Critical Investigation: Task #3

Historical text analysis and research

Psycho (1960): A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run, and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.

Director:
Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:
Joseph Stefano (screenplay), Robert Bloch (novel)

Stars:
Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles

Bates Motel (2013): A contemporary prequel to Psycho, giving a portrayal of how Norman Bates' psyche unravels through his teenage years, and how deeply intricate his relationship with his mother, Norma, truly is.

Creators: Anthony Cipriano, Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin

Stars: Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot

In the television show, Bates motel, the principal antagonist/protagonist is Norman bates. The character of Norman was originally created by author Robert Bloch for his 1959 novel, Psycho. Bloch's main inspiration for Norman Bates was Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein who was arrested in 1957 and charged with the murder of two local women. However, in 'Bates Motel', the character of Norman is based on the character from Psycho, the film, which results in significant differences in the character, as well as his actions.

In this clip, we can see that the most obvious difference in what the iconic 'shower scene' entails is the victims' gender. In the 2017 shot scene, Norman Bates kills a man, Sam Loomis, as a form of social justice for Marion and Mrs Loomis, as they both have been cheated on. In comparison, the 1960s Psycho adheres to the book, and kills Marion Crane. This indicates a clear change in the way women are portrayed in society - they are no longer seen as a 'damsel in distress' and the vulnerable victim. Ehrin, a member of the Bates motel show says "We discussed this episode for a long time in the writers’ room. It was a tall order to bring Psycho in, not let it take over, and deliver a story that was going to have meaning for the arc of our characters. We also wanted our story to be at a peak while doing the episode, so it was almost like a math equation. Eventually it felt like because the story we have been telling in Bates Motel is about how Norman got the way he is, and how a lot of it had to do with growing up in a violent household, that led us back to killing Sam. The idea was that he represented to Norman a version of his father. Norman is really going deep, deep down the rabbit hole of insanity; this makes sense in his head at this moment. It’s both heartbreaking and horrific, which is sort of the cocktail that we like. We like heartbreak in our horror."

This is a poster for Bates Motel, this is interesting as it seems to portray both he male and female character fairly equally. Both characters as positioned the same way and have a similar expression. However, when considering costume, we can see that the female, Norma, is wearing significantly more feminine clothes, to emphasise her femininity. 

Here, Norma's femininity is emphasised through her position and how she holds Norman as well as her clothes and makeup. On the right, her face is held higher to accentuate her features, suggesting that a women is simply there to look a certain way, demonstrating Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory. In contrast, Norman to the right has a much more sinister expression, suggesting his dominance in comparison to the female character, Norma.

Here is the original Psycho poster. The main focus of the poster is the female, again, demonstrating the idea of the male gaze by Mulvey.  The men in the poster are presented as dominant and strong as we can see their arms and they are coloured red. In comparison, the woman in yellow, a much more delicate and arguably feminine comparison whereas red suggests anger and strength. These colours symbolise the difference in the males and females within the film. moreover, Marion is dressed in a bra and all white. All white gives audiences the impression of purity and the fact that she is in a bra gives us the impression of vulnerability as she is exposed and it is used to strongly reinforce her femininity.