{"id":35876,"date":"2014-02-17T11:14:40","date_gmt":"2014-02-17T16:14:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=35876"},"modified":"2014-02-17T11:15:54","modified_gmt":"2014-02-17T16:15:54","slug":"did-alfred-hitchcock-actually-direct-the-psycho-shower-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/did-alfred-hitchcock-actually-direct-the-psycho-shower-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"Did Alfred Hitchcock Actually Direct the Psycho “Shower Scene”?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The most famous scene of Alfred Hitchcock’s career may have actually been shot by famed illustrator, Saul Bass.<\/h2>\n

Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s Psycho reigns as one of the most critically acclaimed movies of all time. The film has scared audiences for 54 years and the directoral genius Alfred Hitchcock gets most of the credit. But in some breaking news, first reported by Vashi Nedomansky<\/a>, the famous \u2018Shower Scene\u2019 may have not actually been shot by Hitchcock. Rather, there’s now compelling evidence to suggest that illustrator Saul Bass was the actual director of the scene.<\/p>\n

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\n<\/a>Photo Courtesy of filmmakeriq<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Hitchcock and Bass both claim to have directed the scene but evidence of Saul\u2019s involvement extends far past speculation. Bass was commissioned as a Pictorial Consultant for the scene, for which he created 48 stylized storyboards<\/strong>. Which bear striking resemblance to the actual shots used in Psycho. Moreover, Bass had the following to say about his experience shooting Psycho:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the time came to shoot, I was on stage near Hitch, who was sitting in his elevated director\u2019s chair in his Buddha mode, hands folded on his belly. He asked me to set up the first shot, as per my storyboard. After I checked it through the camera, I turned to him and said \u2018Here it is.\u2019 Then Hitch said \u2018Go ahead, roll it.\u2019 It was an amazing moment. On Hitch\u2019s set, no one would issue orders other than Hitch. So I swallowed hard, gulped and said \u2018Roll camera! . . . Action!\u2019<\/strong> He sat back in the chair, encouraging me, benignly nodding his head periodically, and giving me the \u2018Roll\u2019 signal as I matched each shot to the storyboard.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The story seems too vivid to have been made up but to accept it\u2019s validity is to take credit away from Hitchcock. Hitchcock obviously denied the claim by stating:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe [Saul Bass] did only one scene, but I didn\u2019t use his montage. He was supposed to do the titles, but since he was interested in the picture, I just let him lay out the sequence<\/strong> of the detective going up the stairs, just before he is stabbed.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The world will probably never definitively know who shot the famous \u201cshower scene\u201d but what we do know is Bass\u2019s illustrations are strikingly incredibly similar to the final shots in Psycho. Furthermore, Bass was paid $17,000 for his work<\/strong>, which would have been a lot of money for a commissioned illustrator, but not for a hired director.<\/p>\n

The following video by Vashi Nedomansky shows Bass\u2019s illustrations side by side with the actual shots from the scene. Take a look and let us know what you think. Was the most famous scene in Psycho shot by Saul Bass? Tell us in the comments below.<\/p>\n