Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

Psycho (1960)


Marion Crane: Wouldn't it be better if you put her... someplace?

Norman Bates: You mean an institution? A madhouse?

Marion Crane: No, I didn't mean it like...

Norman Bates: People always call a madhouse "someplace", don't they? "Put her in someplace."

Marion Crane: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so uncaring.

Norman Bates: What do you know about caring? Have you ever seen the inside of one of those places? The laughing, and the tears, and those cruel eyes studying you? My mother there?

Oh, but she's harmless. She's as harmless as one of those stuffed birds.

Marion Crane: I tried to mean well.

Norman Bates: People always mean well. They cluck their thick tongues and shake their heads and suggest oh so very delicately.

You know what this exchange taught me most of all? That the phrase "cluck their thick tongues" is a glorious mash of discordant syllables. Oh and also, that you shouldn't tell a crazy person to put their dead mother in an asylum. It pisses them off to no end! A very important lesson indeed.

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3 comments:

Glenn said...

During the Melbourne International Film Festival they're doing a screening of Psycho accompanied with a live orchestra. I was wanting to go until I discovered the tickets were no cheaper than $80. For a movie I can watch any time I choose (albeit on DVD without live orchestra) I am not spending that much.

Anonymous said...

Glenn, definitely cluck your thick tongue at that nonsense.

Rob K

James T said...

I rewatched it two days ago and this part:

"Marion Crane: I tried to mean well.

Norman Bates: People always mean well. They cluck their thick tongues and shake their heads and suggest oh so very delicately."

made me realise I might be a little craaazy. That could be me answering Marion.