LEGEND OR LAZY? Psycho (1960) ***1/2

Psycho should be seen at least three times by any discerning film-goer, the first time for the sheer terror of the experience...the second time for the macabre comedy inherent in the conception of the film; and the third for all the hidden meanings and symbols lurking beneath the surface... Andrew Sarris

Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is not original in either the literal or metaphoric sense. Based on Robert Bloch's novel and Joseph Stefano's script, Hitchock has crafted a decidely weird thriller. Actually, this is two films in one which makes it hard to judge. Ostensibly, the film is about lovers Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) and Sam Loomis (John Gavin) wanting to marry but needing money. Marion steals $40,000 from her employer and flees to the Bates Motel and meets a strange man called Norman and his mother and the rest is as they say history. Purely, as a filmmaking experience, this film is hard to top. Though everyone points to the infamous shower scene, some of the most effective images come very early and late in the film. I won't spoil them but like many films in the genre, the real thrill is being wrapped in the characers' varied paranoia. Remember this film came out BEFORE the Kennedy assassination so the film is pushing things very close to the edge. By now, unfortunately, outmoded by more sophisticated fare or just more gory material (the Saw series comes to mind), Psycho is a classic that earns its praise though perhaps overrated. Rope is a better picture and more philosophic. And some logical problems are too much to stomach - like how can Norman project his voice so well?? But putting these minor quibbles in their place this film does deliver the goods and some genuine (though far too few) scares.