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Psycho
(1998) |
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When Gus Van Sant came up with the idea of remaking Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, he antagonised a lot of movie enthusiasts the world over. How could he possibly expect, even in his wildest dreams, to ever be able to match, let alone top, one of cinemas most celebrated classics? Despite this, while the film does merit as objective an analysis as possible, it must bear comparison with the original movie. It may not come as much of a surprise, but the remake in no way manages to improve on the original and the only things that stand out as being terrific are those elements from the first movie which have been retained here as well. Van Sant has set his movie in 1998 but has almost completely retained the original script without making any effort to update it. Therefore, the car salesman sounds as if he is in some time warp, with his cheesy lines which were far more appropriate in the '50s and early '60s. Van Sant has, however, made a few additions here and there, the main one being the use of colour. Hitchcock had also wanted Psycho to be shot in colour, but changed his mind later on. But somehow, the juxtaposition between good and evil, sanity and madness, and the gray area in between are far better illustrated in the bleak black-and-white Hitchcock original. Another change the director has made is in the opening scene where, as Hitchcock had also wanted but lacked the technology to do so, there is a seamless one-shot take with the camera slowly weaving its way through the city into the seedy motel room where Marion is meeting Sam. An unwelcome addition is the scene where Norman is aroused while watching Marion getting ready to shower. Then of course there is the shower scene itself. However, there are a couple of additional shots, such as the one of Marion's eye as it dilates in death, which are not so bad. The new version suffers enormously when one compares the skills of the actors. To compare the performances of Janet Leigh, Martin Balsam and, above all, Anthony Perkins to those of Anne Heche and Vince Vaughan, earnest as they are, would be sacrilege. Suffice to say that none of the performances hold a candle to the legendary ones they try to live up to. A major problem with the film is that it never succeeds in justifying its existence and falls flat on its face whenever it is compared to the original. Secondly, as the story is no longer a surprise to most of the audience, the proceedings become quite dull as one waits for the inevitable. It would have been a far better idea to re-work Psycho rather than just imitate it. Wouldn't it have been better if the whole scenario had been updated to make it more real for the '90s? Not only has Van Sant managed to upset legions of film fans but he has also produced a box office dud.
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