Review: ‘78/52’ invites Hot Docs audiences into the shower with Hitchcock (Includes first-hand account)

Movies are an ingrained element of our culture and an acknowledged form of communicating, directly and indirectly. Cinematic messages can be obvious and built into the narrative, or they can be hidden in the plot and images; sometimes deeper meanings are intended to be understood by some viewers and concealed from others… censors, for instance. Alfred Hitchcock was a master auteur known for circumventing the Motion Picture Production Code with creative framing and the art of inferring rather than showing. One of his greatest and still admired constructions is the shower scene in Psycho, which is thoroughly examined in 78/52.

In 1960, Hitchcock literally changed the way people went to the movies. When Psycho was released in theatres, he required that no one be allowed to enter the show after it began — this was the first time such a request was made of audiences who were accustomed to coming in part way through a film and catching up with what they missed in the subsequent screening. Of course, he wanted to preserve the picture’s many secrets as well as avoid latecomers wondering when Janet Leigh would appear. Yet the shower scene was so much more than a way to shock audiences. It’s meaning and structure has been frequently analyzed, but this documentary is one of the most in-depth examinations to date.

Cinephiles will already be aware of many of the elements discussed in the film, but there’s some lesser known tidbits included for even the most informed fan. Conversely, uninitiated admirers of Hitchcock’s work will find the whole film fascinating and accessible. Historians, horror aficionados, filmmakers, critics and actors, including Guillermo del Toro, Peter Bogdanovich, Eli Roth, Elijah Wood and Jamie Lee Curtis, comment and explore the most minute elements of the scene and its creation. They discuss its implications for the genre as a whole, as well as Hitchcock’s motivations for painstakingly orchestrating such a scene, which lasts mere minutes but took a week to shoot. From Hershey’s chocolate syrup to the reason there’s an unusual cut away from Marion’s corpse, Alexandre O. Philippe‘s documentary is a great follow-up to his equally engaging exploration of the zombie genre.

The Toronto premiere of 78/52 is screening as part of the “Nightvision” program at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.

Director: Alexandre O. Philippe

Similar Posts

  • Review: TIFF 2016: ‘Raw’ is an intense depiction of growing up (Includes first-hand account)

    Graduating from high school and going to college is a rite of passage that is both terrifying and thrilling for most freshmen. In addition to a new level of learning and responsibility, they have to contend with a whole new social structure: new friends, new enemies and new rules. Living on campus brings with it the freedom of no parental supervision and the pitfalls of indulging without previously respected limits. But those are just the most general consequences of going away to school; the adjustments required vary for everyone and may be worse for some. In Raw, one teen girl discovers a whole new side of herself she wishes didn’t exist.

  • Review: ‘The Witches’ is high-gloss, but still amusing (Includes first-hand account)

    While witches flying on broomsticks are an iconic symbol of Halloween, one has to wonder what they do for the other 364 days a year. Also, if they look as hideous as the holiday’s decorations suggest, how do they go unnoticed for all that time? In 1983, Roald Dahl wrote a story about a heinous group of witches with a sinister plan and an alternative family who will do everything in their power to stop them. The book was first adapted in 1990 with the help of Jim Henson, and now director Robert Zemeckis — who is no stranger to special effects-heavy pictures — has taken a turn. Roald Dahl’s The Witches is a relatively faithful adaptation of Dahl’s tale, though it’s been transported to 1968 Alabama.

  • Review: ‘A Most Violent Year’ is most excellent (Includes first-hand account)

    In 1981, violent crimes in New York reached an all-time high. Urban decay led to an increase in robberies and, consequently, violent crimes. It became dangerous to earn an honest living, but that didn’t stop people from trying. In A Most Violent Year, a business owner refuses to sink to the lows of his competitors even though his honour is slowly becoming his downfall.

  • Review: TIFF 2016: ‘Catfight’ wrestles its way to the comedic top (Includes first-hand account)

    High school and college reunions are events viewed with either great anticipation or extreme dread. One’s response is often influenced by their lot in life post-graduation. The successful ones can’t wait to flaunt their good fortune, while the others fear the moment everyone asks, “So, what’ve you been up to?” But at least an organized event provides some time to prepare — it’s those unexpected run-ins with people from your past that can really throw someone for a loop. In Catfight, two women find they have a lot of unresolved animosity for each other in spite of going their different ways decades earlier.