This is a feature-length documentary on the making of Psycho, found on the 45-year Anniversary Double-Disc edition... phew, what a mouthful. It consists of interviews, mainly with the cast and crew(Barker also adds to this), behind-the-scenes material, and clips from the movie(and a couple of others). This covers quite a lot of ground, going into everything you'd expect and a few things you wouldn't necessarily think of. In case anyone who hasn't yet watched the picture is reading this, I will not specify any scenes. Besides, you probably know which the iconic sequences and occurrences are, if you should. Leigh and Stephano are some of the most compelling to listen to, but really, everyone here has something to say that is worth hearing. Coming in at 90 minutes, this is well-paced and never boring. It goes through the entire creative process, all three stages, if the level of detail varies, partially due to the age(and the sad death of Mr. H, the master... it's a good thing they made this in time for the star and writer to partake in it). From the technical(and never overly complicated) explanations to the anecdotes, everything in this is interesting. It's well-edited and has a great pace. Also on this set is a marvelous fifteen-minute excerpt of the American Film Institute Salute to Alfred Hitchcock, a half-hour presentation entitled Masters of Cinema with the famed director responding to questions(the only downside is the somewhat below average sound quality), a comparison of the shower scene(with/without the music), Newsreel Footage, production photographs/drawings, and the theatrical trailer. I recommend this to any fan of the influential release. 7/10
Review of The Making of 'Psycho'
