Films of Alfred Hitchcock - Essay Example

In this paper, the focus lies on a 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film, Psycho where a theme comprising of violence, sex and phallic proxy will be discussed. This horror movie, which has won several awards, has continued to be listed among the best-produced films especially because of encompassing several themes. The story focuses on a secretary, Marion Crane, who together with the boyfriend has financial issues. The duo’s marriage plans are adversely affected by the huge debts they have to pay. When Crane meets Sam, the boyfriend, for lunch the latter tells the fiancée that all the money they would get will have to pay the fast-accruing debt.

Upon finishing the lunch, Crane goes back to the workplace where the boss instructs the secretary to deposit some $40,000 to the bank paid by a client for a service. Interestingly, Crane seeks permission to take the afternoon off, but plans to run away with the cash (Smith, p11). As noted with the other movies, there is hardly a film with a single theme; many have more than even two, and Psycho is no exception. Even though it has a number of these, this paper, as already indicated will primarily focus on sexuality, violence and phallic of proxy.

When Crane decides to vanish with her employer’s money, the boss unfortunately, sees her. Consequently, this causes her to be nervous, and makes wrong decisions in the process. After overcoming the seemingly opposition fronted by a police officer who finds her asleep, Crane continues to a motel called Bates motel, belonging to a Mr. Norman Bates(Smith, p14). Up to that point, one can see several themes including that of symbolic economy. First, when Crane decided to steal the money, the financial pressure she was experiencing catalyzed the decision.

It is not always that horror movies are used in relation to money-related issues, and especially in matter of debts. Yet, movies have a way of affecting people in a number of positive