Psycho

Ranked: 14th
Released:  1960

The first movie we watched on the list was Alfred Hitchock's Psycho.  Of course I was familiar with the infamous shower scene, but I had never actually seen the movie.  Overall, I really liked the movie, and it kept my attention (I have a tendency to get bored in some movies).  Of course, it wasn't nearly as scary now as I'm sure it was when it came out.  Also, I sort of knew the twist at the end, but I can't imagine how shocked those who watched it when it first came out were.

I really enjoy reading what Wikipedia has to say about the classic movies we have been watching.  Some random, interesting things I learned about Psycho from good ol' Wikipedia:

• Alfred Hitchcock actually makes a cameo in this film (as in most of his films.)  You don't have to wait long for it as it happens seven minutes into the film.  He can be seen through a window, wearing a Stetson hat, standing outside Marion Crane's office.  Honestly, I didn't pick up on this.
  
• There are a number of references to birds. Marion's last name is Crane and she is from Phoenix. Norman's hobby is stuffing birds, and he comments that Marion eats like a bird. In British slang, a young woman is called a "bird."
  
• Psycho is actually based on a book that is based on a true case.
  
• The book Pyscho is based on has the protagonist Mary Crane being from Dallas, TX (my fav city).  The movie, however, has the protagonist being from Phoenix, AZ (JP's home town).  However, at the time there was a lady named Mary Crane living in Phoenix so they renamed the protagonist Marion Crane for the movie.
  
• There were several controversies surrounding the movie (mostly the shower scene) but one of the most humorous one to me involves a toilet.  Marion is shown flushing a toilet with its contents of torn up paper fully visible.  Up until that time, in film and television, a toilet flushing was never heard and definitely not seen.