A selection for the 2017 Fantasia International Film Festival, 78/52 profiles the iconic shower scene shown in Alfred Hitchock’s Pyscho.
Written and directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, the documentary features a wide array of interviews mixed in with archival footage. A number of interview subjects were included including family members of Hitchcock, Janet Leigh, and Anthony Perkins. Oscar winning editors such as Walter Murch, Chris Ennis, and Bob Murawski were also among those interviewed.
The shower scene is easily one of the most iconic scenes in film history. The documentary explores “The Man behind the Curtain” and the murder that changed cinema and has led to so much discussion from film historians and filmmakers. The title comes from the number of set-ups and cuts that ultimately made the shower scene. Psycho was scheduled to shoot for four weeks but devoted an entire week to the shower scene, thus showing its importance to the film.
This film is unprecedented in that there has never before been a single feature-length documentary that discusses the influence in the shower scene.
I’m no fan of horror films but this is a must-watch for anyone who calls themselves a cinema lover.
IFC Midnight will distribute later this year. In the meantime, Philippe will co-host 50 Years of Hitchcock on TCM, which will feature Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Psycho.
