Tuesday, July 22, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Instructor: Elizabeth Nathanson, Ph.D., Muhlenberg College
When PSCYHO was released in 1960, Alfred Hitchcock was arguably the most famous filmmaker in America. He was well known for teasing his audiences, playing games with representations of morality, creating new storytelling modes, and experimenting with depictions of crime and humor. However, without giving away any spoilers (!!), PSCYHO shattered viewers’ expectations and cinematic norms, shocking audiences and critics with its atypical narrative style and representation of violence.
In this seminar, we will look closely at PSCYHO and its historical context, one that stands in relation to the rise of television, an emerging teenage audience, and a growing interest in the violence that exists under the cover of seemingly normal American life. PSCYHO mixes elements of the woman’s film, the gothic, and the suspense thriller, asking audiences to confront our seemingly “irrational” fears. We will explore how the film moves audiences out of post-war domestic recovery and complacency and looks forward to the 1960s, a decade that also challenged American norms. For audiences of today, PSCYHO continues to shock, and it gives us space to discuss experiences of uncertainty, the unforeseen, and the threat of madness that can exist behind (or alongside) ordinary life.
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