Use Of Innovative Editing Techniques In Alfred Hitchcock's Film Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho utilizes some innovative editing techniques, especially for its time. Particularly, the scene where Marion Crane drives her newly purchased 1957 Ford contains many edits that help drive the story. The approximately three-minute scene is comprised of 36 shots; however, there are only two distinctive shots throughout the entire sequence. As Marion drives, her mind begins to drift as she starts thinking about how her boss and others back home may suspect her of stealing $40,000. Hitchcock emphasizes Marion's torment and anxiety by alternating between a medium close-up shot of Marion and a first-person view of her driving. At the beginning of the scene, Marion begins to surmise how others back home might