Adaptation
Data: Psycho- Bates Motel
In the original film Psycho came out in 1960, which was during a time that a transition
was happening from the 1950’s ideology of conformity to the 1960’s which is
known as the protest era. This film laid the track for future horror films and is
still regarded by many as the best horror film.
Ø
The opening scene starts with the actress Janet
Leigh wearing skimpy white undergarments in bed with a man.
Ø
Main actress is killed off early on during the
movie, in a shower scene.
Ø
Reflection in mirrors
Ø
Discovered that Norman’s mother has been dead
for 10 years
Ø
Norman/Mother are the same person
§
Dawn of a golden age
§
Strong military power
§
Civil Rights movements
§
Anti - Communism
§
“Baby Boomers”
§
Many People moved to the Suburbs
The Bates
Motel came out in 2013, and unlike the film, no major transitions were
happening in our country. The show follows the Psycho film, in regards to the character of Norman Bates, his
mother, and the motel. The show follows a young Norman Bates and how he becomes
the Psycho killer.
Ø
The opening scene starts with Norman watching a
black and white movie, and discovers that his father is dead.
Ø
It is unknown if Norman is a killer, or if his
mom is
Ø
The mother kills someone
Ø
Norman is portrayed as a quiet young man, who is
close to his mother
Ø
Norman likes a girl, who is not his mother
Ø
It is discovered that Norman is the one who
killed the father
§
Social Media
§
Internet Age
§
Mass Public shootings
§
Reality Television
§
People are having less children
Relationships
between Adaptations:
v
Norman is a killer
v
The mother has a big influence on what Norman
does
v
Norman uses his mother to justify what he has
done
v
Unsuspected to be a killer
v
Norman has a very deep love for his mother
While the movie Psycho
starts off with a female lead, the Bates
Motel show focuses heavily on Norman and his mother. In Psycho the female
actress is killed off early on in the film and that is when the main focus goes
towards Norman and the unknowing darkness that surrounds him. In the Bates Motel show, the mother seems to be
a very important part to the story and she is almost all the scenes. The main
difference between the two adaptations is that the movie has a plot that involves
the murder of a woman, a young man who seems guilty, and the resolution that
Norman’s mother is dead; while the show focuses more on how the mother treats
Norman and how Norman is lacking in basic social skills.
So you could take your thesis/arguments here in several directions. First off, you could state that sex was viewed as something bad and that this view has decreased in our culture (shown by woman in skimpy clothes getting murdered right away in the first film). However if you look at other sources you will see that we as a culture still hold the same if not stronger views about sex being bad (this could be shown from how the woman in skimpy clothes being murdered is not even included in the adaptation); this could work as a type of anti-thesis. You could also take this in a direction where you make some type of argument about the effects different types of mothers have on their children (does being an overprotective mom and sheltering your kids cause them to be inclined to commit murders? Is there a point where a mom and her child may become too close in their relationship? Did Norman kill his father in the second movie because of his love for his mother?) I would pay attention to how the different characters are portrayed in the two films (which characters are "darker vs. lighter", what symbols surround the various characters and how does this affect the audience's view of these characters, etc.).
ReplyDeleteSo you could take your thesis/arguments here in several directions. First off, you could state that sex was viewed as something bad and that this view has decreased in our culture (shown by woman in skimpy clothes getting murdered right away in the first film). However if you look at other sources you will see that we as a culture still hold the same if not stronger views about sex being bad (this could be shown from how the woman in skimpy clothes being murdered is not even included in the adaptation); this could work as a type of anti-thesis. You could also take this in a direction where you make some type of argument about the effects different types of mothers have on their children (does being an overprotective mom and sheltering your kids cause them to be inclined to commit murders? Is there a point where a mom and her child may become too close in their relationship? Did Norman kill his father in the second movie because of his love for his mother?) I would pay attention to how the different characters are portrayed in the two films (which characters are "darker vs. lighter", what symbols surround the various characters and how does this affect the audience's view of these characters, etc.). meditation script
ReplyDelete