Came off as too smug in Psycho
She was almost mocking Anthony Perkins' character Norman Bates
shareHe was a weirdo who could use some mocking. But I guess she got her comeuppance.
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MovieChat Forums > Janet Leigh Discussion > Came off as too smug in Psycho
She was convincing in the part, in other words.
shareShe was thoroughly mocking Anthony Perkins' character.
She decided he was a Mommy's boy and therefore harmless, and she couldn't help letting a very faint tone of sarcasm into her voice.
I thought Janet Leigh's acting was outstanding, particularly as she had to convey conflicting emotions without saying a word of dialogue in numerous scenes.
Completely agree. She is superb in this role and yes, the hint of smugness/superiority over Norman which Marion projects is part of the reason why her performance is so wonderfully effective. The chemistry between Leigh and Perkins is electrifying and helps to make her ultimate fate all the more powerful and unforgettable.
Shirley Jones is fine in Elmer Gantry but Janet Leigh should have won the Oscar that year with ease, and I say this as one who has never been particularly impressed by her in any other role.
Yes, I'm the same, I've never found her to be particularly noteworthy in any other film she's been in. She's always been a very attractive woman, and she has a distinct personality, but it seems she never had the good luck to be cast in material that brought out her subtle acting skills. Once again, Mr. Hitchcock made the right choice.
share Yes, Norman came across as a weak Momma's boy and she thought she could give him advice.
Her attitude may have been influenced by her frustration with her own boyfriend Sam Loomis. He was divorced but still seemingly under the influence of another woman, his ex-wife.
I think that Marion was tired of weak men who couldn't seem to man up and take charge of their lives. They allowed themselves to be tossed around by circumstance.
"I think that Marion was tired of weak men who couldn't seem to man up and take charge of their lives."
Yes, good point, PJ.
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"the "harmless" quote about Norman, a man, from one of the posters says more about the poster"
If you have something to say about me, PN, say it to me. There's a good girl.
Sounds like you are projecting a lot into my comments!
I wasn't rewriting the script or assuming that I knew everything about Marion's dating history.
She seemed to be in love with Sam. She wanted a future with him even if he was poor and they'd have to struggle financially as a couple. But they'd still BE a couple. Marion was honest with Sam. She didn't mind struggling with him if they were together.
Sure, she was good looking. But if she went for a guy with money, there would be the accusations that she was a "gold digger". She wanted the guy she loved, poor or not.
Never mind her "dating history". Sam was uppermost in her mind when she met Norman. Here was yet another good looking guy who couldn't break his ties to a woman. In this case it was his mommy. Marion heard the yelling, not knowing it was Norman doing it. It was normal for her to wonder why a grown man would allow himself to be bullied by an old lady.
I think, to Marion, here was another weak willed man. And we ARE talking about the early 1960's. Men were supposed to be tough and "take charge". Now here was another spineless jellyfish of a guy. No wonder Marion acted a little patronizing.
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Okay, ProductionNow, I'm really not taking all this so very personally! No problem.
I've seen Psycho many times but I never really thought about the "smug" angle of Marion's personality if indeed there was one.
I just read the OP and tried to come up with a plausible reason for her seeming smugness.
Actually I always thought she was a bit out of line "advising" Norman to put his mother somewhere. She really knew nothing about him or his relationship with Mother.
Remember how Norman took offense and said ,"People click their thick tongues and suggest, oh so delicately..."
I thought Marion was out of line making suggestions to a stranger when her own life was in such disarray.
But I believe she was thinking about her boyfriend who was being weak and wishy washy. And here was another guy who seemed to be led around by his mother.
Marion was in a lousy, messed up frame of mind. I think weakness, especially weakness in men was on her mind. And who knows? She might've been secretly berating herself for not having the gumption to break it off with Sam. He enjoyed their "meetings" but was in no hurry to marry her.
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When was she mocking him?
shareShe wasn't mocking him. Posters think she was being condescending to him in the parlor scene.
shareYeah I never got that impression, I got the impression that she was a little freaked out when he starts with his "we all go a little mad sometimes" monologue but overall thought he was harmless.
shareShe was definitely smug (to put it mildly) with the police officer, and used- car salesman.
I deleted my other posts.. why bother.
She wasn’t smug she was scared to death
shareShe wasn't so much smug to the police officer and car salesman, as chilly. They wanted her attention but she just wanted to get away from them as soon as possible! During the entire first act, when we meet her in Phoenix and follow her flight, the only time she acts the way that straight men wished that women acted was when she was with her hot boyfriend. The rest of the time, she's cool and offputting, not available on any level to the men around her.
She does open up a little to Norman, in a slightly condescending way because she thinks of herself as far more worldly even though they're about the same age), but she starts to shut down again soon enough. Partly because of she realizes some uncomfortable things about herself, and partly because she starts to realize that Norman is a needy mess and it'd be a bad idea to get too close to him. I agree that she wasn't a great actress in general, but she really did nail this role, like Kim Novak nailed her role in "Vertigo". Hitchcock was better with actors than his reputation would suggest.