I have seen Psycho several times, though not during its initial theatrical release; I'm slightly too young for that. It is of course by the master, Alfred Hitchcock, and although it is not my favourite of his, there is no doubt it ranks highly with me and his genius is clearly evident throughout the film. So when I spied the Alfred Hitchcock Collection DVD edition of Psycho on sale at a used book store, I quickly snatched it up. And am I glad I did. The original film is there in pristine condition and there are loads of extras. The best is a documentary called, "The Making of Psycho". I had seen and read several stories over the years about the movie but this documentary was the best. It had numerous people involved in the original film, like Janet Leigh, Joseph Stefano who wrote the screenplay, assistant director Hilton Green, costume designer Rita Riggs and others; all giving excellent commentary. They talk about the many vicissitudes in making the film from the very inception to the final release which could have, but thankfully did not, scuttle the entire project. I feel that I learned more, not only about this particular film, but about movie making in general than ever before. I would urge all serious students of cinema to watch "The Making of Psycho".
Review of The Making of 'Psycho'
