Psycho
If you watched the arm amputation in 127 Hours through your fingers, while your friends simply closed their eyes, youll know the scene relied less on gore than sound effects. Like every other director working today, Danny Boyle has learned a trick or two from Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho, whose 50th anniversary is being honored with a crisp new black-and-white print. As Anthony Perkins, dressed in his mothers drag, surprises Janet Leigh in the shower with a carving knife, its the shrieking soundtrack and meticulous editing that make you believe youve seen something you havent. The penetration of the blade is never shown, and the rest of the film relies on equally subtle suggestion. The taxidermy birds, beckoning swamp, and curiously empty rooms at the Bates Motel all hint at the proprietors unhinged state of mind. If Leighs flighty fugitive misses the signs, it may be because shes preoccupied with own guilt. Hitchcock pairs the two in a weird kind of seduction: She wants to confess, but cant. He wants to caress, but cant. Theres so much repression that violence, not sex, is the only release. (NR) BRIAN MILLER
Nov. 26-Dec. 2, 7:15 & 9:15 p.m., 2010
