are among a few subtle elements in the highway patrolman scene . These bring into fruition what the audience has been expecting at the very first scene of the movie : That the law will sooner or later catch up with her and that something is bound to break open her closely guarded secrets

Marion Crane

is not the kind of average woman at that time . She is voluptuous , beautiful and immensely attractive . She is also portrayed as smart and playful . The first scene showed Marion Crane and her lover right after their illicit tryst at some hotel in Arizona . Marion Crane is half naked , an image that was quite unthinkable during the time of Alfred Hitchcock . The couple exchanges a number of cooing and teasing but not so much as to shift the focus to titillating sex from a suspenseful drama of two people enjoying forbidden love . It is important to note that the opening credits used sharp blades and cut lines resembling the alternate between darkness and light and the blurred grey in between . These vertical parallels that split the texts also signify the blinds in the hotel where Marion Crane and her lover are making love . It is a symbol of voyeurism , of the desire for carnal pleasures and the body of a naked woman . Likewise , the lternating vertical blinds are recurring symbols to show the changes in the personality which prepares the audience in understanding Norman Bates ' character later in the movie

At this point , Marion Crane becomes an object of desire , one who inspires lust and pity at the same time . However , her character continues to wax between an innocent and helpless woman to an enterprising and alluring lady . The latter aspect of Marion Crane 's character is magnified in the scene at the office where a rich client steps in and notices her immediately . He makes mention of the temperature inside and the desire for milk . Such is perhaps a suggestion about the sultry air that Marion Crane brings inside the room and how she reminds the voracious of men about soft , porcelain skin . Although wrapped in a jacket from head to toe , the previous image of her wearing nothing but a skirt and a bra continues to stick to the memory . It plays over and over again in the minds of the captivated audience putting the viewers in the same voyeuristic phase as with Norman Bates later who catches a peek or two into her body

Marion Crane is also a law breaker . The first scene shows her indifference to the evolving standards of the community . Even at that time , stealing through one 's lunch hour to sleep with a man , who is married , secretly in a hotel is something that is frowned upon by society . Yet she persists in her intention to live with the man whatever risks or cost it shall take to do so . She casually suggests that they go out of the town forever and just leave everything behind At the next scene , we find a different Marion Crane . Subdued , polite and obedient inside the office , she does not talk more than necessary but keeps to herself . Her body is wrapped tightly in clothing even at such a humid and hot day . This speaks of her secretive nature . Beneath the trappings is another kind of woman who desperately seeks adventure and escape

The opportunity to finally break the mold of her dull and repetitive life came inauspiciously with one of their rich client 's generosity , or perhaps an attempt to solicit licentious acts from Marion Crane . The rich client gave her a hefty sum of money which was more than enough to tide her over her plan to escape the city . However , her boss wanted to be safe and have everything in writing . She was instructed to deposit the cash in the bank and wait for the check Monday after the weekend

Marion Crane nods politely and excuses herself from work at the pretext of having a terrible headache . Indeed , at the sight of the money she had already resolved to push through with going out the city and start a new life with her man . Of course , this is not without consequences since she knows fully well that escaping with the money would break the law and break the trust of her boss . Thoughts play in her mind while she drives At one stop , she spots her boss and her boss smiles back , but notices something wrong with her . This might be perhaps because of the fact that he thought that she was spending the afternoon in bed or the fact that she was all dressed to the nines suggesting that she was going somewhere far . The scene was brief yet the meaning speaks volumes of the window blind effect in the character of Marion Crane : one that alternates between the good and the bad , with only a fragile grayish middle that separates the two personalities . She has bad thoughts but smiles when confronted with the things that she fears will uncover her secrets

Now , finally , fifteen minutes into the movie , we find Marion Crane being asked questions by a patrolman who was both suspicious and curious as to why an attractive woman was sleeping inside her car in the middle of nowhere . At first the patrolman was admonishing her that the place was not safe but because Marion Crane had a sudden episode of guilt , what with her running away with the money for illicit means

The cop to her represented justice catching up with her evil deeds . Yet her good side took control and gave the appearance of her innocence . The patrolman was beginning to be suspicious . Alfred Hitchcock , in to show the growing suspicion , every shot was painstakingly slow and calculated . The point of view changes right after viewer catches a full glimpse of Marion Crane 's guilty reaction to the cop , and also catches the full figure of the prodding eyes of the law in the person of the patrolman . At once the scene captures the theme of evil and good and the fine line between the two

Works Cited

Psycho . Dir . Alfred Hitchcock . Perf . Anthony Perkins , Janet Leigh . Vera Miles , John Gavin , and Martin Balsam . Universal Studios Home Entertainment , 1960

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