Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho (Paperback)

by Stephen Rebello (Author) "In late November 1957, no one would have marked Plainfield as unlike any other hardscrabble, rawboned Wisconsin farm hamlet..." (more)
Key Phrases: shower sequence, shower murder, murder sequence, Janet Leigh, Marshal Schlom, Alfred Hitchcock (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If you don't believe us when we say that Stephen Rebello's Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho is a killer book concerning the killer movie of all time, then why don't you listen to Tony Perkins, the star? Perkins called this scholarly yet super-readable volume "marvelously researched and irresistible ... required reading not only for Psycho-philes, but also for anyone interested in the backstage world of movie creation." And Time critic Richard Schickel (biographer of Clint Eastwood) calls Rebello's book "one of the best accounts of the making of an individual movie we've ever had."

It's even more reliable than Francois Truffaut's magisterial interview book Hitchcock, because Rebello interviewed the fat master himself, plus many Psycho insiders less cagey and truth-dodging than he.

At last, thanks to Rebello, we know all about the celebrated shower murder scene and all that swirls around it. Like Ernst Lubitsch, who conveyed the thrill of adultery by having the lovers open a door and cast their shadows on a bed, Hitchcock knew that, in film, artful discretion can be the most shocking effect of all. --Tim Appelo --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
In some ways a groundbreaking film, Psycho has been extensively written about and minutely analyzed. Rebello's anecdotal approach could well have been entitled The Saga of Psycho . Beginning with the story of the actual crimes upon which Robert Bloch's novel was based, it covers every aspect of the film's production, its subsequent reception, and, briefly, the later films inspired by Psycho . Although this somewhat parallels Richard Naremore's Filmguide to Psycho (Indiana Univ. Pr., 1973. o.p.), Rebello's book has added considerable color gained from extensive interviews with Hitchcock and others who worked on the film. This is a readable, albeit occasionally rambling, account and is a useful adjunct to Naremore and the numerous other books about the Hitchcock canon. Movie/Entertainment Book Club selection.
- Roy Liebman, California State Univ. Lib., Los Angeles
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (December 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312207859
• ISBN-13: 978-0312207854
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #801,782 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rebello offers a needed defense of this great film., February 10, 1999

By	Michael (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews

Believe it or not, the reputation of the film Psycho is not that high among Hitchcock scholars. Most of them prefer the 50s films (Vertigo and Rear Window), or 30s films (The Thirty-Nine Steps and The Lady Vanishes). Reviewers also disliked this film upon its release, although as Rebello notes, that had a lot to do with Hitchcock's unwillingness to let them see it before its release to the public. (He wanted no advance word on its shocking contents.) Psycho has always been a success with its audience, and the viewers are the ones who keep its reputation as one of Hitchcock's greatest films alive. This book starts with the actual serial killer that Robert Bloch based his novel on, proceeds to the optioning of the novel (Bloch had no idea who bought it and sold it for very little, but his reputation was made for life), the preproduction problems (the studio didn't want it made, so it was done as a low-budget quickie), its scripting and filming, postproduction, release, and unexpected success. An irony of the film, according to Rebello, is that Hitchcock never quite got over its success. His later films were seen as letdowns after this one (although I put two of them, The Birds and Marnie, among his 15 best). Anyone who cares about this film will devour this book as I did. I recommend it unequivocally.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Everything you ever needed to know about Psycho is in here -, July 10, 2002

By	Mrs Baldwin (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This book is about as in-depth as you could want, but very interesting and good reading. Stephen Rebello begins at the beginning with a rather revolting chapter about the psychotic killer upon which Norman was later loosely based. (Don't let your children get a hold of that chapter!) He then talks about the man who wrote the book "Psycho", and on to Hitchcock's discovery of the book and the making of the movie. There are chapters and sections on practically every aspect of the movie and the making thereof - cast, costumes, shooting, casaba melons, publicity, and the aftermath. At the end there is also a list of the entire cast and little paragraphs about what became of them after Psycho.

This book is very good if you are a fan of either Psycho or Hitchcock in general, because in telling about Psycho the author tells a lot about Hitchcock as well.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Behind the scenes of a Hitchcock classic, June 10, 2001

By	C. Roberts "movie buff" (Halifax, Yorkshire, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"A boy's best friend is his mother" - Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).

"Psycho" is one of Hitchcock's most famous films and this book is a fascinating account of how the film was made and some of the problems that had to be overcome before the film could be completed. Author Stephen Rebello has done an excellent job and describes in detail how Hitchcock chose his screenwriter, his crew and the actors. It is interesting to discover how little some of these people were paid for what turned out to be a classic money making Hitchcock film.

"A man should have a hobby" - Marion Crane (Janet Leigh).

Following the enormous success of his latest film "North by Northwest" Hitchcock was looking for something different - but interesting. When the "Psycho" book by Robert Bloch came to his attention he realised that this could be just what he wanted but he was unsure how the censors would react to the gruesome storyline. He decided to purchase the screen rights to the book and very cleverly did so for a bargain price. The authors agents had no idea who was after the rights to the book and thought they had a good deal when $9,000 was agreed upon. However, after Robert Bloch had paid commission to the publishers, his agents fees and the tax he was left with approx $5,000. It was at this point that he discovered the buyer was a certain Mr Alfred Hitchcock!! Joseph Stefano was hired to write the screenplay after many others had been under consideration. Hitchcock's main concern was to keep the plot twists under wraps during filming and did not release any advance information about the film to the Press. He also had an unusual advertising campaign insisting that no-one was admitted to the theatre once the film had started.

"12 cabins - 12 vacancies" - Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).

Hitchcock wanted a famous actress for the role of Marion Crane and Lana Turner, Shirley Jones, Hope Lange, Piper Laurie, Martha Hyer and Eva Marie Saint were all considered before the part eventually went to Janet Leigh. Anthony Perkins was the only choice for Norman Bates but several actors were in line to play Sam Loomis (Marion Crane's boy friend). These included Stuart Whitman, Cliff Robertson, Leslie Neilsen, Brian Keith, Jack Lord, Rod Taylor and Robert Loggia. The role of Sam Loomis was played in the film by John Gavin. Alfred Hitchcock's daughter Patricia also had a small role in the film. The music by Bernard Hermann was a major contribution to the success of the film and Hitchcock was so pleased with the result that he doubled the composer's salary. Hermann has written the music for several other Hitchcock films including "The Trouble With Harry", "The Man Who Knew Too Much", "The Wrong Man", "Vertigo", "North by Northwest" and "Marnie".

"Well, if the woman up there is Mrs Bates - who's that woman buried out in Greenlawn Cemetery?" - Sheriff Chambers (John McIntire).

The book explains how certain scenes were filmed but later disregarded by Hitchcock and deleted from the film as they slowed down the story. Much attention is given to the famous shower murder scene and the controversy that it was Saul Bass who directed this and not Hitchcock. Differing views are given by people who were present at the time but all is revealed here in Stephen Rebello's book. "Psycho" was remade in colour in 1998 by Gus Van Sant. This was an interesting experiment as it was a word for word, scene by scene actual copy of the original. However, it is of course difficult for anyone to top the Hitchcock version.