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A Post About Psycho: The Parlor Scene

posted 8 years ago by ecarle (14979)
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For whatever reason -- possibly pace of dialogue and Expressionistic light/darkness lighting -- I'm rather partial to Arbogast's dialogue with Norman in Psycho. Its one of the first things my mind goes to when I think about the movie.

But it does seem that the Parlor Scene -- the big dialogue between Marion and Norman -- is a bigger deal than the Arbogast talk to a lot of people. Certainly it has been studied somewhat more by critics. And I've read reader comments like "its my favorite scene in the movie" to "its my favorite scene in Hitchcock." It DOES have its draws.

This is true of every scene in Psycho, but certainly The Parlor Scene plays quite differently if You Know the Twist. But 1960 audiences did not. As will likely many high school and college film students who WILL see the film.

For those folks, The Parlor Scene is an interesting meeting of Our Main Character(Janet Leigh as Marion Crane) with a New Possible Co-Main Character(Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates.) In 1960, I think Leigh and Perkins were about equal in stardom; I would doubt that the 1960 audience felt that Perkins was going to play SUPPORT to Leigh. He was in the movie for a reason.

And that reason was obvious to Janet Leigh: "Its obvious," she said, "the story is going to be Marion choosing between the two guys."(Sam and Norman; Gavin and Perkins.)
You know, that's a perfectly logical assumption for a 1960 audience to make. Perkins was mainly playing romantic leads in those days, opposite ladies like Jane Fonda(debuting in Tall Story ALSO in 1960) and Audrey Hepburn. And he was a bigger star than John Gavin, so "in the know" audiences could figure that shy, sensitive Norman would win out over the big hunky Sam.

But there was the issue that this movie was called "Psycho." There would have to be one somewhere. Could it be Marion herself? Sam? (If he found out about romantic Norman)? How about that crazy-sounding lady up at the house?

Bets might well be laid on the lady or Sam. And the more Norman talked about the old lady...the more it seemed clear SHE would be the psycho. Which means Marion is in danger but -- Norman will save her, yes?

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[–] ecarle (14979) 8 years ago

We settle into the parlor scene with Perkins as Norman having been wonderfully polite, self-effacing , and even witty up to this point("Stationary with Bates Motel printed on it, to make your friends back home envious.") He is also quite handsome, beautiful even, and delicate, boyish.

Marion relaxes talking to him. She could USE a good conversation, one lacking the threat of the cop or California Charlie. Though Norman soon susses her out, too -- "What are you running away from?" Before Marion can work on a cover story, Norman bails her out "People don't run away from anything, do they?" and that allows him to segue into his sadly chlling speech about all of us being in our "private traps...clamped in them."

Hitchcock plays eminently fair with Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in the parlor scene. He's charming and polite and shy, but the tics start appearing soon.
VERY soon in the case of this famous exchange:
Marion: Do you go out with friends?
Norman: (After a beat, and after some anguish, and then with great confidence) Well...a boy's best friend is his mother.
That's a great line, certainly. But HOW Anthony Perkins reads that line may be the best line reading he ever gave in his whole career. Norman is perhaps fighting this announcement of his Mother's dominance in his life, and his own LACK of friends, or a life. But when he finally says the line, he says it with a finality, almost a bit of menace, as if to say: "You KNOW I mean it, don't you?" And of course(as we later learn) that's Mother talking from within him. But if you don't know the twist, Norman becomes rather sad at this point, and a bit scary.

Marion's reaction is wonderfully deadpan and then a bit dismissive. "That's it," you can hear her thinking, "this guy isn't any sort of romantic prospect. I'm not interested anymore even if I was."(Conversely, Anne Heche "oversold" light gulping revulsion at the line in the remake. Wrong.)

All of the scenes in Psycho seem timed just perfectly, not too long, but not too short. There is a "flow" to the parlor scene -- from gentle initial conversation, to shared theraputic secrets, to the ever-creeping realization that even if Norman Bates looks like Anthony Perkins...some thing is a bit off about him, and this boy-man is WAY too connected to Mom. ("I do chores around the -- the chores that Mother might allow that I would be capable to do." )

Even as the dialogue is carefully controlled and beautifully acted, Hitchcock's camera is busy being very simple and very profound. A main "controlling shot" of Marion in medium shot, seated and eating her odd little meal. Various shots of Norman from various angles, framed usually by the stuffed birds in his office; one that he strokes and one looming high above him. Marion will get a close-up or two on major points, but Hitchcock keeps steering us back to Norman...HE is becoming the star of this picture.

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[–] ecarle (14979) 8 years ago

Everything is building to a trap set by Mother(perhaps) and set off by Norman. Simply put, he complains about his Mother's illness, and how nasty she is, and how he wishes he could leave...and Marion starts to agree with him, tells him "he SHOULD mind" (just as Arbogast will later say, "to tell you the truth, I DO mind.")

Marion edges...oh so very delicately...into suggesting that Mother be put "some..place"( another great line reading) and Norman reveals his darkest side.
"You mean an institution.. a madhouse?
The nastiness of this exchange is key:
Marion: I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to seem uncaring. (Later, Arbogast: "I'm sorry, its not a slur on your manhood.")
Norman: What do you know about caring?! People cluck their thick tongues and suggest....oh so very delicately...
What becomes quite clear at this moment is that Norman Bates is NOT the gentle charmer he seemed on first meeting to Marion. She's probably already made up her mind to end this conversation(though, horribly enough, NOT to get in her car and leave the motel).

Then -- quite wonderfully -- Norman SWITCHES OFF the anger(switches off Mother) and becomes "nice friendly Norman" again:
Norman: "You're sure you wouldn't like to stay a little longer? Just for talk?"
And when Marion begs off saying she has to drive all the way back to Phoenix, Norman's response couldn't be nicer:
"Really?" Another great line reading.

And he watches Marion leave(out the motel office door just like Mother will leave the bathrrom of Cabin One.)

There's a LOT more to the parlor scene, but even this bare bones version demonstrates the power of the scene, and how one man and one woman come thisclose to connecting and then lose it. For reasons that will become all too apparent as the film goes on.
Its a great scene.

[–] Strannger (2007) 8 years ago

Interesting thoughts. I'm sure Norman was thought of a love interest. The old woman crazy and out to kill. I think it's so easy getting lost in our views in modern times of knowing the plot before hand. I net it was a big shock it was mentioned his mother died since she was seen moving and talking. Who was buried in her grave or did she fake her death.