Psycho: Narrative and the Film Extract

Psycho: Narrative and the Film Extract

On release, Hitchcock himself sparked an interesting advertising campaign claiming that Psycho could only be seen from the very beginning of the film.
"We won’t allow you to cheat yourself. You must see PSYCHO from the very beginning. Therefore, do not expect to be admitted into the theatre after the start of each performance of the picture. We say no one — and we mean no one — not even the manager’s brother, the President of the United States, or the Queen of England (God bless her)!"
It's obvious this was to preserve the authenticity of the film's convoluted plot structure. Also it highlights Hitchcock's ability to manipulate the minds of the audience through narrative. The film is constructed in some odd 2-part/3-part narrative. The reason I say this is that Hitchcock purposely sets the beginning of the narrative as setup following Marion Crane. The audience is led to believe that the film would follow Ms. Crane and her trying to escape with the money, our MacGuffin at the moment. Her character is played so well that it is believed that Ms. Crane would be the "Psycho". Up until the pivotal shower scene, is when the plot takes a drastic turn. Ms. Crane being missing becomes the new MacGuffin that propels the plot. Over the course of this act structure we see developing traits in Norman Bates as we follow the string of murders.

The narrative is propelled by plot as each event has a cause-and-effect sequence to it. For example, after the private eye is killed, the curiosity and worry of Ms. Crane's boyfriend and sister cause them to head to the sheriff and later on the motel itself. The MacGuffin also propels the story as we follow the money as it leads to the downfall of Marion Crane.